Playing from the Rough: A Personal Journey Through America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses

Golfer and former ExxonMobil executive James came from humble beginnings. He is a Black man who was born in Jim Crow–era Texas and was raised by a single mother in a home without running water or electricity. James became the first in his family to finish high school, graduated college with a degree in engineering, and worked at ExxonMobil, becoming a senior executive over his 33-year career. After retiring, he embarked on an ambitious quest to play the United States’ 100 greatest golf courses (as selected by Golf Digest) in one year. Narrating his own memoir, James intertwines details of his upbringing with glorious descriptions of the courses he played, from Georgia’s Augusta National to Whispering Pines, TX. James’s recollections of members, club pros, caddies, and others he met are gracious and uplifting, though he also reflects on the complicated experience of being a Black player in largely white environments. Sensitively delivered, James’s story expresses his appreciation for the kindness of strangers and his belief in never losing sight of one’s dreams.