Marilynn Smith, LPGA – Have Clubs, Will Travel

From the Arizona Golf News Desk at the Arizona Golf Authority

Have Clubs, Will Travel is an entertaining “insider’s look” at the LPGA from the tour’s founding member and “ultimate insider,” Marilynn Smith.

A native of Topeka, Marilynn called herself “Just an ordinary gal from the Kansas prairie who has lived an extraordinary life.

“We were a mixture of war heroes, young kids, mothers and world-class athletes. We did things for ourselves, without management companies, a headquarters staff or swing gurus.”

With equal parts humor and sage commentary Marilynn notes, “Amazingly, we survived without corporate logos on our clothing.”

Marilynn and twelve co-founders started the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950:

Alice Bauer
Patty Berg
Bettye Danoff
Helen Detweiler
Marlene Bauer Hagge
Helen Hicks
Opal Hill
Betty Jameson
Sally Sessions
Shirley Spork
Louise Suggs
Babe Zaharias

Remember what the U.S. looked like at that time? Here’s a tip, Harry S. Truman was in the White House, Texaco Star Theater led the television popularity rankings and Ben Hogan would author his “Miracle at Merion” in June of that year.

With an assist from Bob Cayne, Marilynn blends personal stories from her World Golf Hall of Fame career with the hardscrabble realities of starting and nurturing the LPGA Tour right up to present day.

Courtesy cars and manicured golf courses may be considered customary today – after all, it is the LPGA Tour.

But if you’d like to know what it’s like to hit golf balls off home plate before the baseball game at the local MLB park to grow a gallery for tomorrow’s tournament round, Marilynn will tell you all about it.

Over sixty years later, Marilynn’s enthusiasm for the game is just as high, as it was on day one.

Join her for a day of golf at the 5th Annual Marilynn Smith LPGA Charity Golf Classic, scheduled for Monday, October 7, 2013 at Tuscany Falls – Pebble Creek in Goodyear, Arizona.

Four amateurs will be paired with an LPGA professional for a day of charity golf, good works and great fun. Click lpgafoundation.org/msmith for all the details.

You’ll find several ways to order hardcover copies of Have Clubs, Will Travel  at MarilynnSmith.com, including a PayPal link for credit card transactions. Other options include paperback versions from Amazon, and eBook versions offered by Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other book vendors.

If you like golf, and the rich rewards it grants those who summon the grit and perseverance it sometimes demands of those who play, you’re gonna love this book.