Up and Down: Victories and Struggles in the Course of Life
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- Create Date：2023-01-07 06:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Bubba Watson
- ISBN：0785292020
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Summary
Now available in trade paper！
He was a small-town boy who burst onto the international golf scene with a dramatic hook shot from deep in the woods to win the Masters— before the game he loved almost killed him。 Opening up about the toll that chasing and achieving his dream of being a champion golfer took on his mental health， Bubba Watson shares his powerful story of the breaking point that gave him clarity。
Bubba Watson is known as the big-hitting left-handed golfer who plays with the pink driver—the small-town kid who grew up as a child golf prodigy before going on to win two Masters Tournaments， competing in the Olympics， and rising to be the number two golfer in the world。
But every dream comes with a price。 Feeling that he was never good enough， Bubba began to let the constant criticism from fans and commentators haunt his thoughts。 Success in the game he loved was killing him。
In Up and Down， Bubba opens up about his debilitating anxiety attacks， the death of his father and namesake， adopting his children， and how reaching a breaking point professionally and personally drew him closer to his family and God。
Golf is what Bubba Watson does， but it is not who he is。 Through his story， you'll learn how Bubba:
Overcame his anxiety and feelings of inadequacy
Found his true identity not in the standards of the world， but in the God who already knows he is enough
Learned to trust God with his gifts， family， and biggest dreams
Became the husband， father， friend， and mentor he was called to be
Life， like golf， is filled with ups and downs。 Up and Down is the inspiring story of an imperfect man striving to become the best person he can be—wherever the course may take him。
He was a small-town boy who burst onto the international golf scene with a dramatic hook shot from deep in the woods to win the Masters— before the game he loved almost killed him。 Opening up about the toll that chasing and achieving his dream of being a champion golfer took on his mental health， Bubba Watson shares his powerful story of the breaking point that gave him clarity。
Bubba Watson is known as the big-hitting left-handed golfer who plays with the pink driver—the small-town kid who grew up as a child golf prodigy before going on to win two Masters Tournaments， competing in the Olympics， and rising to be the number two golfer in the world。
But every dream comes with a price。 Feeling that he was never good enough， Bubba began to let the constant criticism from fans and commentators haunt his thoughts。 Success in the game he loved was killing him。
In Up and Down， Bubba opens up about his debilitating anxiety attacks， the death of his father and namesake， adopting his children， and how reaching a breaking point professionally and personally drew him closer to his family and God。
Golf is what Bubba Watson does， but it is not who he is。 Through his story， you'll learn how Bubba:
Overcame his anxiety and feelings of inadequacy
Found his true identity not in the standards of the world， but in the God who already knows he is enough
Learned to trust God with his gifts， family， and biggest dreams
Became the husband， father， friend， and mentor he was called to be
Life， like golf， is filled with ups and downs。 Up and Down is the inspiring story of an imperfect man striving to become the best person he can be—wherever the course may take him。
Reviews
Jeff Dalton
，
Insightful golf biographyEnjoyed the stories and inside look at who Bubba Watson is and how he achieved success。 The way Watson tells his story provides a good inside look at his focus and the support he received to be successful on the PGA。 Well rounded details of the support from parents， wife， friends， and business associates， supporting his drive to become a golf professional。
Dakota
，
Kinda boring for me😴
Lance
，
Bubba Watson burst into the golf spotlight by winning the 2012 Masters with an incredible hook shot out of trouble。 From there， he became just as notable for becoming an unlikable person and because of this he was suffering from mental health issues。 How he handled them and has found himself in a better place is the main focus of his memoir written with Don Yaeger。Watson became known as “Bubba from Bagdad” as he grew up in this small town in the Florida panhandle。 He was supported by his parents Bubba Watson burst into the golf spotlight by winning the 2012 Masters with an incredible hook shot out of trouble。 From there， he became just as notable for becoming an unlikable person and because of this he was suffering from mental health issues。 How he handled them and has found himself in a better place is the main focus of his memoir written with Don Yaeger。Watson became known as “Bubba from Bagdad” as he grew up in this small town in the Florida panhandle。 He was supported by his parents to attempt to fulfill his dreams of making it in professional golf， although he did have some hiccups along the way。 Unlike many other memoirs and biographies， I found this part of his story just as interesting as his victories in the Masters （he also won in 2014） or his adult personal life。 Watson’s account of his unusual path to success in golf at the University of Georgia is a story with many twists that in the end will work out well for him。 Not only did he have success on the course despite not being a part of the team during his senior year， he also met his wife Angie。 She was also an athlete – a member of the Georgia women’s basketball team who had aspirations of a WNBA career that didn’t happen mainly due to injury。Once Watson embarked on a professional golf career， his story and the book progresses well， despite some repetition and also some stories that feel like they were not complete。 One example of this is his relationship with his caddy Teddy Scott。 Watson gives him a lot of credit for everything – improving his golf game， giving him a stern talk when his behavior was putting off many of his fellow pro golfers and reminding him of his priorities for both his family （he and Angie adopted two children） and his faith。 But after setting Bubba straight， it is unknow what has become of Teddy。 His faith， and that of his wife， is an important part of this book and Watson’s story – it is never far from his thoughts。 It certainly helped him change the behavior that made him the person who would be the least likely to receive assistance from fellow golfers if he ran into trouble off the course。 That isn’t the exact wording of what this informal poll revealed， but it is a illustration of how Watson acted on and off the course – and his explanations of how and why he was that way was adequate， but did not feel completely genuine。Because of this vagueness， I felt this memoir lacked true reflection but Watson does come across as sincere and truly wanting to be a better person。 For that， I given him credit for not only making his life better， but also for still playing well enough on the PGA tour to be a top-ranked player。 He does talk about his golf， but not as much as his personal life。 That is something that a reader should consider before deciding to pick up this book – it worked out fine， but it may not satisfy readers who want to read more about the game instead of the person。 I wish to thank Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review。 https://sportsbookguy。blogspot。com/20。。。 。。。more
Doug
，
The book definitely reads like Bubba wrote it。 You get a great sense of tone from the book。 Bubba goes through his childhood， golfing career and family life。 His story is very unique。 The only place the book falls short is that it lacks depth and substance。 Overall it’s a great read into one of the most prolific “feel golfers” his journey onto the PGA Tour and in life is very unique。
Darren
，
This was a great book， that gave a lot of insight to Bubba’s struggles， and accomplishments， throughout his career and life so far。 I knew he’s a Christian， and the book could get a bit Jesus-y at times， however it didn’t make the book less enjoyable。
Cole Ragsdale
，
Enjoyed this personal account of Bubba’s life and career。 All the memorable golf moments from his perspective = rad。 What did I learn？ - The human heart struggles to handle fame。 - There is value in having plain fun。 - Trying to please everyone is a lose-lose。
Bernard Shuford
，
There's more to Bubba than you think。。。I like Bubba's honesty about his problems， and I also like how he honors his faith in Jesus so sincerely。 There's more to Bubba than you think。。。I like Bubba's honesty about his problems， and I also like how he honors his faith in Jesus so sincerely。 。。。more
Bill Pence
，
Bubba Watson is one of my favorite professional golfers。 One reason is that he plays golf left-handed as I do。 Another is that he is a Christian。 With this book， you get to know much more about Watson than the fact that he is a two-time Masters champion。 Watson opens himself up so that you get to know a man of faith who loves being a husband and father to his two children。 He tells us that Golf is what he does， but it is not who he is。 You also get to know a man who has struggled with fear and a Bubba Watson is one of my favorite professional golfers。 One reason is that he plays golf left-handed as I do。 Another is that he is a Christian。 With this book， you get to know much more about Watson than the fact that he is a two-time Masters champion。 Watson opens himself up so that you get to know a man of faith who loves being a husband and father to his two children。 He tells us that Golf is what he does， but it is not who he is。 You also get to know a man who has struggled with fear and anxiety， as he has dealt with the pressure to succeed in golf， while trying to be a good husband， father， and friend as he tried to emulate his biblical role model， Jesus Christ。 The twenty chapters in the book are built on key moments that led to pivots in Watson’s life。 He tells us about growing up in the small town of Bagdad outside of Pensacola， Florida， shooting a 62 at the Divot Derby at age thirteen， his disappointing senior season at the University of Georgia （where he met his future wife Angie）， his professional golf career， in which he has won thirteen times worldwide， the adoptions of his two children， being confronted by his caddy Teddy and golfer and friend Ben Crane about his behavior and how he was treating others， leading to his being considered a divisive player on the tour， his disappointment in not being selected for the 2016 Ryder Cup team， his business interests in Pensacola and much more。 We learn about a man who is working to be better tomorrow than he is today。 Recommended for all golf fans。 。。。more
Matthew Stetz
，
I can picture Bubba crying as he wrote this。
Blake Atwood
，
Updated post-LIV: I was a Bubba fan before。 I am a Bubba fan。 I will continue to be a Bubba fan， especially knowing that what he pursues outside of golf is not to make a buck but to make a difference。 I appreciated his vulnerability in relating his struggles。 I liked the behind-the-scenes glimpses of the rarefied air of a touring PGA pro and two-time Masters champion。 That said， the book read like a straightforward biography。 I expected it to dig a little deeper， especially considering the title Updated post-LIV: I was a Bubba fan before。 I am a Bubba fan。 I will continue to be a Bubba fan， especially knowing that what he pursues outside of golf is not to make a buck but to make a difference。 I appreciated his vulnerability in relating his struggles。 I liked the behind-the-scenes glimpses of the rarefied air of a touring PGA pro and two-time Masters champion。 That said， the book read like a straightforward biography。 I expected it to dig a little deeper， especially considering the title and subtitle。But if I were that famous， how deeply would I want strangers to know me？Recommended for golf fans。 。。。more
Daniel Burch
，
Bubba is one of my favorite golfers。 He has lead a very interesting life and has made some equally interesting choices therein。 This book is great for getting to know Bubba。 I did not glean any truly meaningful insights on life or have any “ah-ha！” moments from it。 However， I enjoyed its simplicity and brevity。
Lindsey
，
I have always been indifferent about Bubba Watson based on some of his actions and how the media portrayed him。 However， this book opened my eyes to him as a person。 It’s a good book if you enjoy golf and are looking for a cool story about a talented athlete！
Derek Davidson
，
Easy and light read on Bubba Watsons life and golf career
Sarah
，
I like Bubba Watson less after reading this book。 It’s so poorly written， and really， that’s not his fault， he’s not a writer， it’s his editors and publishers。 It’s some how so repetitive and also confusing as to when things are happening at the same time。 If you don’t like hearing cocky， entitled people talk about how humble and godly they are I would skip this book。
Josh Barnard
，
In classic Bubba fashion he was all over the place at times and repeated similar stories multiple times but his honesty and vulnerability keep you engaged to the very end。
Aaron Gale
，
Really enjoyed this book。 Thank you Bubba for sharing your story。 I like how you made your experience so relatable。 I enjoy golf as my away from work oasis and heard you on today show and told my wife I wanted your book。 Not a big reader but so glad I read it。 Anxiety is real and trying to be perfect all the time is not reality。 Becoming a father not long ago helped reteach me that。 It’s okay not to be okay。 Great reminders and lessons。 Always learning。
Todd Aldrich
，
Interesting account of Bubba's life。 He seems like a pretty normal guy and has grown up a lot since his early days on tour where he was often considered a self-centered jerk。 As part of his growing maturity he explains how he discovered what he was doing wrong and sought help in how to make things right。 And then actually behaving differently （e。g。， when he was left off the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team instead of getting angry， he volunteered to help the coaches， winning him praise from fell Interesting account of Bubba's life。 He seems like a pretty normal guy and has grown up a lot since his early days on tour where he was often considered a self-centered jerk。 As part of his growing maturity he explains how he discovered what he was doing wrong and sought help in how to make things right。 And then actually behaving differently （e。g。， when he was left off the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team instead of getting angry， he volunteered to help the coaches， winning him praise from fellow players and coaches for his selflessness）。 He also seems to have his priorities well in place - family， religion， friends， ahead of golf。 And he's very engaged in his local communities。 An unusually gifted golfer， he seems to be one of the few really good players that is mostly self taught。 。。。more
David
，
A very personal account by the two time Masters Champion， Bubba from Baghdad。 The book deals with the conflict the author experienced being a small town boy with limited education who rose to the level of an elite golfer and international sports celebrity。 Watson is very candid about his personal struggles。 He was called down by his caddie for childish behavior on the golf course。 Later he was voted by the PGA players as the fellow golfer they would be least likely to aid if they saw him in a pa A very personal account by the two time Masters Champion， Bubba from Baghdad。 The book deals with the conflict the author experienced being a small town boy with limited education who rose to the level of an elite golfer and international sports celebrity。 Watson is very candid about his personal struggles。 He was called down by his caddie for childish behavior on the golf course。 Later he was voted by the PGA players as the fellow golfer they would be least likely to aid if they saw him in a parking lot brawl。 Watson was benched by his college golf coach and later passed over by Davis Love III when selecting captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup team。 In both cases he overcame embarrassment and jealousy to be a great teammate。 The book is co- written by a professional writer， but the ARC that I read is in need of editing。 There are several grammatical errors and a lot of repetition。 However， that is part of the charm of the book。 It feels like sitting down with an old friend and talking about life。 It is more stream of consciousness than a detailed and chronological autobiography。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kim Fox
，
Bubba Watson， golfer， husband， father。 As much as he didn't want this to be a book about golf， it mostly is。 I enjoyed the book and enjoyed learning about how he came to play golf and how he got to be a two time Masters Champion。 As a golf fan I enjoyed hearing his play by play of those matches and I enjoyed understanding how he overcame the anxiety in his life。 I also loved his outspoken love of Jesus and how God is first in his life！ However， the book needed a good going over。 There is a few d Bubba Watson， golfer， husband， father。 As much as he didn't want this to be a book about golf， it mostly is。 I enjoyed the book and enjoyed learning about how he came to play golf and how he got to be a two time Masters Champion。 As a golf fan I enjoyed hearing his play by play of those matches and I enjoyed understanding how he overcame the anxiety in his life。 I also loved his outspoken love of Jesus and how God is first in his life！ However， the book needed a good going over。 There is a few different times where he tells part of a story and then in another chapter says the exact same thing again。 It didn't seem like it added to the story to do that and I kept having to go back to see if it was a passage I had read before。 All in all， it is a good memoir and Bubba fans will love it。 3。5⭐Thank you to Netgalley， Thomas Nelson Publishing and Bubba Watson for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Allyson
，
Listened to the audiobook （very fast listen）。 I like reading memoirs of accomplished people， regardless of if I am previously familiar with the person。 I was not familiar with Bubba Watson besides knowing he was a famous golfer。 The book was written in a way that felt incredibly repetitive such that sometimes I would check to make sure I didn't accidentally back-up the audio to a previous chapter。 Additionally， Bubba made clear he didn't want to use the entire book to focus on golf。 However， the Listened to the audiobook （very fast listen）。 I like reading memoirs of accomplished people， regardless of if I am previously familiar with the person。 I was not familiar with Bubba Watson besides knowing he was a famous golfer。 The book was written in a way that felt incredibly repetitive such that sometimes I would check to make sure I didn't accidentally back-up the audio to a previous chapter。 Additionally， Bubba made clear he didn't want to use the entire book to focus on golf。 However， the reason he can write this book and have an audience for it is golf。 I would have loved to of dived deeper into practice， matches， etc。Also， it turns out Bubba is known for having some sort of temper on the golf course。 He spent a lot of time trying to apologize / defend for past actions。 As an outsider， it didn't come across as genuine。 I think a lot of my issues with the book could have been helped by having a better ghost writer。 I would only recommend this to someone who is a massive golf fan。 。。。more
Renie Zaccardo
，
Loved his honesty。 Great truthful read。
Valerie
，
The man， the myth， the legend。 Good story that reveals what is behind the golf phenom。 All around good person！
John Jenkins
，
Bubba Watson， one of the best golfers in the world over the past dozen years， writes that at the start of 2014， his priorities were “God first， my wife second， my child third， my friends and family fourth， and golf fifth。” These are particularly good priorities， and the book reflects these priorities as Watson focuses on his golf competitions less - and the four higher priorities more - than most readers might expect。Watson participated in 4 Ryder Cups as a player and one Ryder Cup as assistant Bubba Watson， one of the best golfers in the world over the past dozen years， writes that at the start of 2014， his priorities were “God first， my wife second， my child third， my friends and family fourth， and golf fifth。” These are particularly good priorities， and the book reflects these priorities as Watson focuses on his golf competitions less - and the four higher priorities more - than most readers might expect。Watson participated in 4 Ryder Cups as a player and one Ryder Cup as assistant captain， and he devotes one chapter to the 2016 Ryder Cup in which he served as assistant captain and writes almost nothing about the four Ryder Cups he played in。 Embracing the role of assistant captain shows that he was able to overcome his disappointment at not being selected as one of the twelve players on the team （he deserved to be） and show that his personality and supportive attitude could be assets to the team。 Watson does write that he dreams of one day being a Ryder Cup captain， and I hope this dream does come true。Watson has a strong friendship with Webb Simpson， and they were a successful partnership in 3 Ryder Cups and one Presidents’ Cup; but， although Watson thanks Simpson in the Acknowledgments for his contributions to the book， he does not mention him in the body of the book。The book had a few typos and one factual error。 Writing about his desire to be a part of the 2016 Ryder Cup team， he writes “Nothing would be sweeter for me than to be on the team that regained the Cup for the first time since 1989。” The people who helped Watson edit the book overlooked the victories won by Team USA in 2008 as well as three times in the 1990s。Throughout the book， Watson praises his caddie Ted Scott extensively and gives Scott much of the credit for his success。 Like the title of the book， their relationship has had a few “downs” to go with many “ups，” but it was still surprising to learn that the on-course partnership between Watson and Scott was terminated – one month before the book was published。 。。。more
Shawn
，
Bubba has always been one of my favourite golfers so I was excited to read the book as soon as it came out。 I thought from the description it would have had a lot more about his struggles and what he was feeling during those times。 There is also a couple weird spots in the book where he repeats the same thing almost word for word on earlier pages。 The book also didn’t seem to have a lot after 2016 which is odd considering it was just written in 2020。
John Jenkins
，
Bubba Watson， one of the best golfers in the world over the past dozen years， writes that at the start of 2014， his priorities were “God first， my wife second， my child third， my friends and family fourth， and golf fifth。” These are particularly good priorities， and the book reflects these priorities as Watson focuses on his golf competitions less - and the four higher priorities more - than most readers might expect。Watson participated in 4 Ryder Cups as a player and one Ryder Cup as assistant Bubba Watson， one of the best golfers in the world over the past dozen years， writes that at the start of 2014， his priorities were “God first， my wife second， my child third， my friends and family fourth， and golf fifth。” These are particularly good priorities， and the book reflects these priorities as Watson focuses on his golf competitions less - and the four higher priorities more - than most readers might expect。Watson participated in 4 Ryder Cups as a player and one Ryder Cup as assistant captain， and he devotes one chapter to the 2016 Ryder Cup in which he served as assistant captain and writes almost nothing about the four Ryder Cups he played in。 Embracing the role of assistant captain shows that he was able to overcome his disappointment at not being selected as one of the twelve players on the team （he deserved to be） and show that his personality and supportive attitude could be assets to the team。 Watson does write that he dreams of one day being a Ryder Cup captain， and I hope this dream does come true。Watson has a strong friendship with Webb Simpson， and they were a successful partnership in 3 Ryder Cups and one Presidents’ Cup; but， although Watson thanks Simpson in the Acknowledgments for his contributions to the book， he does not mention him in the body of the book。The book had a few typos and one factual error。 Writing about his desire to be a part of the 2016 Ryder Cup team， he writes “Nothing would be sweeter for me than to be on the team that regained the Cup for the first time since 1989。” The people who helped Watson edit the book overlooked the victories won by Team USA in 2008 as well as three times in the 1990s。Throughout the book， Watson praises his caddie Ted Scott extensively and gives Scott much of the credit for his success。 Like the title of the book， their relationship has had a few “downs” to go with many “ups，” but it was still surprising to learn that the on-course partnership between Watson and Scott was terminated – one month before the book was published。 。。。more
Celene Seals
，