Reader/writer/Journalist

Michael Croley

Michael Croley is the author of Any Other Place: Stories, winner of the James Still Award from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. His reporting, essays, and stories have appeared in a wide variety of magazines and periodicals, including Esquire, The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Golfer’s Journal, Golf Digest, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. He teaches creative writing at Denison University.

Stories

The short stories of Any Other Place appeared in a wide variety of places but the ones below are some that readers have found most interesting.

“Larger than the Sea” Japanese soldiers invade the village of a young couple, forever changing their marriage.

“Solid Ground” An elderly woman watches a woman disappear before her eyes.

“Satellites” A father and daughter, estranged through grief, must confront wild animals released from a personal zoo.

Essays

“COMMUNION AND CLOSURE ON A GOLF COURSE” I WENT TO THE ONE PLACE MY LATE BROTHER ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO MEDITATE ON HIS DEATH AND FOUND A WAY TO MY FUTURE.

“Making Peace with Grief on the Golf Course” I spent seven months “chasing after a ghost by chasing after a white ball.” I never expected to find what I did. Thanks to Esquire for the space to be with Tim on the page, again.

“The March Madness Shot that Broke Our Hearts and The Real Tragedy that Followed” the famous shot by Christian Laettner in 1992 and how the things that don’t matter come to mean so

“After a Favorite Golf Partner’s Death, A New Life as a Single” I wrote about going in for golf lessons after my brother’s death and pushing ahead in the game we loved for Golf Digest.

“One Last Round with My Brother, Tim Five months after he passed away, I took my brother’s ashes to the famous Pinehurst No. 2 golf course to spread them on the ground he and I walked and loved.

‘Why Augusta National will forever remind me of a bond that will never be broken” When my brother, Tim, was diagnosed with cancer. I finagled tickets for us to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

“The Time I Played Catch with Annie Dillard” I did play catch with Annie and in those moments in the sun, I learned a lot about who I was and, I think now, who I wasn't. 

“Kimchi and Turkey” We are never more American than in whatever hyphen we reside in. 

Journalism/Sports Writing

“Shut Up and Play” A Brief essay about why I really love golf. Playing it.

“World’s Loudest Dad” A feature on ESPN personality Tony Kornheiser and his son, Michael, and their relationship through golf.

“What a Wonderful World” I traced the early episodes of Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf For McKellar Magazine. Order it here.

“Hogan’s Hands” My first piece for The Golfer’s Journal. Anthony Ravielli was the man behind the iconic drawings of Ben Hogan in his classic book, Five Easy Lessons.

“Redefining the Green” Tom Doak is a genius. You don't have to know anything about golf to appreciate the way he has bucked every trend in the business to create his legacy. 

“Keep Moving” Gus Hauser left coaching. You’ll see why.

“Ground Down” Shelley Duncan was my Crash Davis in the summer of 2013, a heady veteran whose days were numbered.

“At This Country Club, Watch Out for the 17th Hole” For the 2022 U.s. Open I dug into the crucial hole of the Course.

“The Challenges of Whistling Straits” Ahead of the 2021 Ryder Cup, I talked about what makes Whistling Straits So Unique.

Awards

2020 James Still Award

2020 Weatherford Award

2016 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship