Everyman's Game.

In the 1970s the game of golf at all levels—from the professional to the amateur ranks—had never been healthier. Americans in 1971 watched on television as astronaut Alan B. Shepard sent a six-iron shot sailing in the moon's thin atmosphere; millions shared an enthusiasm for the sport with Shepard. In the previous decade Arnold Palmer in swashbuckling, go-for-broke style had popularized the game and had opened country-club gates to legions of middle-class fans. Although he played a sport perceived by many Americans to be snobbish, Palmer was seen as an everyman on the golf course, his untrained-looking swing wildly hooking the ball into the woods then slashing it back into play. "The King," as he was called by his fans, sweated and chain-smoked his way through a round with a determined walk and stare. As millions of Americans headed out to the public links to emulate their new hero Palmer, a pudgy-faced,...