This week we learned that the book Horton Smith: A Masters Legacy, written by local golf pro Rick Grayson and published by the Ozarks Studies Institute, an ongoing initiative of the Missouri State University Libraries, has been shortlisted for the 2023 USGA (United States Golf Association) Herbert Warren Wind Golf Book Award. 

About the Book: In 1962, the city of Springfield opened the Horton Smith Golf Course on the west side of town. Its namesake returned to his hometown to cut the ribbon on that day in March, shortly before he passed away. Smith’s life was marked by athletic excellence, professional triumph, and diplomacy during turbulent years in American (and sporting) history. In Horton Smith: A Masters Legacy, author Rick Grayson tells modern readers how the two-time Masters Tournament champion and PGA President navigated the racial divisions that were reaching a national boiling point and the resulting tensions that were creeping onto the greens. In a time where Smith’s character is being called into question, Grayson invites you to take another look. Decide for yourself.

About the Award: Established in 1987, the Herbert Warren Wind Award recognizes and honors outstanding contributions to golf literature. Named for the famed 20th-century American golf writer, the award acknowledges and encourages outstanding research, writing and publishing about golf. Presented by the USGA Golf Museum, the Wind Award is the top literary prize awarded by the USGA.

About the Author: Rick Grayson is the Teaching Professional at the Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Missouri. He has been a member of the PGA of America for 37 years and has taught over 10 high school state champions as well as players on the Korn Ferry Tour. He achieved the PGA’s highest honor in 2011 by winning the PGA Junior Golf Leader award, the first person from Springfield to win a national award since Horton Smith. He is a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, PGA Midwest Section Hall of Fame, and the Ozarks Golf Hall of Fame. In 2021, he received Golf Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This is his third book.

Copies of the book may be ordered online.