Doctors of the Game® – A History of the Golf Profession
Published in September 2016 Doctors fo the Game® was officially released at The Golf Collectors' Society Annual Meeting & Trade Show. Doctors of the Game is the most definitive history of the golf profession ever written. It begins with the earliest known words on the game, then traces the sport's development through six centuries. The tome is written in three sections known as books: Book One runs from the earliest foundations though 1890; Book Two highlights both Scottish and American developments in the game from 1890 through 1915: Book Three traces the American game through five 20-year generations documenting the contributions of the golf profession through the challenges of racial and sex discrimination, war, depression, and recessions.
The reception for the 696-page tome has been excellent. Numerous reviews cite the remarkable depth of the research and the high quality of its design and production. It has been honored as a finalist in the USGA's prestigious Herbert Warren Wind Book Award for 2016. John Sabino, golf author and founder of the Valuable Book Group wrote, "Easily the most finely crafted and best golf book of the year." A feature article on the book, calling it "...one of the most distinctive books in golf history', was written by noted golf author John Strege and appeared on golfdigest.com on October 18, 2017 at https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-little-very-big-book-that-could
The author recently completed a five-stop 12-day lecture tour of Scotland expounding on his research findings for the book to appreciative audiences.
Complete details and easy order functions are available at: www.doctorsofthegame.com
About Billy Dettlaff (Jacksonville, Florida Author)
Billy Dettlaff graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 1973 with a major in Journalism. He pursued a career with a suburban Chicago newspaper chain as a photographer rising to Managing Editor. In late 1978 the draw to follow in his father’s footsteps as a golf professional took him to South Florida's Inverrary Country Club where he earned PGA Membership in 1981. In 1988 he attained the PGA’s highest status as Master Professional #57. He has since been named a PGA Legacy Master Professional.
Billy spent 22 years with the PGA Tour’s TPC Network as a Director of Golf / General Manager, Regional Director of Operations, and as the network’s first National Director of Golf based at TPC Sawgrass. In 2007 for the PGA Tour he wrote his first book, "A Storyteller’s Guide – THE PLAYERS Championship and TPC Sawgrass".Since his retirement in 2009 he has worked full-time expanding his Master Professional thesis on the history of the golf profession into a detailed study on the subject. Nearly seven years of research delivered a 1500-page / 450,000 word paper on the subject.
In 2015 the PGA of America used a greatly condensed version for their 208-page release, "The Official Centennial Commemorative Book – The History of the Golf Professional". The full text was published in late 2016 as "Doctors of the Game® - A History of the Golf Profession" as a 696-page tome. It has received international recognition. Dettlaff resides in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with his wife Geraldine. They have four children and seven grandchildren.