Q&A With Adam Schupak, Part 2
/Here is the remainder of my email Q&A with Adam Schupak, author of Deane Beman: Golf's Driving Force.
Q: Beman righthand man Tim Finchem seems to be under-represented while many other Beman cohorts share all sorts of great memories and insights. Did you interview the current Commissioner?
AS: Finchem cooperated. He’s a busy man so at his request we spoke by phone. On each occasion, we ran over the allotted time. When I realized I hadn’t touched on his role in The Presidents Cup and some other topics, he squeezed me in and gave me some good details. Perhaps I didn’t direct quote him as much. I’m not sure he gave the most colorful quotes. He did tell me about the photo of the two of them on his office wall with Beman’s inscription, which I ended up using both in the book and as the inside-cover photo. And I sensed sincerity when Finchem told me he wished Beman had stayed longer and that he wasn’t lusting for the job. Finchem said he expected to have to go elsewhere to run a business.
If there was a disappointment, Finchem didn’t provide many recollections on grooves or the intimate details from the negotiations I hoped for from someone who served as the Tour’s point-person on that topic. Then again, he didn’t get where he is today by baring his soul to writers.
Q: Beman says he wouldn't have retired when he did had he known the governing bodies and tour would drop the ball on regulating distance. But wasn't he weakened by his decision to take on PING?
Beman already was moving forward to conduct additional research in grooves and golf balls after he settled with Ping. He felt he was in a stronger position because Ping had agreed to the terms of an equipment advisory board. Sure, there were more hoops to jump through, but as long as the Tour didn’t act in an arbitrary nature and convinced the independent group that a rule change should be mandated, the Tour had the authority to make its own rules. I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve been told that it would be much more difficult to prove an antitrust suit under such circumstances.
Q: How was he to work with and how did your interview sessions work?
He was a journalist’s dream in that he kept everything, and entrusted me with board minutes dating back to the Joe Dey era and his personal records. They provided me with the supporting documents that added depth to my reporting and detail to the narrative. As one of his former lieutenants said to me, Deane Beman doesn’t do anything halfway. He devoted himself to explaining his story, which sometimes meant repeating the same story several times, and the book is all the better for it.
Q: Where can we buy it?
“Deane Beman: Golf’s Driving Force,” is available at Amazon.com (See Geoff’s “Current Reading” for a direct link), the Kindle store, Golfsmart.com, and any club pros or off-course retailers who want to carry the book should contact The Booklegger.
