In golf, a mulligan is a “do over,” a second chance. 

When Louise Stevens lost the love of her life to a heart attack, she was convinced that she would spend the rest of her life alone with her memories of her only love of thirty-one years, Rhonda Markosky.  After retiring from her teaching job in Pennsylvania, Louise moves to Florida and settles in to live what was the couple’s dream of a quiet life relaxing and playing golf.  Louise’s days are lonely without Rhonda.  Her only respite are Petie, her Boston terrier, a gift from her homeroom students at Westfield High, and her two friends, Linda and Shirley, former teachers who preceded Louise to retirement in Florida.

In an effort to escape from the solitary pattern to her life that she has established in her new home, Louise packs up her golf clubs and heads out for a practice session at the country club where she has become a member.  Her game has suffered from lack of practice.  She struggles to reclaim her swing, but her frustration is compounded by the appearance of Marty Beck, the golf pro at Pine Island Golf Club, who plies her with good-humored ribbing, which is not well received by Louise.  In spite of her annoyance at Marty, she finds herself attracted to the wise-cracking, enigmatic golf pro.

When Linda and Shirley drag Louise to a Valentine’s Day dance in an effort to keep Louise from pining away at home, Louise finds herself dancing with and escorted home by Marty Beck.  The two women decide that they need a fresh start in their relationship and thus begin anew.  However, the path isn’t smooth.  They encounter all manner of sand traps and water hazards in the links of their lives.  Louis is conflicted in her feelings over Marty while her grieving process for Rhonda continues.  There are issues about her years of closeted existence, and her emotional state and denial over her relationship with Marty.

Marty has her own difficulties.  She has been in bad relationships and is concerned that she will lose her ability to be herself if she embarks on another commitment and she struggles with the ghost of her most recent relationship.

When a teacher, one of Louise’s former colleagues, is fired from his job because he is suspected of being gay, events are set in motion which make Louise realize that it’s time for change in her life, about her need to let go of Rhonda and move on with her life, her attitude toward being closeted, and her relationship with Marty.

This story is refreshing in its portrayal of vital older women, still capable of living and loving.  A welcome change from coming of age stories, baby boomer women will see a lot of their own lives in Louise and Marty’s story—even if they don’t play golf.  MacGregor takes us on a journey which skillfully swings back and forth between the current story and the main character’s flashbacks, in a way that is reminiscent of a masterful golf swing.  It’s easy for the reader to root for Louise and want her to overcome her grief, her hesitations and her emotional upheaval.  We want Marty to be successful in wooing Louise, showing her that her faithfulness is true.

Finally, Louise’s turmoil gives us insight into those who have been closeted for so many years—whether from fear or necessity—and the difficulties in making a decision to come out publicly late in life.  All this is cushioned within an entertaining story—touching romance where both women get a second chance at love.