Tolme, Andre

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Tolme, Andre

PERSONAL:

Born in Laconia, NH.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Civil engineer, licensed in CA.

WRITINGS:

I Golfed across Mongolia: How an Improbable Adventure Helped Me Rediscover the Spirit of Golf (and Life) (memoir), Thunder's Mouth Press (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Andre Tolme conceived and carried out a unique idea: to divide the country of Mongolia into an eighteen-hole golf course, one that would follow nomadic trails, rivers, and primitive roads across the nation from east to west—a distance of some 1,320 miles. Each hole would be located at a major metropolitan area; when Tolme successfully completed a hole, he would then begin again at the westernmost edge of the developed area. Tolme's intent was to give himself a personal test, and to raise awareness of the natural beauty of Mongolia and the lives of its people. The idea of "Golf Mongolia" was a way for him to combine his long-held interests of golfing, exploring the world, and travel-writing. He also hoped to promote the idea of other such expeditions in a sport he proposed calling "Extreme Golf."

Tolme traveled with three-iron golf club. He cooked his own food, except on nights that some Mongolian family might offer him their hospitality. His caddie, Khatanbaatar, knew nothing of golf, but he did drive a Jeep, carrying food, water, and a tent. Along the way, Tolme encountered wolves, plague-carrying marmots, and blistering heat. On a golf course with a par of 11,880, he went 290-over-par and lost more than 500 balls. He recorded his adventure in the book I Golfed across Mongolia: How an Improbable Adventure Helped Me Rediscover the Spirit of Golf (and Life). The book is "intriguing," according to a Publishers Weekly writer, although ultimately full of "too much golf, not enough Mongolia." Those who do find golf compelling, however, will find that Tolme relates his epic game "energetically," concluded the reviewer. Steven Silkunas, a reviewer for Library Journal, found that while there is some interesting content on Mongolia and on golfing, "the book has more to do with adventure and self-examination than it does with golf."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Tolme, Andre, I Golfed across Mongolia: How an Improbable Adventure Helped Me Rediscover the Spirit of Golf (and Life), Thunder's Mouth Press (New York, NY), 2006.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July 1, 2006, Bill Ott, review of I Golfed across Mongolia, p. 20.

Capper's, August 17, 2004, Bernard Schwartz, "Adventurous Golfer Plays across Mongolia," p. 4.

Golf Magazine, December 1, 2004, "The Asian Tour," p. 118.

Library Journal, June 1, 2006, Steven Silkunas, review of I Golfed across Mongolia, p. 128.

New York Times, July 4, 2004, James Brooke, "Golfing Mongolia: A 2.3-Million-Yard Par 11,880," p. 1; July 21, 2004, James Brooke, "World Briefing Asia: Mongolia: Hole 18, 290 over Par," p. 13.

Publishers Weekly, May 1, 2006, review of I Golfed across Mongolia, p. 56.