Playing from the Rough(June 11 pub.) Personal Journey Through Americaś 100 Greatest Golf Courses
~Press Release: Simon and Schuster~
Dear Reader,
After a thirty-three-year career at ExxonMobil, Jimmie James retired at the age of fifty-eight to spend
more time with his children before they went away to college. But as a globe-trotting executive, he knew
he needed a new project to help him transition to retired life. He had taken up golf in his forties and a
tee time at the revered Augusta National Golf Club set up by his wife as a gift gave him an idea. Since he had already gotten into perhaps the most exclusive golf club in the country, why not keep going? So,he set himself a challenge: to play his way throughGolf Digest’s list of the top 100 golf courses in America.
And for an extra challenge, why not do it all in one year?
This may sound impossible, but Jimmie James has spent his whole life defying the odds. Born in East
Texas to a single mother and raised in a home without electricity, he became the first person in his family
to graduate from high school and then from college at Prairie View A&M University. In setting this goal,
James wanted to do more than just play golf: he wanted to see how far he could go relying on the
generosity of strangers he met along the way. Golf in America has long been an exclusionary sport, one
that often shut out the Black community. However, while engaging with people from all walks of life as
he traveled across the country, playing in 33 states, walking across 100 courses, and taking 8,796 strokes,
James found signs of progress and hope for a more inclusive future for our country and its people.
In PLAYING FROM THE ROUGH (ISBN: 9781668005972; Pub: June 11th, 2024) James takes readers not
only on a journey across the United States to the most legendary golf clubs but also on a deeply personal
exploration of his life and the power of his own indomitable spirit. We can’t wait to share this
remarkable memoir with you.
Best,
Rebecca Rozenberg and Shannon Hennessey
About the Author:
Born in 1959 to a single mother of eight in Jim Crow-era Texas, Jimmie James emerged from humble
beginnings, growing up in a shack without electricity or plumbing. He was the first in his family not only
to graduate from high school but also to pursue and earn a college degree. He graduated from Prairie
View A&M University at the top of his engineering class. In his thirty-three-year career with Exxon, James
rose from an entry-level engineer to a globe-trotting executive, overseeing businesses across the world.
Now retired, he splits his time between Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Kiawah Island, and enjoys golfing,
travel, photography, and chess. He and his wife, Erika, have two young adult children, Jordan and
Alexandra.
MORE PRAISE FOR PLAYING FROM THE ROUGH:
“In Playing from the Rough, Jimmie James leads us on a discovery of golf in America. If you want to
understand this country—its golf and the enduring belief in the American Dream—start here.”—Alan
Shipnuck, author of LIV and Let Die
“Jimmie James is surely the envy of every golfer in America, having played each course on Golf Digest’s
Top 100 list. And doing it in just one year! Even more compelling is the story of Jimmie’s life, his love for
golf, and the journey of achieving this lofty goal.”—Ben Crenshaw, former PGA Tour player and Masters
champion
“Sports nuts will love Jimmie James’s vivid and often hilarious stories of playing—and talking his way
onto—the top hundred golf courses in America all in one year. But this compelling memoir is far more
that. It’s also a moving, beautifully written account of growing up Black and poor in East Texas, of
learning how to succeed in the business world, and of staying true to a cherished mother who taught
James to keep an open heart to strangers and to never give up on his dreams.”—Mark Whitaker, author
of Smoketown and Saying It Loud
“An uplifting American story! It is not just about the game of golf, but about playing from the rough
obstacles of life. James’s inspiring journey from poverty to the most pristine private golf courses in
America is a testament to the power of perseverance, hard work, and his mother’s lessons. Every young
person should read his story to understand how to avoid being defined by others.”—Renee Powell,
Former LPGA Tour Player and PGA of America Hall of Fame Inductee
“Tiger once said, ‘It’s not what you achieve in life that matters—it’s what you overcome.’ Tiger knows.
Jimmie James, in his own way, does, too. Look where he started. Look where golf took him. Getting to
the first tee of Augusta National is the least of it. This tale is not some country-clubber’s account of la-di–
da golf. This is an investigation into, as the man once sang, ‘this thing called life.’ Playing from the Rough
is about making it. Define as you wish.”—Michael Bamberger, author of The Ball in the Air
“I’m so damn jealous of Jimmie James. He not only pulled off my dream golf adventure, but he wrote a
book so good I haven’t spoken to my laptop in a week.”—Rick Reilly, New York Times-bestselling author
of Commander in Cheat and Who’s Your Caddy
“A delightful read for envious armchair golfers who dream big.”—Kirkus Reviews
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
