epic research journey in Marathon golf wager

The tale follows the exploits and misadventures of 32-year-old James Smith "Smitty" Ferebee, a Chicago stockbroker who efforts to win a bet with a business partner by playing 600 holes of golf over four consecutive days in eight cities, starting in La and finishing in Ny.

At stake was $100,000 and also the deed to 296 acres of land along Broad Bay as to what is now Virginia Beach.

Ferebee lay out by foot (there was no electric golf carts in those days) and plane (on an American Airlines DC-3 supplied by air-conditioning magnate Reuben Trane) to break into his way into the headlines and newsreels and onto national radio programs.

It had been the era of flag-pole sitting and marathon dances. But nobody had tried Ferebee's cross-country challenge of walking and playing 182 miles of fairways and greens in so little  Mizuno JPX-800 Irons time. Blisters, a turned ankle, bad weather and a sleep disorders conspired to complicate his adventure.

The author's trek through this obscure chapter in golf history was, somewhat, a lot more grueling.

"Now which i think it over, it absolutely was exhausting," said Ducibella, who will sign books from three in order to 5 p.m. Saturday at Prince Books in downtown Norfolk. "But every time I found something - another small bit of the puzzle - it absolutely was exhilarating for me personally."

Many readers will remember "Duce" from his 27 years at The Virginian-Pilot. He covered the Washington Redskins for 25 years, but his friends always knew that they had a soft location for golf.

Ducibella's debut book in 2000, "Par Excellence: A Celebration of Virginia Golf," whet his appetite. Before retiring in the paper in 2008, he soon started trying to find another project.

Because just about one of the marathon participants - Ferebee's teenage caddie - were dead, Ducibella spent months on genealogy websites seeking descendents in the major players. His attempts at research often landed him inside a sand trap.

"It was frequently frustrating," he explained. "I thought the storyline was good coupled with never been told. Movies would Mizuno MX-1000 irons come out about these mythical golf matches, such as the movie about Bagger Vance, which never happened. And I get a real story."

Fortunately, Ferebee, though merely a 10 handicap golfer, was obviously a world-class self-promoter. As outlined by Ducibella, "He clipped every newspaper article that included his name."

After his death in 1988, Ferebee's widow sent them all to VMI, where he'd been trainees. Ducibella found discount golf clubs them in boxes inside the basement of the school library. They had never been touched.

"I ought to question the of an guy who saves every scrap of paper that ever mentions his name," Ducibella said. "But it was a treasure chest."

Ferebee "had tremendous endurance," said Ducibella, who is now a web site writer on the College of William and Mary. "He was obviously a real freak of nature. Who the hell can walk 182 miles in four days, plus play golf?"