BOOKS

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THE PAYNE STEWART STORY

When he died in a bizarre plane crash in 1999, U.S. Open golf champion Payne Stewart became a sports icon. Already famous for his colorful knickers and charming cockiness, Stewart had parlayed his golfing talent into a brilliant career. The tragic timing of his death at the height of his career focused the spotlight on him even more.In The Payne Stewart Story, author Larry Guest covers the golfing great’s career, from his start as an unpopular player dubbed “Tinkerbelle” to his standing as one of golf’s most respected professionals.

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“Guest’s book grabbed me from the first sentence. Riveting. The chapter on the plane crash takes your breath away. I was struck by the amazing amount of detail. Guest is someone who cares about detail. Most sports authors don’t. There is nearly a whole chapter on why Payne wore knickers. I always wondered about that. It was as fascinating as it was funny.

“I’m sure this is the best sports biography I have ever read.  I just could not put it down for its honesty and its humor and its unique format. I had read 50 pages before leaving the store and taking the book home with me. The Payne Stewart Story informs, entertains, enlightens, inspires.” – Cecily Shores, professional book reviewer

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“If old enough, you remember where you were when Pres. Kennedy was assassinated. If a golf fan, you remember where you were when Payne Stewart died. I was having lunch with a couple of other guys. We paid only occasional attention to reports on the TV behind the bar about a Lear jet off course and expected to crash. Sadly, we soon would learn its occupants.

“This book is a dramatic piece of writing by Larry Guest. It creates a bond between any reader who remembers that day and the golfer’s friends who talk about it. Guest’s detailed reporting makes you feel as if you’re right in the aircraft during its deadly flight from Florida to a Dakota cornfield. This book would be a good read even for people who are not golf fans. If you do follow golf, it’s a must read. If you were a Payne Stewart fan, you should have already read it.” – An Amazon Customer

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ARNIE: INSIDE THE LEGEND

The most definitive and personal answer ever written to the question, “What is Arnold Palmer really like?” A warm, often humorous, look at one of the most popular figures in modern sports.

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“At last, the inside story of one of the most popular figures in sports, superbly reported by the sportswriter who knew him best. Guest socialized with Arnie, flew, drank and played golf with him for years. He starts strong with a chapter characterizing Palmer’s (changing) relationship with Jack Nicklaus, then goes on to recount several hilarious beer-drinking episodes and harrowing plane rides. These chapters alone are worth the price.” – Steve Hershey, USA Today

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“This colloquial telling of many ‘insider’ Arnold Palmer stories is a joy to read and will appeal to loyal members of Arnie’s Army and newcomers to the game alike. This book is a fine job by a writer who has clearly known Palmer for many years. Readers will know – and love – Arnie even more when finished reading.” – Links Magazine.

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“It’s the less serious stuff that makes this book – one of the best I’ve read on a sports figure – such a delight. Little snapshots of Arnie being Arnie. Example: Palmer’s relationship with Jack Nicklaus had been a rocky one for years, largely because they were competing as golfers and course architects, until they reached a mutual decision to smooth it out. But back in the ‘60s, they often traveled together. They even once shared a 3-bedroom suite, along with Gary Player. Arnie recalls he was on the phone when the food arrived in the suite. One of the others spilled a drink on him and, ‘I took a bottle of something – probably ginger ale or beer – shook it up and squirted Gary and Jack. Then the whole thing went crazy.’ A food fight broke out, with the Big Three of golf hiding behind drapes and beds, throwing whipped cream and baked potatoes at each other like kids in summer camp, until they collapsed in laughter.

“Guest describes Arnie like this: ‘A man’s man, a swashbuckling risk-taker who enjoys life to the fullest, a champion of the so-called moral majority, perhaps the most compelling athletic hero of the 20th century.’ That from a man close enough to see him clearly.” – Ron Green, Charlotte Observer