Staff WriterPARdon Me isn’t an apology for a topped chip; it’s the exuberant new memoir that sends Joseph “Joe” Bronson marching down memory lane—spikeless shoes squeaking, grin widening—as he revisits 50 years of dimpled delight.
Hot off the April 2025 presses and front-loaded with a foreword from NFL icon Steve Young, this third volume in Bronson’s series refuses to lay up. Instead, it aims straight for the flag—and, mercifully, rarely finds the bunker.
Fairways walked, legends met—and one priceless “fore!”
Bronson has logged enough yardage to make a tour caddie weep: 93 of America’s top-100 courses plus a constellation of overseas gems.
Whisking readers from Pebble Beach’s surf-sprayed 7th to the wind-scolded turf of St Andrews, peppering each stop with lush detail so vivid you can smell the freshly raked “fried egg lie.”
Along the way Bronson tumbles into “golf misadventures” aplenty—most memorably a bucket-list Pro-Am round with Arnold Palmer that left him star-struck and one club short.
The anecdotes arrive with Seve Ballesteros-esque timing, cracking wise one moment and reflecting the next on the quiet thrill of a solo sunset loop.
The game’s makeover: persimmon to polymer
PARdon Me doesn’t just polish nostalgia; it charts the sport’s seismic shifts. Bronson tracks the rise of titanium drivers, GPS yardages and the post-pandemic boom that turned tee-time booking into a contact sport.
Yet some demons remain stubbornly eternal—slow play, the dreaded shank, and that voice in every golfer’s head screaming “fore!” a microsecond too late.
Throughout, Bronson reminds us the sport is “about so much more than hitting a ball around acres of neatly trimmed grass,” a line that neatly frames golf’s renaissance in 2025, when participation numbers are swelling faster than a Pro-V1 in a summer fairway.
Wisdom between the double-bogeys
Strip away the celebrity cameos and you’ll find life lessons lurking in every divot. Bronson mines each triumph and calamity for nuggets on perseverance, humility and the courage to reload after a watery grave.
The memoir underscores “the enduring life lessons golf offers.” One former non-golfer confessed, “I could never understand the allure of golf. Now I know,” proof that even armchair critics may finish the book itching to book a tee time.
An amateur’s voice with professional polish
Bronson is no tour pro—he’s one of us, a card-carrying weekend warrior—which gives the prose what one critic calls “a different, and yet insightful viewpoint.”
That relatability fuels a conversational style that feels more 19th-hole banter than lecture hall.
Chapters follow a crisp, modular layout, praised as “practical with good subheads that allow readers to focus on specific aspects,” so readers can hopscotch from Amen Corner to Irish links without losing the plot.
Who should read PARdon Me?
If you fit the description “every golfer—duffer, amateur or seasoned pro,” congratulations—Bronson wrote this for you.
Newcomers will absorb subtle guidance on “how golfers might play a course or a particular shot,” while single-digit handicaps will nod knowingly at his riffs on tempo and tension.
Even spouses exiled to the clubhouse will glean empathy for the obsession their loved ones label “a fascinating microcosm of dedication to craft.”
Giving back, one page at a time
All royalties funnel straight into university golf programs, The First Tee and other youth initiatives, underscoring Bronson’s belief that the game is “a way of life.”
In an era when coffee-table tomes can cost a small fortune, it’s refreshing to know your purchase funds the next generation’s first pure 7-iron.
Verdict
Like a well-struck draw that hangs against the wind, PARdon Me bends expectations and finishes bang-on target.
It’s brisk, self-deprecating and—crucially—brimming with the infectious wonder that keeps golfers chasing that one perfect swing.
Read it for the stories, stay for the wisdom, and close the cover with a grin as wide as a freshly cut cup.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a tee time to chase—and after Bronson’s tales, so might you.
