April/May Book Reviews
by Les Schupak
It could be the basis of a new joke: A pro golfer walks into the 19th hole bar, meets a lawyer, and says, "We should write a book together." The lawyer responds, "About what? Golf and law? Who would read that?"
While it didn’t actually happen that way, Hall of Fame golfer Tony Jacklin and renowned corporate attorney Shelby Yastrow have created just such a book. "Bad Lies" (Mascot Books, $29.95) is a novel that not only golfers and 
attorneys will enjoy immensely -- anyone seeking a revealing, suspense-filled, and gripping look inside the world of professional golf and the intricacies of trial law will find a just reward too.
This “odd couple” has crafted a mystery thriller plucked from today's sports and news headlines. The main character is a hugely popular player, the leader on the Champions Tour for the past few years. A reporter writing in the game's most influential monthly accuses him of taking performance-enhancing drugs as well as cheating during play by not properly marking his golf ball on the putting surface and other flagrant actions. The player and his attorney file a libel and slander lawsuit against the magazine and its powerful corporate owner.
A sub-plot emerges as the golfer is also being accused of sexual battery by a woman he met in a hotel bar. She is seeking payment to keep silent about the incident, and any news leak would certainly damage the golfer's career and marriage.
Surrounding all of this is a focus on the First Amendment and how it affects the media as the reporter tries to withhold the names of sources in court, as well as exactly what constitutes libel and slander. Jacklin is no expert on those subjects, but Yastrow is; a veteran corporate attorney and trial litigator as well as a best-selling author of legal-themed novels, he deftly educates the reader about these subjects and escorts us through the maze of legal issues and courtroom histrionics performed by the attorneys for both the plaintiff and the defendant.
Similarly, Jacklin delivers an inside look at what a professional golfer faces at every tournament and as a celebrity sports hero. He offers knowledge acquired over a half century of playing professionally around the world, including victories at the 1969 British Open and 1970 U.S Open. The main character has to deal with sponsors, tournament directors, fellow competitors, agents, managers, his caddy, and the media - subjects Jacklin knows first-hand.
As befits a legal battle, the conclusion rests with a jury’s decision. Legal arguments build, emotions on both sides rise, and the authors keep the reader guessing up to the jury foreman's announcement. No matter what one thinks about the outcome of the case, in the opinion of this reader the verdict is that this book is a winner.
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For more than 30 years, Brad Brewer was a member of the Arnold Palmer "family." As the chief executive of Arnold Palmer Golf Academies he considered "The King" a mentor, and he knew him as an employer, a golfing partner, and friend.
"Arnold Palmer's Success Lessons" (Zondervan, $14.99) is an updated edition of Brewer's "Mentored By The King," originally published in 2010. Following Palmer's death in 2016, the author decided to revise his first effort adding more content as well as interviews with some people not included in the first book. A wise decision, as there is never enough to say about this sports legend. I elected to read it before attending the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club this past March -- an equally wise decision.
The short chapters -- most no longer than six pages -- focus on self-help advice not just from Palmer’s perspective, but from prominent and successful athletes, business people, political and religious leaders. In each chapter Brewer shares not only lessons he gleaned from Palmer, but from others who advise how to confront challenges and succeed along life's uncharted paths. There are scores of quotes and aphorisms from a diverse cast including Benjamin Franklin, Muhammad Ali, King Solomon, Mark Twain, Norman Vincent Peale, and Albert Einstein.
Palmer was a special human being and Brewer offers an insightful view of the guiding principles he used in persevering, dealing with pressure, and realizing one's dreams. The book is filled with nuggets of wisdom from so many exalted individuals, but none are more cogent and inspiring than those from the golfer who was revered and respected for more than half a century.
It was evident at this year's tournament that the players had learned much from the relationship they with Palmer and all sorely missed his presence. Brewer's book provides personal anecdotes of how players related to and were touched by him. Especially noteworthy were reminiscences by 1991 Open Championship winner Ian Baker-Finch, PGA Tour winner and broadcaster Peter Jacobsen, long-time PGA Tour player Jason Gore, and two-time Masters Champion Ben Crenshaw, among others.
The book delves into the core of the man and what made him an idol and hero to so many. Brewer was indeed blessed to live much of his adult life in the company of "royalty" and he openly shares these experiences with the reader.
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"God, Country, Golf - Reflections of an Army Widow" by Wesley Hobbs Bauguess (WestBow Press, $37.95) is a powerful memoir by a woman coping with the loss of her husband, a heroic Army officer in the 82nd 
Airborne Division who was shot to death by a Pakistani insurgent following a peace meeting in 2007 along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Surrounding the story is the deep religious faith she and her family found to aid them during the grieving period and beyond.
Golf, too, played an important role in the author's life, especially through that darkest period. Wesley Hobbs grew up a girl with a boy's name and seemed destined to take the road less traveled. She discovered golf growing up in a quiet, blue-collar part of Naples, Fla. Hobbs learned golf from her grandfather, a Staten Island native, who taught her not only the skills but the discipline, etiquette, and integrity of the game. She was a talented high school golfer, and attended Appalachian State University in Boone, NC on a partial scholarship as a member of the women's golf team.
While in college she joined ROTC and quickly became enamored of military discipline and the meaning of service to the country. Hobbs also fell in love with a classmate, a young Army officer and paratrooper. She married Larry Bauguess and settled into a life typical of a young military family when a country is at war. Yet she continued to play golf...until the day she was informed of her husband's death.
As a mourning mother struggling to explain to two young daughters why their father would never see them again, while also trying to learn the facts about how he was killed during a "peace mission" in Pakistan, she played little golf. Then, one day a few years following her husband's death, she re-discovered the game.
Invited to play in the annual Patriot Foundation's pro-am tournament in Pinehurst, NC, she renewed her love of golf. As part of that experience she also made a commitment to assist in raising funds for wounded warriors and their families.
She eventually became a spokesperson for a number of fund-raising groups devoted to helping veterans and their families, including Major Dan Rooney's Folds of Honor Foundation. Along the way she found time to give back to golf as a high school coach and a coach at a First Tee program in Whispering Pines, NC.
The book is inspiring, and particularly revealing for those not familiar with military life and its demands and sacrifices. So, too, is its unapologetic emphasis on religion -- no matter which faith you observe -- and how it provides direction, strength, and understanding throughout life's joyous and tragic times.
Wesley Bauguess tells her story with great sensitivity, respect, and love for God, Country and Golf. She stresses the values and meanings of each in a way that will bring tears in one moment, and cheers the next.