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GETTIN' TO THE DANCE FLOOR: An Oral History of American Golf by Al Barkow

GETTIN' TO THE DANCE FLOOR: An Oral History of American Golf

By

Pub Date: Jan. 31st, 1985
Publisher: Atheneum

A series of edited monologues by some of the great names in American golf history. Barkow, a former editor of Golf magazine, has lovingly collected these reminiscences from such old-timers as Wild Bill Mehlhorn, Gene Sarazen, Henry Picard, Lighthouse Harry Cooper, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Betsy Rawls, and Patty Berg. The ""dance floor"" alluded to in the title is the putting green, the ultimate reward for all the blood, sweat, and tears of the tee, fairway, rough, bunkers, and other perils. Unfortunately, most of the effort of these conversations is not put to the use of helping duffers arrive at their mecca. Rather, they are nostalgic reminscences that concentrate mainly on the bumpy roads traveled by most of these old-timers in getting to the front ranks. When Barkow was editor of Golf, he learned to his chagrin that any time a picture of Bobby Jones graced the magazine's cover, sales dropped. The reason: readers wanted advice, not memories. That fact might add up to a double bogey for this otherwise well-intentioned volume.