I’ve been fully engrossed with this great new book ever since it arrived a couple of day ago. Chris has really poured over his subject, examining, among other things, the strong faith of Perry Maxwell, his upbringing and family life, the personal setbacks and tragedy he overcome, his understated, gentlemanly manner, why he was so often overlooked in discussions pertaining to the greats of the Golden Age, plus an extensive review of many of his best and better-known courses. A look into Maxwell’s early banking career is touched on, as is his lifelong battle with poor health, before finally succumbing to cancer. Maxwell’s penchant for building template holes is fleshed out, and I enjoyed the way Maxwell’s son, Press, was interwoven throughout the text.
The Endmatter features a listing of all his known courses, both solo designs, plus collaborations. No doubt some unlisted courses became sacrificial lambs of the depression, while others simply were not documented. Golf lists are everywhere, so Chris may have felt subtle pressure to compile a list of Maxwell’s best holes. It makes fascinating reading, and CC is honest enough to admit that one of the biggest problems he faced in this task was the sheer even-ness among holes on many PM designs.
Credit must go to Chris for the thoroughness of his research, given that much of the PM legacy – document wise – was destroyed in a fire. Piecing things together must have led to many 1000s of discussions, be it letter, email or telephone.
Due to Chris’s own strong faith, it is no surprise that he chose to open his writing career with a close inspection of one of the more God-fearing golf architects of the era. If you like “nitty-gritty” this is the book for you!
Titled “The Midwest Associate: The Life and Work of Perry Duke Maxwell” I commend all GCA advocates to lend support to Chris and purchase this book. One bonus is the articulate Foreword penned by Mike DeVries, who had the good fortune to grow up working at Crystal Downs in northern Michigan, seeing the work of Maxwell first hand. Underpinning the rationale for people to buy this book is, to learn about a man who was not big on blowing his own trumpet. And should you purchase a copy, be forgiving of the quality of the imagery and scans. In truth, they are not fantastic, adequate, yes, but a writer/publisher can only work with the materials at their disposal. Sadly a great many artefacts (in excellent condition) were destroyed. Go beyond this fact and I promise you an outstanding journey tracing the path of Perry Maxwell.