American Golf in the Great Depression

The Pros Take to the Grapefruit Circuit

This account of professional golf during the Great Depression begins with a look at the “roaring 1920s” and how the game developed during this exciting decade. What a contrast to the Depression era—in which golf at all levels suffered but survived. The Depression years in general are covered and then the professional tour between 1931 and 1940 is examined in detail—the administrators (those who sold the tour to sponsors, the media and the public) and the many wonderful golfers. Much of this is set against the background of how difficult life was for most Americans. The book looks briefly at the post–Depression years (when the U.S. entered World War II) and how the top players fared. Despite the economic difficulties of the era, professional golf survived—largely due to the efforts of players and administrators, not all of whom have been sufficiently recognized by the game and its historians.