Under the Lone Star Flagstick: A Collection of Writings on Texas Golf and Golfers

I am truly grateful to my dear friend, Dan Cruse. Frankly, I was unaware of this book until he recommended it and then lent his copy to me. It provided one of the most entertaining readings I have experienced in recent years. Yes, it is about Texas golf and golfers but I think that non-golfers will enjoy it as much I did. Hauser has assembled and skillfully edited 52 articles, a few of which she wrote. The material includes profiles of some of the greatest players (Bolt, Couples, Crenshaw, Demaret, Hagen, Hogan, Kite, Nelson, Rawls, Trevino, Wadkins, Whitworth, and Zaharias) as well as others who also made significant contributions to competitive golf, notably Harvey Penick ("Golf's Coach of the Century" and bestselling author) and Dave Williams (whose University of Houston teams won numerous N.C.A.A. championships). Some of the finest sportswriters contributed to this collection, notably Mickey Herskowitz, Dan Jenkins, Jim Murray, Grantland Rice, and Dallas' own Blackie Sherrod. Because there is a such a rich variety of subjects, each reader will have her or his own favorites among them. My own include Jenkins' "Hogan," Herskowitz' "Golf's Teacher of the Century" (i.e. Penick), all of Part III in which several authors discuss the unique relationships between Penick and his students, Crenshaw and Kite, David Cassstevens' "Bolt's Life Is His Curse," Peter Dobreiner's "A Tribute to Demaret's Greatness," Skip Bayless' "For Merry Mex, the Laughter Only Hides the Tears," Penick's "Betsy Rawls," Nick Seitz's "Houston's Odd Couple" (i.e. Demaret and Jackie Burke, Jr.), and Gary Cartwright's "Hustle Park: Where They Ship the Pros Home C.O.D." (i.e. Tenison Park in Dallas), a public course where Dick Martin and "Titanic" Thompson (among the predatory local "amateurs") won so much money from their opponents (i.e. victims) that they could not afford to turn pro. Those who enjoy this book are urged to check out Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime of Golf, Harvey Penick's Little Green Golf Book, and And If You Play Golf, You're My Friend: Further Reflections of a Grown Caddie; also Michael Arkush's Fairways and Dreams: Twenty-Five of the World's Greatest Golfers and the Fathers Who Inspired Them, the Sporting News' 50 Greatest Golfers : A Celebration of the All-Time Best, and The Ultimate Golf Book: A History and a Celebration of the World's Greatest Game, edited by Charles McGrath and David McCormick.