A Writer ’ s Mission Accomplished
Michael J . Stott ’ s recently released book is titled Too Much Loft , certainly appropriate for a three-novella exercise chronicling a young man ’ s journey from country-club caddie to grounds crew member to the pro shop in the early 1960s .
However , given the story behind the story , an equally appropriate title might have been Perseverance . That virtue was essential in Stott bringing his story into your reading room .
( But , first , some housekeeping . Stott asked me to edit his manuscript , which I did on the condition that it would be for spelling , punctuation , and grammar only . We agreed that plot and character development were off-limits .)
Stott began writing the odyssey of “ Looper ” Litton in 1990 , never knowing when or where inspiration would come . Once , he grabbed some napkins at a Richmond restaurant where he and his family were dining and began scribbling dialogue that descended on him between the salad and the entrée .
In somewhat quick order , Stott finished the first two novellas .
“ There are pieces of the book that reflect experiences I had ,” he said . “ Some of the characters are drawn from people I either knew or worked with .”
Take “ Mrs . Peck ,” the story of a 60-something-year-old former club champion who , 40 years after giving up the game , seeks to win the title again . It ’ s true . Stott did caddie for Mrs . Peck at the suburban Chicago club where Peck was a member .
What seems like a contrived subplot — that Mrs . Peck carried all numbered woods , 1 through 11 — is also a fact .
“ I caddied for a lot of people , but never anyone who had a set of clubs like hers ,” Stott said .
In “ Mr . O .,” Looper spends his first day as a grunt on a grounds crew overseen by a cantankerous , sexist , unyielding superintendent hand-weeding beds of overgrown Phlox in a driving storm .
“ Yeah , to me ,” Stott says , when asked if that really happened .
“ Unlike Looper , I wasn ’ t lent a Jaguar by a member , I didn ’ t have a mentor at the club . I attended no big social events — and I had no romantic nights with the
Author Michael J . Stott spent more than 30 years working on Too Much Loft , which is available for purchase on Amazon .
beautiful daughter of a club member ,” Stott said , laughing . “ I had no country club social life at all . I would have liked Looper ’ s life .”
Then , early into the third novella , second thoughts and real life got between pen and paper . There was a second marriage , two more children , a corporate career , and another passion , coaching and writing about swimming . He shelved the project for 24 years .
“ As I was finishing the second one , I didn ’ t know if there was a third story there ,” he
said . “ I knew Looper had to move to the pro shop , but I didn ’ t know where it would go .”
Pointing him to the finish line was Stott ’ s son , David . Every New Year ’ s Eve the two would share the same conversation . “ He ’ d say , ‘ Let ’ s finish Too Much Loft this year ,’” Stott said . “ It was like an annual New Year ’ s resolution .”
After retiring from his position as swim coach at a Richmond prep school in 2017 , Stott started anew . Remarkably , when he reviewed his work from a quarter-century before , it held up .
There ’ s little about Stott ’ s family life in the book . He grew up distinctly middle class , about five minutes from the club . Getting to work meant walking past ritzy homes and people of a more exclusive social standing . Stott ’ s dad traveled continuously for work . They rarely saw each other . Their interests were radically different . The elder Stott was proficient at working with his hands ; the son not so much .
But in fifth grade , young Stott penned a series of short stories . Stott ’ s father , who died in 1989 , couldn ’ t praise him enough to anyone and everyone .
“ It ’ s occured to me that he ’ d be very proud of me for writing this book ,” Stott said . “ It would be validation that I had the talent to follow my passion .”
Stott ’ s name should be familiar to you . His work graces these pages on a regular basis , and he still pens four pieces a month for a swimming magazine . But something was missing . “ I know this is old-school ,” he said , “ but I always felt that if you called yourself a writer , you needed a book .” About 30 years after starting Too Much Loft , he can finally say “ mission accomplished .”
COURTESY MICHAEL J . STOTT
40 V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER / O CTOBER 2021
vsga . org