The Game That Defined a Century

Although non-golfers will find the title a bit hubristic (golf defined the 20th century?), golf fanatics will be drawn to this 100 year retrospective sponsored by Golfweek magazine. Narrated by Charlie Jones, the video provides a pictorial history of the sport from its infancy, with the win of American Francis Quimet over famed British golfers early in the century, to its present-day marketing juggernaut status built around the omnipresent Tiger Woods. Offering highlights of the ups and downs of the game, its male and female stars, and its reluctance over the years to admit various people to its privileged atmosphere (ranging from non-rich white Americans in the early 1900s to Jews and African-Americans in the latter half of the century), the program also traces the evolution of equipment and tournaments and emphasizes the impact generated by the fortuitous pairing of television and the charismatic Arnold Palmer in the 1950s. Recommended for larger sports collections that don't already have the more comprehensive The Story of Golf (VL-1/00). Aud: H, C, P. (S. Fisher)