Calvin Peete, Gordon Hobson
Calvin Peete, Gordon Hobson
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Calvin Peete
Golf's Forgotten Star

Author: Gordon Hobson

Narrator: Jaime Lincoln Smith

Unabridged: 4 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/14/2024


Synopsis

His story is unprecedented in the world of golf. Born to a family of migrant laborers, Calvin Peete dropped out of school in the eighth grade, went to work picking crops, first swung a golf club at the age of twenty-three—and rose to the top of the PGA.

In Calvin Peete: Golf's Forgotten Star, Gordon Hobson tells for the first time Peete's incredible story. Hobson recounts how, when Peete joined the lily-white PGA tour in 1976, he stood out from the competition in more ways than one. Peete wasn't raised in country clubs and didn't learn the game at prestigious golf universities. He had a permanently bent left elbow and practiced endless hours in a public park to develop one of the most accurate swings in the history of golf. He endured years of futility and despair, but, eventually, he emerged as the best player on the Tour from 1982–86.

Calvin Peete's story is inspiring, but it also reveals the struggles many Black golfers endured even after the Caucasian-only clause was removed from the PGA's bylaws. He may have won twelve championships, played on the US Ryder Cup team twice, and won the prestigious Vardon Award, but the road to success wasn't easy. Calvin Peete: Golf's Forgotten Star shows how, even without the advantages some people are born into, one can find success through hard work, determination, and fortitude.

About Gordon Hobson

Gordon Hobson is a retired attorney and first-time author from Columbus, Ohio. He was raised in a golfing family and has caddied in an LPGA event, a PGA Pro-Am, and for Bruce Fleisher when he won the 1968 US Amateur.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lisa

I may be biased but this book is a quick and fascinating read. Calvin Peete’s remarkable rise to becoming the best golfer in the PGA is a story of grit and determination worth reading. Growing up in a family of migrant laborers he was completely removed from the world of country club golf. But the p......more

Goodreads review by Susan

The fascinating tale of a golfer I had never heard of before, but who was the most successful Black golfer on the PGA Tour a decade before Tiger Woods rose to fame, not to mention the most accurate ball driver of the 1980's. Golf is pretty much pegged as one of the whitest and most racist sports the......more

Goodreads review by Suzanne

I know little to nothing about golf, but I found this to be a fascinating story about Calvin Pete’s relentless pursuit of excellence and accomplishment in a game that he loved. Despite all odds as a black man with a physical impairment who hadn’t picked up a club before his 20’s, he persevered and b......more

Goodreads review by AMAO

Calvin Peete: Golf's Forgotten Star by Gordon Hobson Pub Date: 14 Feb 2024 #CalvinPeete #NetGalley Even when Tiger Woods was a thing, I dont recall hearing about fascinating athlete! This was way too short and a documentary movie of the week needs to be in the works. The narrator did such an incredibl......more

Goodreads review by Rachel

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book as someone with zero interest in golf. Calvin's story is incredible! I enjoyed learning about his childhood and life before golf, and his nonlinear path to becoming a golf star. I definitely recommend this book to any reader!......more