The Charming Gentleman of the Game of Golf Book

Text by Phil Porter

Photography by Jennifer Wohletz

Cover art by Natalia Wohletz

Golf, Nonfiction, Coffee Table Book

ISBN: 978-8-9874235-0-9

Size

9" x 9"

Product Details

80 pages, hard cover, dust jacket, four color photographs 

Designed in Michigan.  Printed in Canada.

Description

Golf Professional Frank Dufina's legacy is entwined with the history of Wawashkamo Golf Club, which is an historic site embedded within an historic site, occupying the Battlefield of 1814 on Mackinac Island.  Dufina is the most enduring figure in Wawashkamo's long history.  He is a quiet and humble gentleman who spent his life caring for the course and its golfers. 

While Dufina's skill as a golfer and management of the course were significant and long-lasting, it was his proficiency as a teacher of the game that remains his enduring legacy.  This is the story of Frank's career and his impact as an instructor, along with the devotion to the game he passed on to his nephews, Phil and Jim, and grand-nephew, Dennis, who also became golf professionals.

This book is made possible by a generous donation from the Mackinac Island Community Foundation's Historic Battlefield at Wawashkamo Fund.

About the Author

Phil Porter was appointed Historian of Wawashkamo Golf Course ater retiring as director of Mackinac State Historic Parks in 2020.  A third-generation member of the club and board of directors, Phil has written several books about the history of Mackinac Island.  Phil and his wife, Valerie, reside on Mackinac Island in the summer and in Cheboygan, Michigan in the winter.

Review

"The life story of Frank Dufina further demonstrates why Wawashkamo is a treasured piece of the historic fabric of Mackinac Island and an important part of Michigan's sports history," says Steve Brisson, Director, Mackinac Island State Park Commission.

Giving Back

Natalia custom framed and donated the portrait of Frank Dufina featured on the cover for a charity auction.  The piece raised $6,000 for the Wawashkamo Golf Club Restoration Fund.