“When Golf was Fun” is a collection of tales from what is known as the “beer and barbecue circuit” of golf tournaments. These tournaments held in small town all across the state of Texas were not only the beginning of the careers of many great golfers but also produced some local legends. It was a time when golf was still a game, not a big business.
This collection of 38 stories will entertain and amaze as you read first-hand accounts of some of the greatest exploits in the history of golf. You will read about local golf pros who are unknown outside of their local country club and you will also read about legends like Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Lietzke, Charles Coody, Miller Barber, Ben Hogan and others. Texas has a very rich golf history and much of it is captured in “When Golf was Fun.”
The late, great beer and barbecue circuit was a bygone era of Texas golf in which many Lone Star legends were born and raised but has since given way to the more civilized and organized golf industry we know today. Much like baseball’s barnstorming days, the barbecue circuit was a series of unaffiliated events that brought an extremely high level of golf and excitement to tiny towns like Center and Athens; Quanah and Pampa—places you might otherwise never have known even existed.
Author: Pat Wheeler is a native of Tyler, Texas. He played competitive golf at Robert E. Lee High School and SMU where he earned a degree in journalism. Pat currently writes for DFW and Houston Links Magazine and hosts a weekly radio show about golf, Texas Links on the Air.
