Williams College student publishes book on golf experiences

I wasn’t sure what drew me to attend a book signing/question and answer session at The Bookstore in Lenox on May 25, but I was there. It was raining, so golf was out and so was the possibility of mowing my lawn.

Sparkling water, orange juice, crackers and cheese were offered, and the room was packed, but I think I just had to check out the Williams College kid who left home at age 17 (with parental permission) to play golf in each of the lower 48 states and write a book about his experiences.

He put 35,000 miles on his Subaru , played some great golf venues, met some famous people, had some scary moments and converted his notes into a fascinating book, 18 in America.

Dylan Dethier, a soon to be senior and member of the golf team at Williams, handled the day like he handles three-foot putts, straight and firm. He was very friendly and articulate while also a bit vague – remember, he has a book to sell. You can tell ’em, but don’t tell ’em too much.

I have to admit to my readers the same thing that I had to tell my teachers during my scholastic years: “I have not had time to read the book, but I will.”

When I complete the book, I hope I will have found the answers to some questions I wanted to ask of the author:

*Did you remember to change the oil in the Subaru?

*Was your primary method of payment cash, credit or debit?

*Did you have a budget, and how did that work out?

*Did you ever say to yourself , “What am I doing here” and consider aborting the mission?

*Did you ever have to get two days out of the same shirt?

I find the whole plan was quite mind-boggling, and his efforts should be applauded. When I was 17, I could not find Enfield, Conn., from downtown Springfield.

A few phone calls and I found that Dylan is not your average young man. A fine high school athlete, he excelled in baseball and skiing. As he put it, “Golf was something I did.”

Mark Mills, general manager of Waubeeka Golf Links, recalls Dylan as a “great kid, always a gentleman and an excellent leader as captain of the Mount Greylock team and a role model for the kids who followed him in the program.

His golf coach at Williams, Josh Hillman: “I met Dylan at Taconic in ’06. He had a plan and set out to do it. It is similar to his golf game here at Williams, he knows what he wants to do and he will get it done, his own way.”

What is next for Dylan Dethier? Who knows, but I wish I was his agent. Maybe we will see him doing  Subaru  commercials?

Meanwhile, the English major will leave us with a message, “I have a wish for people with big ideas: I wish that those who tell you what you can’t do will always be outnumbered by those who tell you to follow your dreams.”

18 in America by Dylan Dethier – read it. I promise I will.

Beacon Quiz: How did Truth or Consequences, N.M., get its name ?
Answer: Host Ralph Edwards promised to air his popular show from the first city to name itself after his show. Hot Springs, N.M., did.

How did I know that? It’s in the book.