{ "item_title" : "The Story of Golf in Germany in 21 Questions", "item_author" : [" Doug Gelbert "], "item_description" : "How did a country that spent a century learning to play golf finally produce some of the greatest golfers in the world?Germany gave the world Beethoven, Mercedes-Benz, Oktoberfest, the printing press and the Autobahn. It perfected precision engineering, mastered the art of organization and developed an international reputation for doing things properly.Golf? Not so much.For the better part of a century, Germany possessed magnificent golf courses, wealthy clubs, imported British professionals and impeccably organized championships. What it didn't possess were many Germans who could play the game particularly well.Then a bricklayer's son from a Bavarian village began carrying golf bags for pocket money.The Story of Golf in Germany in 21 Questions explores one of the game's most unlikely journeys, from the fashionable watering holes of nineteenth-century Europe to the winner's circle at Augusta National.It begins at Bad Homburg, where the future King Edward VII helped make the spa fashionable and visiting British golfers introduced their peculiar pastime to curious Germans. Soon, golf clubs were appearing in resort towns and commercial centers, staffed by Scottish professionals recruited to instruct members who had scarcely seen a golf club before.In 1911, Baden-Baden decided to put Germany on the international golfing map by offering prize money so extravagant that the greatest British professionals came running. Harry Vardon, J. H. Taylor and Ted Ray delivered spectacular championship performances. The Germans had discovered how to stage a world-class golf tournament. Producing a world-class German golfer would take considerably longer.Along the way, Germany's golfing adventures became increasingly extraordinary.A Scottish golf professional was interned in a German prison camp during World War I, where he continued teaching golf-to fellow prisoners.A wealthy banker lured Ryder Cup star Percy Alliss to Berlin with a salary that made him the envy of British professionals.The Nazi regime attempted to turn an international golf tournament into a propaganda triumph, only to watch an Englishman spoil the celebration with a sensational final round.After World War II, American and British occupation forces repaired damaged courses and introduced another generation of Germans to the game. Meanwhile, golf virtually disappeared from communist East Germany, where a handful of enthusiasts kept their passion alive by traveling to Czechoslovakia to play.Then came Bernhard Langer.His 1985 Masters victory transformed Germany's relationship with golf. Suddenly millions of Germans knew the game involved more than miniature windmills and artificial putting greens. Courses multiplied, membership soared, and the country began producing accomplished international professionals.Martin Kaymer followed Langer to the top of the world rankings. Sophia Popov captured a women's major championship. Esther Henseleit earned an Olympic silver medal. Germany even won the World Cup of Golf twice, the first time just weeks after reunification in 1990.Yet Germany never entirely abandoned its distinctive approach to golf. At many clubs, beginners must first earn a Platzreife-something resembling a driver's license for the fairways.Across 21 revealing questions, this illustrated history uncovers the forgotten characters, improbable events, political upheavals, pioneering women, legendary champions and curious customs that make German golf unmistakably German.No Platzreife required. Just turn the page and tee it up.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers4.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/93/577/188/1935771884_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "9.99", "online_price" : "9.99", "our_price" : "9.99", "club_price" : "9.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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