# Rodney Fails — Golf Stories character guide

> Rodney Fails in Golf Stories by P. G. Wodehouse.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Rodney Spelvin, Spelvin, Rodney, Poor Rodney

**First appearance:** 0000-archibald-s-benefit

## Snapshot

A hulking, pipe-smoking golfer whose devotion to the game, and to a disapproving Mary Kent, is complicated by his fussing mother.

## Who they are

Rollo Podmarsh is a large, modest young man who plays golf daily for the fresh air and appetite, scoring over a hundred and twenty while fancying himself skillful. His mother publicly denounces his pipe and catalogues tobacco's horrors, but he cites Ted Ray as justification. Mary Kent, initially repelled, begins to see something in him worth liking, making his awkward courtship the story's central tension.

## Relationships

### [Jane Packard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/characters/jane_packard)

_romantic_

Jane and Rodney are deeply entangled in a passionate, possibly secret romantic affair, marked by frequent and intense interactions.

### [William Bates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/characters/william_bates)

_rivalry_

Rodney and William are intense rivals, possibly competing for Jane Packard's affection or for dominance in the golfing community.

### [Jane Packard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/characters/jane_packard)

_romantic_

Jane and Rodney are deeply entangled in a passionate, possibly secret romantic affair, marked by frequent and intense interactions.

### [Jane Packard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/characters/jane_packard)

_romantic_

Jane and Rodney are deeply entangled in a passionate, possibly secret romantic affair, marked by frequent and intense interactions.

### [William Bates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/characters/william_bates)

_rivalry_

Rodney and William are intense rivals, possibly competing for Jane Packard's affection or for dominance in the golfing community.

### [William Bates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/characters/william_bates)

_rivalry_

Rodney and William are intense rivals, possibly competing for Jane Packard's affection or for dominance in the golfing community.

## In the story

### [Rodney Fails to Qualify](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/chapters/rodney-fails-to-qualify)

Jane's fiancé, a non-golfer who hums and moves during her shots, undermining her performance.

### [Jane Gets Off the Fairway](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/chapters/jane-gets-off-the-fairway)

Rodney Spelvin, the poet and former fiancé of Jane, visits her at her mother's home, but is quickly dismissed.

### [The Purification of Rodney Spelvin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/chapters/the-purification-of-rodney-spelvin)

The poet who has reformed and taken up golf, receiving lessons from Anastatia; he is earnest but clumsy in his new passion.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/characters/rodney_fails
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/golf_stories_se/characters