Advanced Ball Striking welcomes legendary golf writer Al Barkow to our site. Al will be releasing a subscription based quarterly webzine through our forum, packed with fascinating articles, interviews, instructional tips and endless insights as only Al can do.
As the former editor of both Golf Magazine and Golf Illustrated, Al was also the chief writer and associate producer for the Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf series from 1963-69. Barkow has been covering golf since the early 1960’s, has walked the fairways with Hogan and Snead, Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and just about anyone you can imagine. He is also a fine player of the game himself still to this day.
Look for the first issue of this ground breaking webzine the first week of November!
Great to have you here Al - a real priviledge for us. I’m sure we are all looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the game and how it has changed over the years. As a big fan of the Shell series perhaps I can be cheeky and ask you for your favourite match during your time on the show? Though I am disqualifying the answer Hogan vs Snead, which I think was your first one, as being too simple an answer, even if its the truthful one!
Greetings from sunny Singapore.
I look forward to your contributions to this site having have read your numerous articles as well as your book with Dave Stockton!
Welcome Al,
Looking forward to another point of view from a different tack. What’s it like playing often with Lag? My sister lives in Menlo Park, so when I visit, maybe you, Lag and I can meet at the Mare for a game . All the best!
Grad (jgradds)
This is great news.
Glad to see you will be writing here.
Looking ahead to it with great anticipation.
It’ll be tough waiting until November to read your stuff.
Best
It’ll be great to hear your perspective on all things golf. I wasn’t aware of your WWOG association… I hope you’ll share some of your experiences with that production!
Thanks for the responses. I’m really looking forward to this. And yes, Hogan-Snead was the most memorable match in my years with the Shell Show, but another that I liked was Lema-DeVicenzo in Greece. Lema was a terrific guy and wonderful to watch with that big classic but refined caddie-swing.
It’s going to be fun.
Al Barkow
I’m anxious to see what you come up with Al. Most of my ‘education’ about players before I entered golf comes from ‘LagPressure’ and email conversations we’ve had. It will be really nice to get more of that from you.
I think we all benefit from a better understanding of those who hit before us. Sometimes you’re just not sure if what you read is ‘legend’ or ‘myth’. It’s nice to have you here.
Welcome Al,
I have heard a lot of good stuff from Lag about the games and talks he has had with you. I also have a few books you have been involved with and written which have been fun to read. Even spotted you on the Nicklaus/Snead showdown the other week which must have been cool to be involved with.
I am coming to SFO in a few weeks to visit Lag and take in The Presidents Cup. I look forward to meeting you if we get the chance.
On Lag’s suggestion I have also put out a few feelers in the hope of maybe getting Peter Thomson and David Graham interviews for your new book…Fingers crossed on that one
Have fun on the site. Look forward to hearing some of your words of wisdom…
Did you ever know a golf writer from Australia named…Don Lawrence?
Al Barkow’s Blog Intro
I’m going to be talking golf with over 60 years experience as a competitor (NAIA national championship team- 1959 Western Illinois University - 1971 U.S. Amateur championship) and writing about it from every perspective.
I’ve edited Golf Magazine and Golf Illustrated, had my stuff in every publication from the New York Times to Sports Illustrated, wrote the first history of the PGA Tour (Golf’s Golden Grind) and first oral history of American golf (Gettin’ to the Dance Floor), and a lot of others, including instructionals in collaboration with Billy Casper, Ken Venturi, George Low, Phil Rodgers, Dave Stockton.
I’ve just written a book on putting that for the first time articulates a method almost all the great putters in the game have used. More on that as we go along. For now, this is to let you know I’m here and going to be here and an open to all your questions and comments.
Al Barkow
Styles: The book is a how-to on putting, and a method that is not really new but has never been articulated; at least as I am doing. It will be on line in about three weeks. I’ll have links to it here, and elsewhere. There is also a bit of putting history, talking about Bobby Locke, Billy Casper and others, but it is primarily a book on how to putt, and putt better.
Al B
. All the best!
