Before Arnie Came
Golf’s
elitist tag is long out of date; it was back in 1980 when Caddyshack came out but lingers still. Yes, the sport can be
expensive and there are clubs for rich golfers only, but so what? They have
clubs like that for other sports like tennis and swimming; no one considers
those pastimes “exclusive.”
Another
ugly word may have more merit in its application: Stodgy. People associate golf
with tradition, with a sense of personal honor bordering on rectitude, and with
boring stories told by a crusty old-timer who rounds his vowels like John
Houseman. If you were to imagine a book written by such a fellow, it might well
resemble something like what’s before us today.
