Prior to the advent of Tiger Woods and the popularization of golf, most players were seen as robot like, country club, rich kids, making a living playing a silly game. Golf was something wealthy, white, Republicans did. This was probably not an accurate picture then but, if it was largely true in the past, it certainly is no longer the case. Bud, Sweat and Tees : A Walk on the Wild Side of the PGA Tour
certainly reveals a life far removed from tony country club living on the East coast. Its main character, Rich Beem, is not a spoiled trust fund brat reaping the reward of an easy childhood. Instead, the book is an inside look on a couple of kids trying to live their dream and trying to figure out how to handle it once they get there.
Bud, Sweat, and Tees tells the story of PGA Tour rookie Rich Beem's 1999 season. Along the way, it tells the story of his life and the life of his caddy, Steve Duplantis. Beem is the son of a one time PGA professional turned golf pro, who takes a very circuitous route to the Tour and ends up winning a tournament his rookie year. Duplantis is a Canadian whose obsession led him to being a caddy after he realized he wasn't quite good enough to play "between the ropes." Both Beem and Duplantis have the talent but both have personal obstacles to overcome. Beem seems unable to focus and allows his desperate need for social contact distract him from playing up to his natural abilities. This leads to his bouncing around from Texas to Seattle to the Dakotas. Sometimes his dad helps him get a job as a club pro in North Dakota or El Paso but for a time he was even a stereo/cell phone salesman. Along the way, he plays in the minitours and toys with the idea of making it to the PGA. After seeing fellow University of El Paso grads J.P. Hayes and Paul Stanokoski meet with some success, he finally decides to take his game seriously and take on Q-school, the grueling qualifying tournament that is the key to getting your PGA Tour card. Remarkably, Beem manages to win the Kemper Open his rookie year, forever changing his life and his game.
Article comments