Fans of the sport will relish this savory slice of golf’s past, gracefully served. (51 b&w illustrations)
A polished, adroit history of America’s first golf course, studded with yarns and deep with context, from golf-writer DiPerna and the course’s manager, Keller.
In the Greenbriar country of West Virginia, in the open spaces of woodland and tumbling hills outside White Sulphur Springs, sits Oakhurst, the first golf course laid out in the US—which happened, it has been agreed, in 1884. The course was built by four young men of substance who had migrated to lovely Greenbriar for various reasons. A cousin of theirs was set to arrive, and to entertain him properly—he was a fervid golfer, a Scot temporarily plying his game in Ceylon—they designed a nine-hole course, though “design” is a grand term, for golf courses were still rather makeshift affairs at the time: even playing at St. Andrews was a matter of picking an object down the links to aim at. The four builders and their guest became the Oakhurst Club, and remained the only five members. DiPerna and Keller do an exemplary vest-pocket job outlining the history of golf, its migration from Scotland (where it evolved, though ancient traces of it can be found in France, Belgium, Holland, and elsewhere in Great Britain and Ireland), and its passage to the Greenbriar. Additionally, the authors have a sharp eye for salient and entertaining moments in the game’s history, from the part it played in the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the pleasurable stories associated with Oakhurst, such as the club’s motto, “Sure and Far,” though Russell Montague, one of the original fivesome noted that “none of us were very ‘sure’ and we certainly did not drive very ‘far.’ ” Oakhurst fell into disuse but has been restored and can be played today with the equipment of old.
Fans of the sport will relish this savory slice of golf’s past, gracefully served. (51 b&w illustrations)Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8027-1371-8
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2002
With the capable help of sportswriter Levine (Life on the Rim, 1990), the smallest man ever to play in the NBA tells his story with warmth and humor. At 53'' Muggsy Bogues is an unlikely basketball star, but the Charlotte Hornets' pesky point guard is annually among the leaders in assists and steals, and he averages 10 points per game. Raised in the projects of East Baltimore, Bogues describes a tough life that included being shot when he was 5 years old and, at 12, watching his father go to prison for armed robbery. But there was always basketball, even if no one would take him seriously. He led his Dunbar High School team to 59 straight victories and national prominence in 1981 and '82 and was sought after by college coaches who were sharp enough to overlook his height. At Wake Forest, he averaged 14.8 points per game, collected 275 steals, and amassed an Atlantic Coast Conference record of 781 assists. He was drafted in the first round by the Washington Bullets in 1987 and became great friends with 76'' teammate Manute Bol (much to the delight of photographers). When Washington didn't protect him in the 1989 expansion draft, Bogues was thrilled to be selected by the Hornets. His career hit its stride when coach Gene Littles instituted ``an up-tempo offense'' with Bogues at the point. Later, with the additions of $84 million power forward Larry Johnson and, in 1992, center Alonzo Mourning, Bogues sparked the Hornets to a first-ever playoff appearance. Asked how he can play against men as much as a foot-and-a-half taller, he simply notes that ``the ball's on the floor more than it's in the air. And down there is Muggsland.'' A refreshingly good-natured sports biography by a man who's proud of his achievements but not an egomaniac. As he says, he's ``one happy little fella.'' (20 b&w photos, not seen)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-316-10173-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1994
An inspiring story of a unique town.
In her debut, a New York Times sportswriter explores why a small town in Vermont has become the “perfect incubator for developing the ideal Olympic athlete.”
Norwich has the distinction of being a town in which “one out of every 322 residents is an Olympian.” Crouse examines the story behind this remarkable record of athletic excellence, beginning with a profile of sisters Sunny and Betsy Snite. In the 1950s, their relentlessly competitive father pushed both girls to become ski champions. His “parent-driven medal-or-bust model” drove a permanent wedge between the sisters, made them unhappy, and kept both isolated from members of the Norwich community. The author then examines how more contemporary Norwich families have helped nurture well-adjusted champions. Nonjudgmental parental support allowed Mike Holland and Jeff Hastings to pursue their quirky, sometimes-dangerous passion of ski jumping in the 1970s and ’80s. An emphasis on becoming a well-rounded athlete able to play soccer and run track helped mogul skier Hannah Kearney keep a hypercompetitive drive in check while laying the foundation for the medals she won in 2010 and 2014. Growing up without expectations that he would ever be an athlete, Andrew Wheating was able to find a joy in running that led him to become a member of the U.S. Olympic track and field team in 2008 and 2012. Loving parents and a supportive community helped Winter X Games snowboard champion and Olympic team prospect Kevin Pearce move beyond the traumatic brain injury that ended his career. Crouse’s common-sense findings—that Norwich parents “praise effort, not results” and give their children “ownership of their lives”—all within a tightly knit community that values healthy living—are refreshing. Her book is a reminder that in an age that stresses winning at all costs, the true champions of the Olympic world are those who transition into lives as happy and productive adults.
An inspiring story of a unique town.Pub Date: Jan. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1989-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
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