Publisher's Synopsis
Walter J. Travis (1862-1927) was the most successful amateur golfer in the U. S. during the early 1900s, a noted golf journalist and publisher, an innovator in all aspects of golf, a teacher, and a respected golf course architect. In 1898, he entered his first United States Amateur Championship and lost in the semi-final. Because of his late start in the game, he was respectfully referred to as "The Old Man" or "The Grand Old Man". Driven by his intense and compulsive dedication to the game, Travis was soon the country's top amateur golfer, winning the U. S. Amateur Championship in 1900, 1901, and 1903. In 1904, he became the first non-Brit to win the British Amateur Championship. Among his other major victories were three North and South Amateur Championships at Pinehurst, and four Metropolitan Golf Association Championships. He was also a prolific writer who wrote extensively on a variety of golf topics, and was published in the leading sports magazines of the time. His first book, Practical Golf (1901), received rave reviews from The New York Times for its depth, thoroughness, and clarity as a reference book.
