America Tees Off - by David Sowell (Hardcover)

About the Book

Engaging, accessible golf stories tracking golf's impact on the country, covering players, tournaments, courses, and equipment since the game was first established in the United States in 1887.

Book Synopsis

In 1887 a linen salesman from New York City visited the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, considered to be the oldest golf course in the world. While there, he visited the shop of golf legend Old Tom Morris. He purchased six clubs and some balls. Soon after his return home, this purchase triggered a golf explosion that would soon see America not only take up the game but also take it over. America Tees Off tracks golf's impact on the country and the game since this historic purchase, with dozens of wide-ranging stories from when the game first took hold in the United States to the present day.

These stories cover both the great amateur and professional players, as well as the golf adventures of average players and the not-so-average, like U.S. presidents, athletes in other sports, Hollywood stars, and the mega-wealthy. You'll read about what was thought to be a highly questionable land purchase in the Sandhills of North Carolina in 1895 that led to the golf mecca of Pinehurst, how Babe Didrikson Zaharias's husband used his cigar to give her assistance during tournament play, and how the scientist who worked on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos helped President Eisenhower improve his game.

America Tees Off also covers the effect of American ingenuity on the game's equipment and how the sport was televised. These lesser-known, behind-the-scenes true stories will entertain and inform the most serious golf enthusiasts as well as those just getting into the sport's colorful history.

Review Quotes

"Golfers love good stories to share on a tee box or in a grill room, and this book is stuffed with tales to impress even the most seasoned golf storyteller. One great anecdote after the next, each chapter is a dive into America's rich golf history, with a cast of characters broader than any field in golf. A breezy, joyful stroll through the American golf story."--Tom Coyne, New York Times best-selling author of A Course Called America

"No sport has such a rich history as golf, and David Sowell brings that past to life in this entertaining book about golf in America. This is a must for every golfer's library. The prose is as pure as a well-struck seven iron. Pour a tumbler of scotch, settle into your favorite chair, and enjoy."--Philip Reed, author of In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing

About the Author

David Sowell has written about golf and golf history for numerous publications, including the United States Golf Association's Golf Journal, Links Magazine, and Golf Illustrated. He is the author of three books, including The Masters: A Hole-by-Hole History of America's Golf Classic (Nebraska, 2019).