&“Al Barkow, golf's leading historian and story-teller, unfolds the improbable Ben Hogan&–Jack Fleck tale, and the results are as wondrous as the golf itself.&” --Peter Kessler Jack Fleck had the slimmest of resumes as a professional tournament golfer. He had never even come close to winning on the PGA Tour, and was in the mere qualifier category when it came to playing in the 1955 U.S. Open at the Olympic Golf Club in San Francisco. Yet Fleck got himself into a playoff with Ben Hogan, one of the greatest players in golf history, for the game's most prestigious title. And when Fleck defeated Hogan, it was not just surprising, it was incredible. This book presents a thrilling play-by-play, shot-by-shot recounting that brings back to life the look and feel of the entire tournament. Relying on first-hand sources, it reveals the players' mental processes as they strategized their game and handled their emotions. And it finally offers a convincing explanation for Fleck's mind-boggling victory, which was considered at the time and remains to this day one of the most unexpected outcomes in all sports history. Al Barkow is a veteran golf reporter, formerly editor-in-chief of both Golf and Golf Illustrated magazines, and recipient of the 2005 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. His books include Gettin' to the Dance Floor and Sam: The One and Only Sam Snead.
Hereis the ultimate golf reference book, meant to feed golfers’ insatiable hunger for the statistics and trivia of their game. This book answers such burning questions as who broke the most clubs during a single temper tantrum (Lefty Stackhouse, 14) and the rationale behind 18 holes (it was completely arbitrary). From the sublime to the ridiculous, these fun facts will thoroughly entertain from tee to green.
The Golden Era of Golf chronicles the rise of the sport in America from 1950 to the present by one of the most prolific and respected golf writers today. Until now, no one has made the point directly and unequivocally that the game "invented" by ancient Scots would not have reached its present stature in the world of sports if Americans had never gotten hold of it. Is this to say that Al Barkow is, in The Golden Era of Golf, being a narrow-minded, American-flag-waving jingoist? Not at all. In detailing how America expanded on the old Scots game, Barkow does not deny that the United States more or less fell into certain advantages that led to its dominion over the game - there is the geography, the luck of not having to endure the physical devastation of two world wars, and a naturally broader economic strength. Still, Barkow also makes it clear that there were, and there remains, certain especially American characteristics - a singular energy and enthusiasm for participation in and observation of games, for melding sports with business, for technological and industrial innovation, and by all means democratic traditions - that turned what had been (and would probably have remained) an insular, parochial past time into a game played by millions around the world. America has been golf's great nurturing force, and Barkow details why and how it happened. The history of American golf is not exactly a varnished treatment, a mindless glorification full of nationalist ardor, which is in keeping with the author's well-established reputation, developed over the past 37 years as a golf journalist, magazine editor, historian, and television commentator, as someone who looks with a sharp and candid eye at the game. Barkow has points of view and takes positions on affairs and personalities that impact on every aspect of golf. Is the United States Golf Association, in its restrictions on equipment, playing ostrich to inevitable technological innovation? Hasn't it always? And, hasn't the association always been hypocritical in its definition of amateurism? Was the Ryder Cup ever really a demonstration of pure hands-across-the-sea good fellowship? Why did it take so long for the members of the Augusta National Golf Club to invite a black to play in its vaunted Masters tournament? Barkow was one of the first journalists to research in depth and write about how blacks were excluded from mainstream American golf for most of this century. Here, he expands on an element of history which is intrinsic to the larger American experience and which led to the coming of Tiger Woods. How good has television been for golf, and when and by whom did this most powerful of mediums get involved in the game? Is Greg Norman's celebrity (and personal wealth) an example or the result of modern-day image making that gives greater value to impressions of greatness than the reality of actual performance? Although some curmudgeon emerges in this chronicle of golf, what also comes through, and on a larger note, is the author's passion for the game itself. Its demands on each player's will, determination, and both inherent and developed physical skills are so penetrating, and the satisfaction that comes from just coming close to fulfillment so great, that the manipulations of the golf "operators" - administrators, agents, some of its players, et al. - become mere sidebars. This is golf history with a certain perspective that arises from someone who has lived intimately with the game as a player and writer for at least half the century that is covered, and in particular the last half, on which there is the greater emphasis. It runs the gamut - from feisty, albeit well-considered, criticism to an evocation of the human drama that is finally the most vivid expression of any activity man takes on.
In Dave Stockton's Putt to Win, Stockton, one of the greatest putters of all time, shares the secrets he's learned throughout his career for mastering the "other" game of golf, the one played on the green. The leading money winner on the Senior PGA Tour in 1993 and 1994, Stockton explains the mechanics necessary for successful putting and the mental approach needed to accept your share of misses while holing at least your share of birdies. Beautifully illustrated to highlight various putting techniques and loaded with solid practice drills and short-game tips, Dave Stockton's Putt to Win helps you do just that. Stockton shows numerous ways to improve your putting and ultimately lower your score. Topics covered include how to develop a smooth, dependable, mistake-free stroke; how to stay focused throughout the stroke no matter how difficult the putt; how to read the green and judge the distance to the hole; how to make adjustments for the length, the speed, and the grain of the green; how to read the subtle features that can influence the roll of the ball; how to choose the proper putter; and much more. But most important, Dave Stockton is able to articulate and teach us how to develop feel - the crucial element that separates great putters from those who quake at the sight of a breaking four-footer.
To a golfer the dance floor means the putting green, but in the early days of pro golf, getting to the dance floor also meant joining the Tour -- and enduring bad food, constant travel and infrequent pay. Al Barkow interviewed the players who got to that early dance floor, and here tells their stories in their own words -- a unique document from golf's pioneer days, with first-hand accounts from Lighthorse Harry Cooper, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, and more.
The perfect gift for golfers - aces and duffers alike - of all ages, all generations, all over the world. A lively mix of trivia, anecdotes, observations, and quotations from and about golf's most colorful characters.
The PGA Tour's beginnings can be traced to 1895, when Willie Dunn battled Willie Park, Jr. for an unprecedented $200 purse. By the mid-70s, the Tour was Big-Money Golf--huge purses, endorsement contracts, and all the celebrity of modern-day sport. 35 b&w photos.
&“Al Barkow, golf's leading historian and story-teller, unfolds the improbable Ben Hogan&–Jack Fleck tale, and the results are as wondrous as the golf itself.&” --Peter Kessler Jack Fleck had the slimmest of resumes as a professional tournament golfer. He had never even come close to winning on the PGA Tour, and was in the mere qualifier category when it came to playing in the 1955 U.S. Open at the Olympic Golf Club in San Francisco. Yet Fleck got himself into a playoff with Ben Hogan, one of the greatest players in golf history, for the game's most prestigious title. And when Fleck defeated Hogan, it was not just surprising, it was incredible. This book presents a thrilling play-by-play, shot-by-shot recounting that brings back to life the look and feel of the entire tournament. Relying on first-hand sources, it reveals the players' mental processes as they strategized their game and handled their emotions. And it finally offers a convincing explanation for Fleck's mind-boggling victory, which was considered at the time and remains to this day one of the most unexpected outcomes in all sports history. Al Barkow is a veteran golf reporter, formerly editor-in-chief of both Golf and Golf Illustrated magazines, and recipient of the 2005 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. His books include Gettin' to the Dance Floor and Sam: The One and Only Sam Snead.
The Golden Era of Golf chronicles the rise of the sport in America from 1950 to the present by one of the most prolific and respected golf writers today. Until now, no one has made the point directly and unequivocally that the game "invented" by ancient Scots would not have reached its present stature in the world of sports if Americans had never gotten hold of it. Is this to say that Al Barkow is, in The Golden Era of Golf, being a narrow-minded, American-flag-waving jingoist? Not at all. In detailing how America expanded on the old Scots game, Barkow does not deny that the United States more or less fell into certain advantages that led to its dominion over the game - there is the geography, the luck of not having to endure the physical devastation of two world wars, and a naturally broader economic strength. Still, Barkow also makes it clear that there were, and there remains, certain especially American characteristics - a singular energy and enthusiasm for participation in and observation of games, for melding sports with business, for technological and industrial innovation, and by all means democratic traditions - that turned what had been (and would probably have remained) an insular, parochial past time into a game played by millions around the world. America has been golf's great nurturing force, and Barkow details why and how it happened. The history of American golf is not exactly a varnished treatment, a mindless glorification full of nationalist ardor, which is in keeping with the author's well-established reputation, developed over the past 37 years as a golf journalist, magazine editor, historian, and television commentator, as someone who looks with a sharp and candid eye at the game. Barkow has points of view and takes positions on affairs and personalities that impact on every aspect of golf. Is the United States Golf Association, in its restrictions on equipment, playing ostrich to inevitable technological innovation? Hasn't it always? And, hasn't the association always been hypocritical in its definition of amateurism? Was the Ryder Cup ever really a demonstration of pure hands-across-the-sea good fellowship? Why did it take so long for the members of the Augusta National Golf Club to invite a black to play in its vaunted Masters tournament? Barkow was one of the first journalists to research in depth and write about how blacks were excluded from mainstream American golf for most of this century. Here, he expands on an element of history which is intrinsic to the larger American experience and which led to the coming of Tiger Woods. How good has television been for golf, and when and by whom did this most powerful of mediums get involved in the game? Is Greg Norman's celebrity (and personal wealth) an example or the result of modern-day image making that gives greater value to impressions of greatness than the reality of actual performance? Although some curmudgeon emerges in this chronicle of golf, what also comes through, and on a larger note, is the author's passion for the game itself. Its demands on each player's will, determination, and both inherent and developed physical skills are so penetrating, and the satisfaction that comes from just coming close to fulfillment so great, that the manipulations of the golf "operators" - administrators, agents, some of its players, et al. - become mere sidebars. This is golf history with a certain perspective that arises from someone who has lived intimately with the game as a player and writer for at least half the century that is covered, and in particular the last half, on which there is the greater emphasis. It runs the gamut - from feisty, albeit well-considered, criticism to an evocation of the human drama that is finally the most vivid expression of any activity man takes on.
Hereis the ultimate golf reference book, meant to feed golfers' insatiable hunger for the statistics and trivia of their game. This book answers such burning questions as who broke the most clubs during a single temper tantrum (Lefty Stackhouse, 14) and the rationale behind 18 holes (it was completely arbitrary). From the sublime to the ridiculous, these fun facts will thoroughly entertain from tee to green.
In Dave Stockton's Putt to Win, Stockton, one of the greatest putters of all time, shares the secrets he's learned throughout his career for mastering the "other" game of golf, the one played on the green. The leading money winner on the Senior PGA Tour in 1993 and 1994, Stockton explains the mechanics necessary for successful putting and the mental approach needed to accept your share of misses while holing at least your share of birdies. Beautifully illustrated to highlight various putting techniques and loaded with solid practice drills and short-game tips, Dave Stockton's Putt to Win helps you do just that. Stockton shows numerous ways to improve your putting and ultimately lower your score. Topics covered include how to develop a smooth, dependable, mistake-free stroke; how to stay focused throughout the stroke no matter how difficult the putt; how to read the green and judge the distance to the hole; how to make adjustments for the length, the speed, and the grain of the green; how to read the subtle features that can influence the roll of the ball; how to choose the proper putter; and much more. But most important, Dave Stockton is able to articulate and teach us how to develop feel - the crucial element that separates great putters from those who quake at the sight of a breaking four-footer.
Until now, few people could truly say they knew Sam Snead—his fears, his secrets, his dark side. Until today, there has never been a definitive biography of one of the greatest golfers of all time. Sam is not only a peek behind the mask, but an arresting look into the life of one of the game's most engaging yet enigmatic figures.
In this Handbook, Laith Al-Shawaf and Todd K. Shackelford have gathered a group of leading scholars in the field to present a centralized resource for researchers and students wishing to understand emotions from an evolutionary perspective. Experts from a number of different disciplines, including psychology, biology, anthropology, psychiatry, and others, tackle a variety of "how" (proximate) and "why" (ultimate) questions about the function of emotions in humans and nonhuman animals, how emotions work, and their place in human life. Comprehensive and integrative in nature, this Handbook is an essential resource for students and scholars from a diversity of fields wishing to build upon their theoretical and empirical understanding of the emotions.
The PGA Tour's beginnings can be traced to 1895, when Willie Dunn battled Willie Park, Jr. for an unprecedented $200 purse. By the mid-70s, the Tour was Big-Money Golf--huge purses, endorsement contracts, and all the celebrity of modern-day sport. 35 b&w photos.
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