George Kirsch, author of the new book Golf in America, was interviewed by Sports Illustrated for its article on golf during the depression.

By the time the U.S. entered World War II, the New Deal had effectively marshaled the construction or renovation of about 600 municipal courses from Maine to California, opening what had been largely accepted as a patrician pursuit to more Americans of varied backgrounds than ever before.

It was an unprecedented endeavor that allowed golf to play a role in the nation’s economic recovery, in contrast to current Washington policy (below). It also helped change the nature and perception of the game across the land. Says sports historian George B. Kirsch, author of the new book Golf in America, “For golfers, the cloud of this great economic crisis contained a silver lining.”