Review of “Out of the Rough”

 It’s always exciting to read a book on a topic or person that you did not know about before reading that book. That was the case for me with this book about Ted Rhodes, a Black golfer considered to be one of the barrier breakers for Blacks into professional golf. Here is my review of this excellent biography on him. 

Title/Author: “Out of the Rough: Ted Rhodes and His Fight Against Golf’s Color Barrier” by Dan Taylor 

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (Excellent)

Review: When Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters, in his press conference he paid tribute to three men considered to be pioneers for Black golfers - Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder and Ted Rhodes. The work and struggles Rhodes had in opening the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) up to Black golfers is largely unknown and this book by Dan Taylor is an excellent biography of this golfer whose accomplishments should be better known. 

Rhodes grew up in Nashville where Jim Crow laws made it hard for him to pursue golf, but he did get a caddying job on a public course and it was there where the golf bug hit him. He was mentored, took the game seriously and was invited to play in a tournament sponsored by heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, an avid golfer himself. That was where Rhodes became more well known as a golfer who had great potential.

Taylor’s writing illustrated Rhodes’ struggles to get into a PGA tournament as the organization had a strict “Caucasians Only” policy. Rhodes still was able to rack up great scores in the United Golf Association (UGA) that was for Black golfers, but the prize money was a pittance compared to PGA purses. While the coverage of Rhodes’ success was very good, Taylor’s account of the deals made and broken by the PGA, their blatant discrimination against Black golfers and their heavy handedness when addressing this matter with sponsors such as Bing Crosby and his annual tournament was very revealing. It showed just how bad Black golfers were viewed by the organization.

Once Rhodes was able to break the color barrier, he and Charlie Sifford did have some success. But where Rhodes was really making his mark was in coaching other Black players. One very famous pupil of his was Althea Gibson. Once she was tired of tennis because she had defeated nearly every other player, she wanted to try her hand at golf. Struggling at first, she eventually became proficient enough in the game under Rhodes’ tutelage that she became the first Black woman to compete in the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA).

When Rhodes died at age 55, the golf world grieved as the sport lost a true pioneer. This book is one that should be read by those who enjoy golf but may not be aware of the contributions Rhodes made to the sport. I was one of those golf fans who did not know about Ted Rhodes - I am very glad that I do now.

I wish to thank Bloomsbury Academic for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own. 

Link:   https://www.amazon.com/Out-Rough-Rhodes-Against-Barrier/dp/B0FBQY2554/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Tiger v. Jack”

Keeping with my recent golf theme and impatiently awaiting spring so I can break out my golf clubs, I decided to read this book on one of the few discussions on the “greats of all time” in which one could choose one of two names and not get a strong rebuttal but the other person - it’s that close. Here is my review of “Tiger v. Jack”

Title/Author: “Tiger v. Jack: Golf’s Great Debate ” by Bob Harig

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  When golf fans are debating who is the greatest golfer of all time, two names are usually mentioned - Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. While the two golfers played in different eras of the game, their accomplishments are well known and constantly compared. This book by Bob Harig digs deep into their careers and their games to provide his opinion on the debate that many agree on one thing - no matter who you pick, both of them are head and shoulders above everyone else.

The first and last chapter are perfect bookends to the debate. The first chapter covers the 1986 Masters tournament when Jack made a huge charge on the back nine on Sunday to become the oldest winner of the Masters at age 46, good for his 18th major championship. The last chapter is about the 2019 Masters, when Tiger won his 15th major at age 43 after a lengthy drought from majors due to injuries, most notably several back surgeries. 

Between those chapters, a reader will learn about the best aspects of each golfer’s game, their first major tournament win, how their career trajectories played out and how they came to be the best of their eras. Harig goes beyond counting wins in majors and PGA wins to provide in-depth information on both golfers. One example of this that I really enjoyed was how both men would intimidate their opponents before teeing off on the first hole. They knew how to exploit any fear or doubt their opponents had which would result in those golfers either trying too hard or making mistakes they normally would not make.  This description was very interesting.

There is information on legendary golfers whose marks first Jack, then Tiger, would eventually shatter. Information on Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and Ben Hogan give a good history of how the four major tournaments became a very important part of a golfer’s career. The sections on each man’s accomplishments outside of just winning majors were also very good. Also interesting was a discussion on how each man became involved in the police of golf during their times - Jack on the PGA’s policy that favored club pros instead of those on the PGA tour, Tiger on the emergence of the rival LIV golf league. 

Other golfers, broadcasters, and golf personalities, all from both eras, were included in Haig’s analysis. The last sections before the 2019 Masters where Harig breaks down each man’s game (putting, driving, bunker play, etc), the quality of other players at the time and the size of the field during their time and other statistics, Harig makes his decision and lays it out well. This is an excellent book for those wanting more information on their golfer they choose in this debate. 

I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FLZ4MNRW/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20 

Review of “America Tees Off”

 As I noted in my last post, the huge winter storm that hit most of the country allowed me more reading time. This book was one I was able to complete in a fairly short amount of time. Since it was a golf book, it also left me dreaming of golf weather! 

Title/Author:

“America Tees Off: True Tales of Golf’s Rich History” by David Sowell

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 

Even non-golfers know that the game has a rich history. Beginning with its origins at St. Andrew’s, also known as the Old Course to today’s game, there are many stories to be told about it. This book by David Sowell does just that, with concentration on stories from courses in the United States.

Stories might be generous here as most of the essays take less than two pages. While this made for quick reading, it often left me wanting more information about the golfer, the course, or whatever else the story was about.

This disappointment, however, was offset by the great variety of topics chosen and that the book covered the entire span of time that the game has been played here. Some of the more interesting topics included President Eisenhower playing at Augusta, how golf balls were kept cool when they were made of gutta perch and a deal made between Charles Schwab and Andrew Carnegie on the golf course.

Of course, professional golfers have their stories too. Not just big names like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, but players like Ben Curtis and Juli Inkster have their moments in this book too. That is the best aspect of the book. The brevity of the stories made it possible to have many people featured without making the reader get lost in trying to keep them straight. A quick, enjoyable read for those who enjoy golf. 

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/America-Tees-Off-Tales-History/dp/1496243161/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0  

Review of “Mulligans”

Needing just a good quick sports read (any sport), I found it in this collection of (mostly) golf essays by a well-known golf writer. Here is my review of “Mulligans”.

Title/Author: “Mulligans” by Curt Sampson 

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good) 

Review:  While every sport has excellent stories about accomplishments by participants, not every sport can have great individual stories that tie so well to the play on the field. Golf is one of those sports that can, and this collection of essays by noted golf writer Curt Sampson does just that - gives the sport some great personal stories.

Like any other collection of literary items, be they novels, short stories or poems, some will be great, some not so great and some in the middle. I found most of these stories to be quite good. One interesting note about then is that if the story is about a golfer who had a famous moment or tourney and Sampson writes about it, he describes the golfer’s mind and actions just before the famous moment. Two examples are my two favorite stories in the book. 

One is on Tiger Woods in his historic victory at the 2019 Masters. The story ends when he’s about to start his Sunday round, which just added to the wonder of how he was able to accomplish that win. The other story that follows this script is on Jan van de Velde’s famous 1999 finish at the Open. Many know about his famous meltdown on the 72nd hole, but Sampson writes a great essay on va de Velde’s first 17 holes on that Sunday, ending it when he’s about tees up on 18. 

This is a quick, entertaining and informative read about a variety ofvgolfers across many years. Recommended for any level of golf fan. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Mulligans-Timeless-archive-best-selling-Masters/dp/B0FKPTBX3Q/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

Review of “Losing Isn’t Everything”

On a recent business trip to Boston, about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive for me, I had time to listen to an audiobook and chose this one as it sounded interesting- it was.  Here is my review. 

Title/Author: “Losing Isn’t Everything: The Untold Stories and Hidden Lessons Behind the Toughest Losses in Sports History” written and narrated by Curt Menefee 

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Whenever a memorable moment happens in sports in which there is a winner and a loser, the winner is usually remembered over the years. But not always - sometimes the losing team, player or in individual sports, a performance where the athlete failed to perform as expected, is remembered just as much. This book by Curt Menefee, who also narrates the audio book, tells their story.

Each one follows a pretty standard format - the setting is set, the athlete featured is highlighted. Then the moment happens and how he or she handled that ignominy is the bulk of the material. This would include not only in the immediate aftermath of the event, but how that person has carried on in the following months and years. Many of the stories also started to feel the same as most of them were able to do fine, but almost to a person, it did upset them at least a little that that particular play was all that was remembered. 

The best example of that last statement would be Everton Walls, who was the safety pictured on the famous photo of “The Catch” by the San Francisco 49ers receiver Dwight Clark. The other extreme example of this - where the athlete is perfectly fine with what happened - is Jean van de Velde, whose infamous 72nd hole at the 1999 British Open cost him a major title. Van de Velde has always maintained that yes, he lost, but he lost by attempting the shots he wanted to do. 

This book is interesting in not only the content of all of these stories, but for the wide variety of sports that is covered. Snowboarding (Lindsey Jacobellis, whose extra move cost her a gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics), speed skating (Dan Jansen, who fell at two Olympics before finally winning in 1994) and track (Mary Decker and her fall in the 1984 Summer Olympics) and covered as well as football, baseball and basketball. 

From Craig Ehlo to the 1992 Kentucky "Unforgettables" and from Rodney Harrison to Calvin Schiraldi, many memorable moments are covered and this book covers the other part of them 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Isnt-Everything-Stories-Toughest/dp/0062440071/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “The Golf 100”

Having read many books over the years of “the greatest” whatever, I found this one a little different, mainly due to avoiding saying how one era was better than another. This is explained in my review of this book, “The Golf 100” 

Title/Author: “The Golf 100: A Spirited Ranking of the Greatest Players of All Time ” by Michael Arkush

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Anytime a book will try to list the greatest athletes or teams in any sport, it will generate debate by readers. Many will disagree with the author and many will argue amongst themselves about who should be ranked where. This book by Michael Arkush, an accomplished golf writer, is one of the better ones that takes on this task.

What I like best about this book is that Arkush bases his rankings and opinions on how each golfer fared against their competitors during their era and their gender. He didn’t try to compare Tiger Woods against Bobby Jones or Anika Sorenstam against Babe Diedrikson. If the golfer was great during their time and won major tournaments (this was Arkush’s main measuring stick) they would make these rankings. 

Why he used this logic in grading these legendary golfers was best said by one of the all time greats, Bobby Jones:  “I think we must agree that all a man can do is beat the people who are around at the same time he is. He cannot win from those who came before any more than he can from those who may come afterward.”

Of course, this book would not be as good as it was without the excellent stories told about each golfer. Whether it was about Old Tom Morris and the early days of the sport, Mickey Wright’s swing that many consider to be the most pure one ever, or some of the biggest errors of judgement made that cost some of these great players even more major victories. Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson both rank fairly high on this list but Arkush would often refer to their bad moments, especially Norman. He also would mention when he felt golfers actually were underachieving despite all the wins they racked up. 

Even with these criticisms of golfers, this was one of the best books on ranking athletes I have read. Between the avoidance of comparing different eras, the excellent stories on eac one and the conversational style of the writing, it is one that is recommended for any golf reader.

I wish to thank Doubleday Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Golf-100-Spirited-Ranking-Greatest-ebook/dp/B0D8KBRHHR/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0 

 

Review of “Together We Roared”

Another bus ride to a game meant more reading time - in this case it was this book co-authored by a former caddie for Tiger Woods. Here is my review of “Together We Roared”

Title/Author: “Together We Roared: Alongside Tiger Woods for His Epic Twelve-Year, Thirteen Majors Run” by Steve Williams and Evin Priest

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: As a reader who has read several books about Tiger Woods, I was quite interested in this one given the special relationship that Woods and caddie Steve Williams had during Woods’ incredible stretch of greatness at golf’s four major tournaments. The book did not disappoint as Williams and co-author Evin Priest share some great stories during that special era of golf. 

Some of the stories are known by golf fans, such as the time when the Woods-Williams team nearly ran out of golf balls in the bag. Some are not as well known, such as Williams meeting Woods in the parking area of courses as Woods would change to his golf shoes there with his upbringing at public courses where this is the norm. Whether the information is well-known or Sun known until being read here, a reader will be well informed and well entertained by reading them. 

While the book certainly goes into details about Woods’ major victories and the statistics (which Williams kept meticulously), what really makes the book a special one is the bond between Woods and Williams. From Woods supporting Williams’ auto racing hobby to signing the flags Williams took from the last hole when Woods won a major, each story and conversation between the two of them was great material. That made the end of their working relationship even tougher to understand but it did seem inevitable.

A reader does not have to be a golf fan to enjoy this book on a great relationship, both personal and professional, between arguably the greatest golfer ever and his caddy during the years when he played his best golf.

I wish to thank William Morrow for providing a copy of the book. The reviews expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Together-Roared-Alongside-Twelve-Year-Thirteen-Majors/dp/0063418703/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Rory Land”

 Remembering that this book had recently been sent by the publisher to my NetGalley list, I immediately opened it after Rory McIlroy finally won his first Masters. This book is an excellent look at one of the most popular golfers today.

Title/Author: “Rory Land: The Up-and-Down World of Golf’s Global Icon” by Timothy M. Gay

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  Rory McIlroy is a name instantly recognizable to golf fans. He burst onto golf’s scene in the 2010’s by winning four majors, but until his recent win in the 2025 Masters, he was stuck on that figure for 11 years. This book (completed before that Masters victory) by Timothy M. Gay, tells the complete and complicated story of one of the most popular golfers today.

The cover shows McIlroy with colors from the Irish flag. However, he hails from Hollywood, County Down in Northern Ireland and Rory, to this day, has conflicting emotions on which country he represents. His great uncle was killed during The Troubles, the long war between Catholics and Protestants that ravaged Northern Ireland. This is just part of the extensive picture Gay includes of McIlroy and his family in his formative years. 

There is also a lot of good material about McIlroy after he becomes a PGA member off the course. His romantic interests, including the very public engagement and subsequent break-up with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, his current marriage to Erica Stoll and other flings that kept tabloid reporters very busy. Also well documented by Gay was McIlroy’s public denouncing of the LIV golf tour (before they and the PGA came to an agreement), his changing of his management company and his great love for his parents. No matter the topic, if it involved McIlroy, Gay made sure to include it.

Of course, the writing about McIlroy’s successes and struggles on the course are quite good as well. McIlroy’s game is great off the tee but his putting issues are practically legendary in a not-so-flattering way. Whether it’s a major tournament, on of the other non-major events or his representation on the European Ryder Cup team, the description of the action on the course is great. The last few chapters of the book are heavy on this content and it does feel fitting to do so. This book really show the complexity of the character that is Rory McIlroy.

I wish to thank Regalo Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Rory-Land-Up-Down-Global/dp/B0DMM3WRT8/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0