“You are about to read one of the great oral histories. Without a doubt golf’s best ever, and certainly in the top rank of any within the realm of sport. And while “Gettin’ to the Dance Floor” was a classic of golf from the day it was published, it’s gratifying to see, with this new edition by this particular publisher, that designation become official.

It’s a book that, through its 24 first person accounts, captures with granular specificity the intense experience of playing professional golf in the three decades before the game became a televised sport. No doubt that “circuit” was hardscrabble and impoverished, especially in the long slog of 1930s, but what makes “Dance Floor” magical is the warmth and fondness with which a representative sampling of the game’s greatest generation shares a noble quest.”

“Like his addictively readable Golf’s Golden Grind:The History of the Tour, Al Barkow’s Gettin’ to the Dance Floor is an indispensable book for anyone who wants to know what the legends and stars of America’s early professional golf scene were like. Told in their own words, these colorful, talented, and eccentric travelers of the game (many of whom were known by the author) present a vivid portrait of American golf’s evolution in the 20th Century. It’s a fun read and a must for you golf library. Nice to see it back in circulation.”

“This may come as a shock to many of today’s golf fans, but the professional game didn’t begin with tiger woods. Both the pga and the lpga tour have a rich history and thankfully author al barkow did the leg work and tracked down and spoke to all the key players, all of whom are no longer with us. This oral history has been an invaluable tool to anyone who wants to understand who laid the groundwork for the billion dollar business it is today . I’ve turned to my copy of Gettin’ to the Dance Floor so many times over the years that i’m delighted it is back in print.”

“Al Barkow has seen it all and written about it all. He knew the players and he knows the game. His inspired idea was to sit the players down and get them talking, and they loved to talk. Al’s timeless oral history of an earlier era is vivid and eye-opening, a rollicking, often madcap immersion into the game as it was, and the players who made it what it was. This re-issue of his classic book is a gift to readers. Sit back and time travel.”