8 Books That Will Diversify Your Knowledge of Golf History
Lee Elder giving a lesson at Langston Golf Course in 1979
History is written by the victors, or at least whichever cis-het dudes were confident enough to insert themselves into positions of authority during a given period, and the history of golf does not break the mold. For centuries, white men in Great Britain and the United States have clung tightly to golf’s most influential leadership roles, often ignoring or erasing contributions of People of Color and women to the game in the process. Fortunately, golf historians are noticing and attempting to fill these gaps in the record. While the first books on Asian American and LGBTQ golf history have yet to be published, here are eight great sources of information on some of the game’s most unsung heroes.
Game of Privilege: An African American History of Golf by Lane Demas (2017)
This book provides a general overview of Black American golf history. Dense with facts and anecdotes, it spotlights Black players, course designers, equipment inventors, caddies, and tour organizers. It also outlines the ways in which Black golfers have experienced, confronted, and rejected systemic discrimination perpetrated against them by white America.
In the Women’s Clubhouse: The Greatest Women Golfers In Their Own Words by Terri Leonard (2000)
Featuring articles and essays written by legendary golfers, both amateur and professional, this book sheds light on what it’s been like for women players to excel at a sport dominated by men, and endure the forms of exclusion and backlash they’ve encountered over the years. It quickly dispels the idea that men are inherently more competitive than women and should be required reading for anyone who claims the PGA is more entertaining than the LPGA.
Men on the Bag: The Caddies of Augusta National by Ward Clayton (2004)
If you’re a longtime golfer, you’ve probably noticed a few comic relief based, stereotypical behaviors underlying Black caddies in books and movies (think The Legend of Bagger Vance, which Spike Lee pointed out reflects the Magical Black Character trope). In this book, the primarily Black caddies of Augusta describe in their own words the experiences of having to help white men navigate one of the most exclusive courses in the American South, being displaced by tour caddies for the Masters, and watching players of color finally gain access and recognition, shattering any and all stereotypes in the process.
They Call Me Supermex: The Autobiography of Lee Trevino by Lee Trevino and Sam Blair (1982)
With a next-level sense of humor, Trevino chronicles his journey from a single parent Mexican American household in Texas, to caddying at a local muni, to serving in the military, to becoming one of the greatest golfers of all time, all while taking the piss out of the buttoned up country club world. Few people can say they tossed a rubber snake at Jack Nicklaus during a U.S. Open playoff, boycotted the Masters on the basis of Augusta’s culture of exclusion and later regretted it, and got struck by lightning all in one lifetime.
Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by Don Van Natta, Jr. (2011)
Didrikson Zaharias is one of the most well known golfers who’s ever lived, but few are aware of her struggle to simultaneously meet and resist societal expectations regarding gender and sexuality. This book celebrates her true masculine, rough-and-tumble spirit, chronicles her many accomplishments, and explores her romantic relationship with fellow LPGA member Betty Dodd amidst her marriage to George Zaharias. Didrikson Zaharias’s autobiography This Life I’ve Led is essential golf literature too, but Van Natta’s book has that removed objectivity.
The Education of a Women Golfer by Nancy Lopez (1979)
Lopez dominated the LPGA in the 1970s and -80s. Her competitive spirit was exciting to watch, her clothing and hair styles were always on point for the era, and her commitment to celebrating her heritage inspired women players, especially those of color, to seize space in the golf world. While Lopez has added many more chapters to her life since its publishing, her first autobiography is still a great read for anyone trying to learn what life was like for a Latina pro in the late 20th century.
Just Let Me Play: The Story of Charlie Sifford, the First Black PGA Golfer by Charlie Sifford (1992)
Debuting on the PGA Tour in 1948, Sifford challenged the PGA’s official color barrier until it was rescinded in 1961, and its lingering unofficial color barrier until his death in 2009, leading fans to call him the Jackie Robinson of golf. Tiger Woods named his son after the golf hero, and Sifford has since been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Several Black pros like Bill Spiller and Ted Rhodes preceded him, playing with the Black-operated United Golfer’s Association, but have yet to be profiled with individual biographies.
A Champion in a Man's World: The Biography of Marion Hollins by David Outerbridge (1998)
Golf course architects are rarely acknowledged outside discussions between golf nerds, making women architects an even more obscure area of history. Nonetheless, they’ve contributed greatly to the sport—Marion Hollins helped Alister Mackenzie design Cypress Point and Pasatiempo (apparently making her biography worthy), Ida Dixon designed Springhaven Country Club in Pennsylvania, May Dunn founded Reno Golf Club and designed the first golf course in Tahoe, California, and Molly Gourlay helped renovate the old course at Ballybunion. These women paved the way for architects like Alice Dye, Jan Bel Jan, Angela Moser, Kristine Kerr, Line Mortensen, Giulia Ferroni, Kari Haug, and Christine Fraser to start doing their thing.