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).

“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

• AcknowledgementsFather of American GolfThe Most Flamboyant Player on Tour Outdoes HimselfYoung Tiger Overcomes a Rough PatchA Young Executive Goes RogueBabe Ruth Agrees to Become a Yankee at the 18th GreenArnold Palmer Resuscitates the British OpenGolf Grabs Michael JordanPresident Obama Cuts His Golf Short for Good ReasonGolf Infects the USA's Two Richest MenA Big Opening in Tinsel TownAnchors Away Sam SneadPicture-Perfect TackleBryson Does His ThingAmerican Golf Goes PublicA Surprising Defeat Leads to a Stellar CollaborationIt Was Alice’s IdeaIt Was Do or DieThe Seller Thought the Buyer Had More Money Than Common SenseGolf Lessons in an Office Suite in the Heart of New York CityGolf, Bitter Cold, and Panty HoseScottie Records His First Professional WinUSGA’s First Tournaments and USA Golf’s First Cinderella Story132 Was the Winning 18 Hole ScoreThe First Roar at the MastersAugusta National and Eisenhower Part IAugusta National and Eisenhower Part II“Anytime You Are Playing With Arnold That Happens”“Be the Right Club . . . Be the Right Club Today!”Keeping Your Golf Balls From Getting Too HotGolf and NuptialsBurning Tree Club: A Male BastionHe Walked to the Beat of a Different DrummerIt Would Have Been A Great StorySunday GolfA Blessed Final Round?Bobby Jones Goes HollywoodA Member of the USA’s Atomic Team Aids President Eisenhower’s GameThe Golden Bear and InverraryTwo Former Prodigies Battle it Out in a PlayoffGolf Plays a Huge Role in the First Gigantic Corporate DealBen Is BackMr. IcicleA Bad Look for BubbaThe Schenectady Putter: Born in a BonfireA Sand Trap in a Department StoreA Big Change for the United States OpenArnie the PilotUnder Unusual Circumstances, a Player Makes Quite a Debut in a U.S. OpenBaseball Almost Loses Out to Augusta NationalBen Who?He Scoffs at a Huge Fine by the GovernmentIt Looked Like an Ice Cream Scoop on a StickNixon’s GolfWhite House Helicopter Goes Out of BoundsOverrated?A President Overdoses On GolfA President Plays an Enormous Amount of Golf Without Any CriticismA Golf Games Ends a Bitter Hollywood FeudThe State of the UnionDetroit Loses Its Golf SoulThe Country Club at Brookline Could Have Missed OutThe Nation’s Top Sports Journalist Attempts to Qualify for the U.S. OpenThe Most Politically Significant Round of Golf Ever PlayedGene Sarazen, Howard Hughes, and the Sand WedgeBryson Had the Distance TwiceA Former Champion Tries to Avoid the Heat but Ends Up Being ToastWalter Hagen Makes a Ground-Breaking DecisionFrom a Hospital Bed in Santa MonicaTwo Trailblazers Need Assistance with Finding a Place to PlayA Triumphant ComebackMichelle Gets Her MajorTwelve Golfers Play It Off for Eleven SpotsTwo Sad PassingsWalter Hagen’s a Victim of a CrimeA Marathon Stretch of GolfGolf and the Cold War-Part IGolf and the Cold War–Part TwoTiger Puts on a Staggering Spectacle and Nicklaus Bows OutHollywood’s HustlerMore Hollywood’s HustlerEven More Hollywood’s HustlerA Bag-in-OneSome Golf on the Silver ScreenThe President’s CaddieJohn F. Kennedy: The Hit and Run GolferOne of the Game of Golf's Most Staunch Traditionalists Makes the SwitchA Caddie Named ShirleyMighty MoThe USA’s First Olympic GolfersWill Rogers's Disdain for GolfSam Snead Takes a Couple of Swings at Wrigley FieldA Former Artillery Officer Unleashes a Birdie BarrageA Record-Setting Final Round ComebackPresident Trump Honors BabeFriday the 13thAn American Woman’s Play With a British Royal and Stirs Up Golf FashionBattle of the SexesBen and Terrible TommyHighly Regarded CBS Golf Commentator Goes Out of BoundsSlow Play Results in a U.S. Senator Decking a Prominent D.C. SurgeonWalter’s ShenanigansArnold Palmer’s Hearing Spurred Him to Two of His Masters WinsJohn Daly Wins For the First Time in a “Sober” FashionIt Was an Odd Finish to a PlayoffTwo American Standouts Have Problems in Great BritainTicker Tapes and TootsA Special FriendshipSpouses, Ex-Spouses, and Significant OthersAbout 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).

“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

• AcknowledgementsFather of American GolfThe Most Flamboyant Player on Tour Outdoes HimselfYoung Tiger Overcomes a Rough PatchA Young Executive Goes RogueBabe Ruth Agrees to Become a Yankee at the 18th GreenArnold Palmer Resuscitates the British OpenGolf Grabs Michael JordanPresident Obama Cuts His Golf Short for Good ReasonGolf Infects the USA's Two Richest MenA Big Opening in Tinsel TownAnchors Away Sam SneadPicture-Perfect TackleBryson Does His ThingAmerican Golf Goes PublicA Surprising Defeat Leads to a Stellar CollaborationIt Was Alice’s IdeaIt Was Do or DieThe Seller Thought the Buyer Had More Money Than Common SenseGolf Lessons in an Office Suite in the Heart of New York CityGolf, Bitter Cold, and Panty HoseScottie Records His First Professional WinUSGA’s First Tournaments and USA Golf’s First Cinderella Story132 Was the Winning 18 Hole ScoreThe First Roar at the MastersAugusta National and Eisenhower Part IAugusta National and Eisenhower Part II“Anytime You Are Playing With Arnold That Happens”“Be the Right Club . . . Be the Right Club Today!”Keeping Your Golf Balls From Getting Too HotGolf and NuptialsBurning Tree Club: A Male BastionHe Walked to the Beat of a Different DrummerIt Would Have Been A Great StorySunday GolfA Blessed Final Round?Bobby Jones Goes HollywoodA Member of the USA’s Atomic Team Aids President Eisenhower’s GameThe Golden Bear and InverraryTwo Former Prodigies Battle it Out in a PlayoffGolf Plays a Huge Role in the First Gigantic Corporate DealBen Is BackMr. IcicleA Bad Look for BubbaThe Schenectady Putter: Born in a BonfireA Sand Trap in a Department StoreA Big Change for the United States OpenArnie the PilotUnder Unusual Circumstances, a Player Makes Quite a Debut in a U.S. OpenBaseball Almost Loses Out to Augusta NationalBen Who?He Scoffs at a Huge Fine by the GovernmentIt Looked Like an Ice Cream Scoop on a StickNixon’s GolfWhite House Helicopter Goes Out of BoundsOverrated?A President Overdoses On GolfA President Plays an Enormous Amount of Golf Without Any CriticismA Golf Games Ends a Bitter Hollywood FeudThe State of the UnionDetroit Loses Its Golf SoulThe Country Club at Brookline Could Have Missed OutThe Nation’s Top Sports Journalist Attempts to Qualify for the U.S. OpenThe Most Politically Significant Round of Golf Ever PlayedGene Sarazen, Howard Hughes, and the Sand WedgeBryson Had the Distance TwiceA Former Champion Tries to Avoid the Heat but Ends Up Being ToastWalter Hagen Makes a Ground-Breaking DecisionFrom a Hospital Bed in Santa MonicaTwo Trailblazers Need Assistance with Finding a Place to PlayA Triumphant ComebackMichelle Gets Her MajorTwelve Golfers Play It Off for Eleven SpotsTwo Sad PassingsWalter Hagen’s a Victim of a CrimeA Marathon Stretch of GolfGolf and the Cold War-Part IGolf and the Cold War–Part TwoTiger Puts on a Staggering Spectacle and Nicklaus Bows OutHollywood’s HustlerMore Hollywood’s HustlerEven More Hollywood’s HustlerA Bag-in-OneSome Golf on the Silver ScreenThe President’s CaddieJohn F. Kennedy: The Hit and Run GolferOne of the Game of Golf's Most Staunch Traditionalists Makes the SwitchA Caddie Named ShirleyMighty MoThe USA’s First Olympic GolfersWill Rogers's Disdain for GolfSam Snead Takes a Couple of Swings at Wrigley FieldA Former Artillery Officer Unleashes a Birdie BarrageA Record-Setting Final Round ComebackPresident Trump Honors BabeFriday the 13thAn American Woman’s Play With a British Royal and Stirs Up Golf FashionBattle of the SexesBen and Terrible TommyHighly Regarded CBS Golf Commentator Goes Out of BoundsSlow Play Results in a U.S. Senator Decking a Prominent D.C. SurgeonWalter’s ShenanigansArnold Palmer’s Hearing Spurred Him to Two of His Masters WinsJohn Daly Wins For the First Time in a “Sober” FashionIt Was an Odd Finish to a PlayoffTwo American Standouts Have Problems in Great BritainTicker Tapes and TootsA Special FriendshipSpouses, Ex-Spouses, and Significant OthersAbout 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).

“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

• AcknowledgementsFather of American GolfThe Most Flamboyant Player on Tour Outdoes HimselfYoung Tiger Overcomes a Rough PatchA Young Executive Goes RogueBabe Ruth Agrees to Become a Yankee at the 18th GreenArnold Palmer Resuscitates the British OpenGolf Grabs Michael JordanPresident Obama Cuts His Golf Short for Good ReasonGolf Infects the USA's Two Richest MenA Big Opening in Tinsel TownAnchors Away Sam SneadPicture-Perfect TackleBryson Does His ThingAmerican Golf Goes PublicA Surprising Defeat Leads to a Stellar CollaborationIt Was Alice’s IdeaIt Was Do or DieThe Seller Thought the Buyer Had More Money Than Common SenseGolf Lessons in an Office Suite in the Heart of New York CityGolf, Bitter Cold, and Panty HoseScottie Records His First Professional WinUSGA’s First Tournaments and USA Golf’s First Cinderella Story132 Was the Winning 18 Hole ScoreThe First Roar at the MastersAugusta National and Eisenhower Part IAugusta National and Eisenhower Part II“Anytime You Are Playing With Arnold That Happens”“Be the Right Club . . . Be the Right Club Today!”Keeping Your Golf Balls From Getting Too HotGolf and NuptialsBurning Tree Club: A Male BastionHe Walked to the Beat of a Different DrummerIt Would Have Been A Great StorySunday GolfA Blessed Final Round?Bobby Jones Goes HollywoodA Member of the USA’s Atomic Team Aids President Eisenhower’s GameThe Golden Bear and InverraryTwo Former Prodigies Battle it Out in a PlayoffGolf Plays a Huge Role in the First Gigantic Corporate DealBen Is BackMr. IcicleA Bad Look for BubbaThe Schenectady Putter: Born in a BonfireA Sand Trap in a Department StoreA Big Change for the United States OpenArnie the PilotUnder Unusual Circumstances, a Player Makes Quite a Debut in a U.S. OpenBaseball Almost Loses Out to Augusta NationalBen Who?He Scoffs at a Huge Fine by the GovernmentIt Looked Like an Ice Cream Scoop on a StickNixon’s GolfWhite House Helicopter Goes Out of BoundsOverrated?A President Overdoses On GolfA President Plays an Enormous Amount of Golf Without Any CriticismA Golf Games Ends a Bitter Hollywood FeudThe State of the UnionDetroit Loses Its Golf SoulThe Country Club at Brookline Could Have Missed OutThe Nation’s Top Sports Journalist Attempts to Qualify for the U.S. OpenThe Most Politically Significant Round of Golf Ever PlayedGene Sarazen, Howard Hughes, and the Sand WedgeBryson Had the Distance TwiceA Former Champion Tries to Avoid the Heat but Ends Up Being ToastWalter Hagen Makes a Ground-Breaking DecisionFrom a Hospital Bed in Santa MonicaTwo Trailblazers Need Assistance with Finding a Place to PlayA Triumphant ComebackMichelle Gets Her MajorTwelve Golfers Play It Off for Eleven SpotsTwo Sad PassingsWalter Hagen’s a Victim of a CrimeA Marathon Stretch of GolfGolf and the Cold War-Part IGolf and the Cold War–Part TwoTiger Puts on a Staggering Spectacle and Nicklaus Bows OutHollywood’s HustlerMore Hollywood’s HustlerEven More Hollywood’s HustlerA Bag-in-OneSome Golf on the Silver ScreenThe President’s CaddieJohn F. Kennedy: The Hit and Run GolferOne of the Game of Golf's Most Staunch Traditionalists Makes the SwitchA Caddie Named ShirleyMighty MoThe USA’s First Olympic GolfersWill Rogers's Disdain for GolfSam Snead Takes a Couple of Swings at Wrigley FieldA Former Artillery Officer Unleashes a Birdie BarrageA Record-Setting Final Round ComebackPresident Trump Honors BabeFriday the 13thAn American Woman’s Play With a British Royal and Stirs Up Golf FashionBattle of the SexesBen and Terrible TommyHighly Regarded CBS Golf Commentator Goes Out of BoundsSlow Play Results in a U.S. Senator Decking a Prominent D.C. SurgeonWalter’s ShenanigansArnold Palmer’s Hearing Spurred Him to Two of His Masters WinsJohn Daly Wins For the First Time in a “Sober” FashionIt Was an Odd Finish to a PlayoffTwo American Standouts Have Problems in Great BritainTicker Tapes and TootsA Special FriendshipSpouses, Ex-Spouses, and Significant OthersAbout the Author