# Missing Links

By Rick Reilly

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/missing-links-1159e6d4/

The regulars at a battered municipal golf course near Boston can see the immaculate private club next door. Three friends each stake a thousand dollars on who can get a round there first. Their attempts to beat the club’s barriers test loyalties at the course they already call home.

## What makes it funny?

Ponky’s golfers face hazards such as abandoned cars and shopping carts. Their nicknames, including Two Down, Crowbar and Stick, suit a place where hustling friends matters as much as playing well. The bet gives these regulars a reason to devise increasingly elaborate schemes for access to the neighboring club.

### The comedy at work

The Mayflower’s exclusivity makes an ordinary round of golf seem worth deception and a considerable wager. The friends keep heckling one another as their plans grow more complicated, turning their shared obsession into a contest over status.

### Try this if…

Golfers may recognize the gambling and course loyalties, but the friendship contest is easy to follow without knowing the sport. Kirkus particularly admired Reilly’s affectionate portrait of municipal-course regulars.

### Good to know

The plot also follows Stick’s romantic life and conflict with his father. The wager is one part of a wider story about his relationships.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- Kind of humor: Banter · Satire · Situational comedy
- Format: Novel

## A few distinguishing details

- A thousand-dollar wager to play the exclusive course next door.

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rick-reilly/missing-links)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/140201/missing-links-by-rick-reilly)