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America Tees Off: True Tales of Golf's Rich History
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.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 27, 2026
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 guts 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.
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 guts 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.
January 9, 2026
Very enjoyable book of golf short stories — well, short snippets. Some are only a page long…the longest one is six pages (I think). But it’s a great mixture of current golf and the history of the game, beginning with the first course(s) in the USA. Mr. Sowell did a remarkable job.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews