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CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. - Adam Schupak, the author of Deane Beman: Golfs Driving Force returned to his native Chappaqua Friday night to discuss his book about the golf trailblazer.
This book about Deane Beman could be shelved in a category of against all odds, Schupak said. I was working at the World Golf Hall of Fame when Deane Beman was inducted in 2000. I wrote a bunch of features on him, which made me think of doing this book.
Beman was an innovator in golf, taking a mostly amateur game and turning it into one of the major sports in America. Golf now takes in more than a billion dollars in revenue annually. He created PGA golf courses when all tournaments were privately run. He also created the Senior Tour for players over 50-years-old and the Nationwide Tour for young players before they enter the PGA tour. \
Beman had thought of writing his own book more than 10 years before Schupak wrote his in 1999 but countless publishers turned him down. When Schupak approached him about doing a book, Beman repeatedly turned him down, thinking that publishers would never pick up on the idea. That was until Schupak received an e-mail from Beman that said he was ready to do the book.
When I got the e-mail I did a little Phil Mickelson after he won the Masters jump out of my chair, Schupak said. I just knew that this was a story that needed to be told and he was a journalists dream. He kept everything over the years and trusted me with access to many things that had never been let out before.
Schupak is currently the senior writer for Golf Week, which he said is a dream come true for the lifelong golf player and fan. He began playing at seven-years-old and continued as an undergraduate at Columbia University. He stayed at Columbia to receive his graduate degree from its Journalism School.
Its great to be able to cover a sport Ive always loved, Schupak said. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I cant believe it. Like next week, I get to go to the Canadian Rockies to write a golf travel piece. Its just awesome.
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