To Win and Die in Dixie: The Birth of the Modern Golf Swing and the Mysterious Death of Its Creator

by Steve Eubanks

A fascinating biography of a forgotten golf legend, a riveting whodunit of a covered-up killing, a scalding exposé of a closed society—in To Win and Die in Dixie, award-winning writer Steve Eubanks weaves all these elements into a masterly book that resurrects a superb sportsman and reconstructs a startling crime.

J. Douglas Edgar was the British-born golfer who broke every record, invented the modern swing, and coached such winners as Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur in history, and Alexa Stirling, the finest female player of her day. But on August 8, 1921, he was a man dead in the middle of the road, the victim, conventional wisdom said, of a hit-and-run.

Comer Howell thought otherwise. He was an Atlanta Constitution reporter and heir to the paper’s fortune, a man frustrated by his reputation as the pampered boss’s son. To Howell, the physical evidence didn’t add up to a car accident. As he chronicled Edgar’s life, Howell discovered a working-class striver who had risen in the world through a passion to succeed, a quality the newspaperman admired. And as he investigated Edgar’s death, Howell also found a man whose recklessness may have doomed him to a violent demise.

Cutting cinematically between Howell’s present and Edgar’s championship past, To Win and Die in Dixie brilliantly portrays one man’s quest for excellence and another’s search for redemption and the truth. Their stories meet in a Southern society of plush country-club golf courses, vast wealth, and decadent secrets.

Filled with the vivid golf writing for which its author is renowned, To Win and Die in Dixie is a real-life story both shocking and inspiring, a book that propels Steve Eubanks to a new level of literary achievement.
 

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Mike Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. Well-written and well-researched, it tells the tale of a now-forgotten legend in professional golf. J. Douglas Edgar was an Englishman who moved to Atlanta, Georgia around 1919 to be a club pro. Edgar invented the modern golf swing, which involves much less lower-body movement than the popular swing of the day. He died under "mysterious circumstances" in 1921, just as he was on the threshold of worldwide fame for his golfing performance and teaching.



The story alternates between a biography of Edgar and the tale of the investigation into his death. The investigation is told from the perspective of Comer Howell, a 20-year old Atlanta socialite who is a cub reporter at the newspaper owned by his father. He also happened to be one of the men who discovered Edgar's body. At first, everyone believes Edgar was the victim of an automotive hit-and-run, but Howell feels the facts don't add up.



The book is told in a novelistic style and is very well put together. It paints a picture not just of golf in the early 20th century but of Atlanta society and the prejudices and politics of that time and place. Highly recommended for golf and history fans.

[Dennis Willingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good golf history on the little known father of the modern swing, good crime and Atlanta history also. Great unintentional golf lesson in here too, I got my swing back after changing focus to swinging the club, not hitting the ball. Something I had gotten away from reading traditional golf instruction books.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overall story though it is a tragic set of circumstances. Interesting look into the American Dream in early 1920's Atlanta. The emergence of the automobile, the klan, and one of golf early innovators.

[Mark Parrish]

For golfing fans, a must read.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story of a golfing great that no one has ever heard of--however, he too had trouble in the fidelity department--someone should write a book about athletes and that issue!

[Richard Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. It is part mystery and part golf history. Nicely done. A wonderful read for golfer and nice read for someone interested in intrigue and a bit of sport/golf history.

[George Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and well researched look into both golf and Atlanta/Post reconstruction south in the 1920s. The mystery that the book centers around is a perplexing one but what really makes this book great is the place making for the reader in which we are transported to Atlanta at a very interesting time in both the city’s history but also the good world. It is incredible that I had never read about the central character until reading this book.