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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games > Golf
Written with humour and insight, this informal memoir is a
delightful celebration of the passions that have driven Simon
Brown's life. Whether recalling incidents from his early years as a
barrister (courageously breaking away from the family business) or
as Treasury Devil, or during the later stages of his legal career
(ending as a Justice of the Supreme Court) - or whether talking
about his family, telling us his golfing tales, or describing his
enjoyment of the Garrick and his many travels around the world - he
exudes a zest and delight in what he does and an affection for
those he works with and meets that is a deeply endearing
characteristic. Friendship is a constant theme, the pleasure he
takes in other people. It is this extraordinary energy and
enthusiasm for life that defines Simon Brown and lends this memoir
its huge attraction.
This groundbreaking history of African Americans and golf explores
the role of race, class, and public space in golf course
development, the stories of individual black golfers during the age
of segregation, the legal battle to integrate public golf courses,
and the little-known history of the United Golfers Association
(UGA)--a black golf tour that operated from 1925 to 1975. Lane
Demas charts how African Americans nationwide organized social
campaigns, filed lawsuits, and went to jail in order to desegregate
courses; he also provides dramatic stories of golfers who boldly
confronted wider segregation more broadly in their local
communities. As national civil rights organizations debated golf's
symbolism and whether or not to pursue the game's integration,
black players and caddies took matters into their own hands and
helped shape its subculture, while UGA participants forged one of
the most durable black sporting organizations in American history
as they fought to join the white Professional Golfers' Association
(PGA). From George F. Grant's invention of the golf tee in 1899 to
the dominance of superstar Tiger Woods in the 1990s, this
revelatory and comprehensive work challenges stereotypes and indeed
the fundamental story of race and golf in American culture.
Peter Alliss has spent his entire life steeped in golf. He was born
in 1931, the son of Percy Alliss, one of Britain's leading
professionals between 1920 and 1939. Peter himself turned
professional in 1947, at the age of sixteen. During his pro career,
which lasted until 1974, Peter won three British PGA championships,
played in eight Ryder Cup teams, and ten teams representing England
in the World Cup. He won 23 major tournaments in all, his most
memorable achievement being in 1958 when he won the Italian,
Spanish and Portuguese Open Championships in three successive
weeks. He has had a colourful personal life, which has not always
been easy; he has been married twice and had five children, and
also had to learn to cope with the grievous loss of his young
daughter, Victoria. Peter Alliss is now universally known and loved
for his golfing commentaries throughout the world, for the BBC in
the UK and ABC in the US. For millions of people around the world,
Peter Alliss is 'the Voice of Golf,' and his unique style has added
insight for the viewer of the televised game. He was recently voted
by Golf Digest as 'The Best Golf Commentator ... Ever.'
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