Book Description
From the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed The Greatest Game Ever Played comes The Grand Slam, a riveting, in-depth look at the life and times of golf icon Bobby Jones.In the wake of the stock market crash and the dawn of the Great Depression, a ray of light emerged from the world of sports in the summer of 1930. Bobby Jones, an amateur golfer who had already won nine of the seventeen major championships he'd entered during the last seven years, mounted his final campaign against the record books. In four months, he conquered the British Amateur Championship, the British Open, the United States Open, and finally the United States Amateur Championship, an achievement so extraordinary that writers dubbed it the Grand Slam.A natural, self-taught player, Jones made his debut at the U.S. Amateur Championship at the age of 14. But for the next seven years, Jones struggled in major championships, and not until he turned 21 in 1923 would he harness his immense talent.What the world didn't know was that throughout his playing career the intensely private Jones had longed to retreat from fame's glaring spotlight. While the press referred to him as "a golfing machine," the strain of competition exacted a ferocious toll on his physical and emotional well-being. During the season of the Slam he constantly battled exhaustion, nearly lost his life twice, and came perilously close to a total collapse. By the time he completed his unprecedented feat, Bobby Jones was the most famous man not only in golf, but in the history of American sports. Jones followed his crowning achievement with a shocking announcement: his retirement from the game at the age of 28. His abrupt disappearance from the public eye into a closely guarded private life helped create a mythological image of this hero from the Golden Age of sports that endures to this day.
Customer Reviews:
Not as good as "Greatest Game," but still a worthwhile read.......2007-07-22
Frost's follow-up effort to the outstanding "The Greatest Game Ever Played" - the movie adaptation of which will be released by Disney this fall - this meandering tale tracks the career of Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur golfer of all time, climaxing with his assault on the Grand Slam (back then, it was the US and British Open and Amateur titles) in 1930. After winning the Slam, Jones retired from tournament competition, at the age of 29. After reading Frost's harrowing account of his physical and mental anguish during the ordeal, you'll certain understand why.
Aesthetically, this book doesn't hold together nearly as well as "Greatest Game". Frost includes far too much "background" information (most of which is, quite honestly, common knowledge) about everything from the origins of World War I to the Scopes "Monkey Trial". The bits of early 20th-century lore than festooned the pages of "Greatest Game" were a welcome addition to the storyline, helping us to understand the time and place. Here, they are an annoying intrusion. Despite this unfortunate slip, Frost's prose is still enjoyable to read, and the story will be of interest to anyone who has an interest in the history of golf.
A good story of the life of Bobby Jones.......2007-05-14
Any golfer has heard about Bobby Jones, this book brings his life into focus for all of us. Bobby Jones played this game as an amateur and never was a professional golfer. He won many tournaments both here and in England as was able to afford this by the help of his father.
He was married and they lived with his parents as the many travels Bobby had to make playing golf, it made it handy for his family to be cared for. I was surprised that Bobby Jones had quite a temper and his language was not the best either. He tried to control this but he was such a prefectionist that whenever he made an error he let out his frustration this way.
This book covers all his winnings from a very young age until he won the Grand Slam with were all the big tournament in one year. A terrific feat that has not been done to this day. Until Tiger Woods did it but his was done covering from one year to the next.
If you love history and love golf, this book is worth the read.
Letta Meinen
A cherished read.......2006-09-10
By reading this book I began to admire Bobby Jones, not so much for his golf but for his character and his strength in making it to the end. It would have been a lot easier for him in a folklore sense if he had died young instead of being tortured with a crippling, painful disease that challenged him physically and was a test to him mentally and emotionally. I admire that he never hid himself away like so many famous people do that want to be remembered as they "were". I believe that this is the most admirable thing about him. That and his willingness to serve in WWII, landing on the same beach the day after D-Day. Not just a "for show" tour of duty. His devotion to his family, his country and his friends and his hometown are quite amazing. He is a role model in many ways that I don't even think of golf as one of them but for his tenaciousness, his intellect, his well roundedness and his extreme graciousness. He could have derailed many times but he never did in life. It's a loss that there isn't more to read about his life to know how he managed to adjust to everyday life and his illness, how he kept putting one foot in front of the other. The criticism seems unjust re: Chick Evans, Jones was very kind in all his correspondence to him which I have read in other books. Also, so much is made of his temper which he defends and explains in "Down the Fairway" by Jones, as not worse than any other player of the time and shortlived as a childish display that was never witnessed again at least publically for the rest of his life. Bobby Jones accomplished an amazing number of feats that most of us would feel proud to do even one of such as the many languages he spoke, the degrees, his many intellectual skills, a good family man and most of all his grace in a life.
Interesting insights on Jones.......2006-08-26
Most sports fans have heard that Jones won the Grand Slam, but few (including myself) realize the temper that Jones had or how the quest to win ate him up. Also the story of his later life was unknown to me as well.
Not just a golf story an excellent Historical Narrative .......2006-08-22
Historical Narrative in the spirit of Seabiscuit or Jeff or Michael Shaara's works. Excellent story interwoven with the characters, times, and actions that surrounded Bobby Jones.
Book Description
rancis Ouimet and Harry Vardon came from different worlds and different generations, but their passion for golf set them on parallel paths that would collide in the greatest match their sport had ever known. A young Massachusetts native, Francis was only three years removed from his youthful career as a lowly caddie. Harry was twice his age, the greatest British champion in history, and innovator of the modern grip and swing. Through exacting hard work, perseverance, and determination, Vardon had escaped a hopeless life of poverty; the unknown Ouimet dared to dream of following in his hero's footsteps. When the two men finally came together in their legendary battle at the 1913 U.S. Open, its heartstopping climax gave rise to the sport of golf as we know it today. Weaving the stories of Ouimet and Vardon as his narrative, Mark Frost creates a uniquely involving, intimate epic; equal parts sports biography, sweeping social history, and emotional human drama. Including historical photographs, The Greatest Game Ever Played is sure to be a must-read for millions of sports and history fans, and all who have ever dared to reach for their dreams.
Customer Reviews:
The best book I have read in many years.......2007-10-19
I recently started playing golf and picked up this book at the library after reading the reviews on Amazon. I read through this book in 5 days and had a hard time putting it down everynight. It is an amazingly well told story that will keep you always wanting to read more. Very inspirational. My favorite book I have read to date.
Great Gift of the Greatest Game.......2007-09-11
I bought this as a gift for my husband, who said it is one of the best books that he has ever read. He even described a greater understanding of the psychology of golf that will make the playing of it more enjoyable for him. I have rarely seen him so enthusiastic over a book, but I would say that you'd have to be a golf fan to read it.
Entertaining mix of fiction and nonfiction.......2007-08-17
This book was truly enjoyable and very hard to put down. It is a page turner that yields valuable insight into the birth of golf in Scotland, England, and America. This book contains many valuable facts that may be unknown to the casual sports fan like myself. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an entertaining read on the beginnings of golf and the inspirational story of underdog Francis Ouimet.
However, this book contains a lot of fiction. The "states of mind" of Vardon, Ouimet, Ray, Lord Northcliffe, etc. are pure speculation. Frost has definitely opted for an overdramatization of the story to give it wide appeal (and movie appeal) so it is difficult at times to distinguish facts from fiction. Purists and true golf buffs might be annoyed by the blatant largesse of Frost's fiction.
Nevertheless, the book is an easy and enjoyable read.
golf and loving it.......2007-07-24
I bought this book for my brother in law and he really doesn't read many books. He just usually reads the paper.
He open it up and read this book in one setting. He thought is was just about some person in past years and what his game was about. He found it informative entertaining at the same time. He has read this book at least 2 more times. If you love golf,
then you will love this book.
Not even a novice.......2007-07-06
I'm not a golfer. Not even a novice. The only golf experience I have is falling asleep on the couch as a little girl while my dad or grandpa watched yet another golf tournament. ChiChi Rodriguez was my favorite, and I am familiar with all the greats of the 1980s and a few of the ones from the 90s.
I started reading this book after watching the last quarter of the movie. I thought it would give me something to talk about with my dad. As it turned out, this was one of the most well-written biographies that I have ever read. It was captivating and extremely well written. Not only did I learn so much about golf, but also about the presidents at the time, the social climate, and even meteorology. Rather than being boring, the hole by hole commentary was actually fascinating! I still don't understand much about the different clubs, and I still don't know how to golf, but I have a greater appreciation for the sport that my father loves so much, and we DID have a great conversation about the book once I finished it. So, if you're not a golfer, but you want to be able to relate to the golfers in your life, I highly recommend that you read this fabulous book! I'm so glad I did!
Furthermore, I'd read ANYTHING written by Mark Frost!
Book Description
In the tradition of Seabiscuit, the riveting tale of twoproud Scotsmen who beat all comers to become the heroesof a golden age—the dawn of professional golf
Bringing to life golf's founding father and son, Tommy's Honor is a stirring tribute to two legendary players and a vivid evocation of their colorful, rip-roaring times.
The Morrises were towering figures in their day. Old Tom, born in 1821,began life as a nobody— he was the son of a weaver and a maid. But he was born in St. Andrews, Scotland, the cradle of golf, and the game was in his blood. He became the Champion Golfer of Scotland, a national hero who won tournaments (and huge bets) while his young son looked on. As "Keeper of the Green" at the town's ancient links, Tom deployed golf's first lawnmower and banished sheep from the fairways.
Then Young Tommy's career took off. Handsome Tommy Morris, the Tiger Woods of the nineteenth century, was a more daring player than his father. Soon he surpassed Old Tom and dominated the game. But just as he reached his peak—with spectators flocking to see him play— Tommy's life took a tragic turn, leading to his death at the age of twenty-four. That shock is at the heart of Tommy's Honor. It left Tom to pick up the pieces—to honor his son by keeping Tommy's memory alive.
Like the New York Times bestseller The Greatest Game Ever Played, Tommy's Honor is both fascinating history and a moving personal saga. Golfers will love it, but this book isn't only for golfers. It's for every son who has fought to escape a father's shadow and for every father who had guided a son toward manhood, then found it hard to let him go.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful piece of scholarship told beautifully.......2007-09-17
If I were to recommend a single book to read about the famous Morris family, it would be Kevin Cook's Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son. Many of us know the familiar history of these men - of Old Tom's falling out with famous ball maker and player Allan Robertson, and of Young Tom dying of a broken heart on Christmas Day. This book goes beyond that and reveals fascinating layers of their lives previously unexamined.
This work is a wonderfully crafted narrative along the lines of Mark Frost's The Greatest Game Ever Played. It draws on facts gleaned from numerous sources, including contemporary newspaper accounts, and creates a compelling story of father and son. We are taken inside their lives in equal measure. We can feel the cold water of St. Andrews Bay as Old Tom goes for his morning swim, we are inside Allan Robertson's kitchen as Tom makes feathery balls for him. We witness his big money matches, we move with Tom, wife Nancy and baby Tommy to Prestwick, we win Opens with him and then return to St. Andrews and follow Young Tom's ascendency to golf immortality.
The enduring impact Old Tom had as Keeper of the Green at St. Andrews and his lasting legacy on the game of golf is developed quite thoroughly. Cook even touches on the class differences between Tom and the men of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews he served. Old Tom is portrayed as a man with great dedication to his family and profession. Beyond that, he also possessed a steady, dignified grace. The following passages are illustrative of both Cook's scholarship and expressive style:
"For greens other than the one at the wet High Hole he used clay pipes as hole liners. The pipes, made in nearby Kincaple, happened to be four and a quarter inches in diameter. Due to a quirk of the Kincaple brickworks, four and a half inches became the standard diameter of the cup on every green. While Tom mended the course, his son hit balls. Tommy's swing would be imitated by a generation of golfers who saw themselves as his apostles."
"Watching his father kneel to tee up another man's ball set Tommy's teeth on edge. Tom, unbothered, said there was an art to making a sand tee just the right height for a golfer's swing, and applying a drop of spit to the back of the ball so that a few grains of sand stuck to it, adding backspin when it landed. There was no shame in kneeling, he said. Had not our Savior told his followers to render unto Caesar? After all, Tom said, it was not his immortal soul that bent, only his knee."
Cook's research is impressive and thorough, as he weaves together such diverse subjects as ball and club making with the development of the Old Course itself and the players who challenged the Morris's for golfing supremacy. This is done seamlessly and leaves the reader wanting to learn more about these wonderful characters.
Of special interest are new insights concerning Tommy's wife Margaret Drinnen, a "woman with a past," as the Victorian standards of the day would have labeled her. She bore an illegitimate child before moving to St. Andrews and marrying Young Tom. Less than a year later she died during childbirth, and Tommy tragically succumbed three months later of a pulmonary embolism. His early death has frozen in time our romanticized image of him.
Old Tom Morris carried on, survivor that he was. As he once said late in life, "I've had my troubles and my trials...and with the help of my God and of golf, I've gotten through somehow or another." His beloved wife Nancy, already an invalid, died just seventeen days after Tommy. Son Jack, who had been born with deformed legs, died in 1893; daughter Elizabeth passed away suddenly in 1898; and his son Jamie in 1906. Tom survived them all.
Cook has done a great service with this book. One can read Tulloch's Life of Tom Morris and come away with a better knowledge of the lives of Old and Young Tom, but it is a dry book written a century ago. Like David Joy's Scrapbook of Old Tom Morris (2001), Tommy's Honor offers a fresh look at a familiar subject.
Bob Furgeson, British Open champion (1880-82) once said that nerve, enthusiasm, and practice were the three essentials to succeed in golf. But to be great requires the gift. Tommy Morris had a gift for golf, and Kevin Cook has helped us understand the nature of that gift and the human and spiritual elements that fostered it.
Tommy's Honor.......2007-08-28
This work by Kevin Cook is the best historical golf book I have ever read. Cook brings the characters to life by providing personal insights he garnered through research of local newspapers and other articles he was able to find about Old Tom and and Young Tom Morris. It is a remarkable tale that reveals details about mid 19th century life and golf in Scotland in a way that has never been accomplished before.
I highly recommend the book to any and all readers who have an interest in the beginnings of the game of golf and its founding fathers.
Bringing Old Tom & Young Tom back to life.......2007-05-20
The mythology of St. Andrews and "Old" and "Young" Tom Morris is well known amongst most golfers with at least a passing interest in the game's history and historic figures. We know about Old Tom's innovations at St. Andrews (which was his second stop as a head greenskeeper and teacher, lasting 44 years) and Young Tom's British Open success (he won four straight championships), but it takes Kevin Cook's beautifully written account of their lives to help us really get to know them. This is a marvelous book, well-researched and well-told, about two men who had enormous impact on the game - not just at the birthplace of golf, but on its history. Reading it is a magical experience, even if you don't play the game.
Tom and Tommy Morris Come Alive Again.......2007-05-13
Kevin Cook's poignant biography of the Morrises brings Tom and Tommy alive for his readers. It's much more than a story of their lives. It's about fathers and sons, families, social classes, golf, and the birth of the touring golf professional.
Tom's story gives us a keen insight into golf and a golfer's life in the second half of the 19th century. Many aspects of golf have changed over the years and, surprisingly, many have remained exactly as they were 150 years ago.
The reason for the seemingly strange title is revealed in the final sentence of the book.
This book should be on every golfer's Best-Sellers list.
Early golf history comes to life! .......2007-05-13
If you're a golf history nut, or just interested in late 1800's-early 1900's, you'll love this book. If you just like to know more about the great game of golf, this is your book. Kevin Cook brings the world of St. Andrews and Scotland to life. You can just about smell the oil lamps burning on the streets or the low tide blowing in from the North Sea. Oh, and the history of Tom Morris and his son, Tommy, is just amazing. I felt like I was reading a novel but is was true! If you love golf or know someone that loves the game you must get this book. It's a classic.
Book Description
As The Legend of Bagger Vance has inspired a movie, it has also inspired a book about its two most famous charactersWalter Hagen and Bobby Jones. Stephen Lowes Sir Walter Mr. Jones is an amazingly detailed cradle-to-the-grave account of the lives and achievements of these two great players.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful biography of two great golf legends.......2004-09-09
Beautifully written and factual.
The author introduces us to the two most accomplished golfer of their era.
This book is for anyone who not only enjoys the game of golf but also its historical context.
Very good and enjoyable read.
Know what you're getting!.......2002-09-04
This is a serious work by a professor of history. It ISN'T filled with anecdotes ("And then Walter said to Bobby ..."), descriptions of shots ("Bobby then drilled a quail-high mashie between the towering pines ..."), gossip, swing analyses, etc. If this is what you're looking for, you'll be sorely disappointed. It's fairly dry -- make that extremely dry -- but is well-researched (hundreds of endnotes) and will be fascinating for anyone with an interest in the history of American golf. The format is a dual biography of Jones and Hagen in which their respective careers are compared and contrasted to give the reader an understanding of the rise of American golf in the era 1900-1930. The two men were so different in virtually every respect that this approach is very effective. Those who think golf began with Palmer, Nicklaus or Woods will gain an appreciation of what "gods" Jones and Hagen really were during the era in which they played. Hagen especially tends to be overlooked, but this book is an important reminder that he was one of the true greats of the game in addition to being one of its two or three all-time "characters." I didn't have the feeling that the author was particularly knowledgeable or avid about the game -- instead, this is a work of historical research, just as you or I might produce a history of badminton if we were willing to spend the time to do the research. When you're done, you won't "know" Bobby Jones as well as you'd know him if you read his and O. B. Keeler's own voluminous writings, and you won't be a fount of anecdotes, but you will have a solid grasp of Jones' and Hagen's place in history, how golf became an American obsession and how American golf eclipsed British golf. All of this for the price of a couple of dozen Top-Flite x-outs.
Great read.......2001-05-17
After reading this book, I found that Dr. Stephen Lowe really brings to life the lives of Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. This book is written in a descriptive oriented reading. Before reading this book, I found that golf was not much of a sport. I found that there is truly a rich history in golf that I have come to respect and want to learn more about. I applaud Dr. Lowe and hope to read future writings.
A Very Insightful Book!.......2001-05-10
A meticulously researched book, an asset to any avid golfers bookshelf.
All facts!.......2001-05-07
I was very disapointed in this book. It seemed more like a collection of facts than a insightful biography. I felt I learn little about the two man that I could not have found in a enclopedia.
Book Description
Was there ever a year in golf like 1960?
It was the year that the sport and its vivid personalities exploded on the consciousness of the nation, when the past, present, and future of the sport collided. Here was Arnold Palmer, the workingman's hero, "sweating, chain-smoking, shirt-tail flying"; Ben Hogan, the greatest player of the fifties, a perfectionist battling twin demons of age and nerves; and, making his big-time debut, a crew-cut college kid who seemed to have the makings of a champion: twenty-year-old Jack Nicklaus.
And of course, the rest: Ken Venturi, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Doug Sanders, Gary Player, and the many other colorful characters who chased around a little white ball--and a dream.
Would Palmer win the mythical Grand Slam of golf? Could Hogan win one more major tournament? Was Nicklaus the real thing? Even more than an intimate portrait of these men and their exciting times, The Eternal Summer is also an entertaining, perceptive, and hypnotically readable exploration of professional golf in America.
Customer Reviews:
GREAT GOLF STORY.......2005-08-31
If you love golf and its history, this is the book.
Curt Sampson is once again great and meticulous with the details.
He loves the games and its immortal characters.
This is a great golf history book.
The coming about of the greatest rivalry in golf between Palmer and Nicklaus is well detailed here. Ben Hogan, already the greatest golfer of his generation, seemed to be reaching out for his last glory.
It seems that the sport is no longer as elegant as it once was because the characters are no longer as heroic as they once were.
Highly recommended and a very good book to read over and over.
Down Golf's Nostalgia lane.......2001-09-03
Curt Sampson has ably resurrected the magic of golf in 1960, the famous year in which Palmer became King, Nicklaus loomed, and Hogan and Snead made last runs at majors. Reading this tale one is transported back to what seems to us nostalgically as a simpler time. For a golf nut it is so much fun to relive those dramatic events. I would have given this book 5 stars except John Feinstein has demonstrated what a 5-star golf book is really like (The Majors, A Good Walk Spoiled). Sampson does not quite write with the same level of detail and insight as Feinstein, and lapses a bit more into the rehashing of familiar stories, but he is still quite good.
Just A Great History of one of Golf's Turning Points.......2001-05-25
Only on the fringe of my teenage years in 1960, Sampson marvelously chronicles this year in golf and society. Society we all know because of the revolution that was gaining momentum.
TV is growing and would play a major role in golf's history as well. Along with three individuals, Hogan, Palmer and Nicklaus.
The "y" in the road is the televised Open at Cherry Creek, when Palmer made the celebrated charge. Hogan tries but comes short, and Nicklaus, not knowing for sure his position, didn't really grind, or he likely would have tied. Palmer wins, the sport grows, and as fate seemed to dictate, the game is on the way to the marvelous heights we now see it occupy.
Reading this wonderful book, it gives one more insight and compassion into those early pioneers who made it what it is. Today's pros seemed so pampered, however, the stress is large and looming larger.
Sampson is articulate writer and delivers great insights: Hagen's saying to Sarazen before the shot heard round the world at Augusta: "Come on, hurry up, I've got a date tonight."; and Gary Player calls up Hogan for some advice on his swing, so Hogan asks, whose clubs do you play? When Player answers Dunlop, Hogan responds, "Ask Mr. Dunlop."
Empathy for those like Sampson who wrote passionately about the game and didn't really make a living, let alone get rich. Loved the story about Bob Drum being snubbed by his paper until they hear Palmer is leading The Open, then cable him to send a story. Upon receipt of telegram, Drum crumbles it into ball, and said: "Hope to hell you get it."
This is a must for any serious golf collection of books on the game.
One of the greatest golf books ever, back in print........2000-10-12
I've read a lot of golf books. This is one of my favorites, and I'm glad to see it's finally back in print--there are a lot of golfers I need to recommend this to. It's more just plain fun to read than almost any one I can name. One of golf's great years, and one of the sport's all-time great cast of characters: Hogan, past his prime at 48 but trying to win one more major; Arnie, the greatest golfer of the 50s, trying to win the Grand Slam; 20-year-old Nicklaus, the chunky college kid; and plenty of other characters, like the irascible Charlie Sifford, the first black player on the tour; the legendary Sam Snead; Chi Chi Rodriguez, who weighed 118 pounds; party animal Doug Sanders; Gary Player, the Man in Black from South Africa; and several others. Reading about these guys is just fascinating, they come alive in this book, and the story of how several of them could have and should have won the Open is one of the best in golf. Sampson has a breezy, highly readable style and has a good sense of humor. I highly recommend this book to any fan of golf.
Amazon.com
Arguably, Ben Hogan was the most technically precise striker ever to hit a golf ball. Revered and feared throughout a marvelous career, he was his sport's most complexly dark personality, as well. This opulent coffee-table homage to the "Wee Ice Mon" combines the Spartan imagery of Alexander's photographs with a trio of perceptive essays by Dave Anderson, Ben Crenshaw, and Dan Jenkins to capture Hogan's rare, imperial essence and the powerful authority of his game with majesty, but without fawning.
Book Description
An album of collector quality photographs of an intensively private athlete playing at his prime.
Customer Reviews:
Be sure to understand what you are getting.......2000-04-26
Whether you find this book worth the money will depend on whether you think Ben Hogan was the God of Golf (or at least one member of the Trinity). It is a large-format book, and the quality of the photographs (all black-and white) is excellent. I believe they were all taken on the same day, when Hogan allowed Jules Alexander to accompany him. They pretty much just show Hogan at work on the course, and they do capture who he was. The accompanying comments and essays are interesting, but the photographs are the stars of the book. Just make sure you realize that you are getting a series of photographs taken on one day -- this isn't a retrospective of Hogan's career, and there are no swing sequences or anything like that. If you are a Hogan worshipper, however, this book is a must.
A must-have work for the Hogan fan.......1998-08-03
This book is appropriately titled. The photos are truly classic and do a wonderful job of portraying the on-course Hogan, particularly his steely focus and gorgeous swing. The accompanying text is solid. I most enjoyed Ken Venturi's comments which accompanied the photos, as well as Dan Jenkin's recounting of the man behind the mystique. I was somewhat disappointed that the photos are all from the late 50s, mostly from the same tournament. Yet, this is only a minor issue. Every true Hogan fan should add this work to his or her collection.
Book Description
Just in time for Father's Day and a new golf season, Classic Shots showcases the best 250 photographs of the sport from the 1920s to the present day, culled from the USGA's archive of more than half a million images. While some of these photos have appeared in print over the years, many have never been published before.
Among the many highlights are a single image showing the great Bob Jones' swing sequence... Payne Stewart's 1999 U.S. Open-winning putt at Pinehurst Country Club... Arnold Palmer's 1960 win at Cherry Hill... dramatic shots of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Michelle Wie, and other golf superstars. The photographs are organized into five geographic regions: Northeast, South, Mid-Continent, West, and International. Accompanying essays introduce each region, examining particular images and telling the stories behind them. An essay by New York Times columnist and best-selling author Thomas L. Friedman underscores the unique qualities of the game of golf and its enduring impact upon its players and fans.
From memorable moments of the game to casual portraits of legendary players, from striking landscapes of world-renowned courses to fascinating artifacts and memorabilia, Classic Shots is a unique visual treasure that will delight and inspire golfers of all ages.
Customer Reviews:
Your guy will love this...mine did!.......2007-07-24
I purchased this book as a Father's Day gift for my golfer husband. He loved it! Our golfer son came to visit and he loved it! National Geographic has produced an excellent product with this beautifully photographed and extremely well written volume. My husband placed it on our bookcase...face forward...it's that beautiful!
Book Description
Golf is a Scottish game. It has been played by the Scots for centuries, and Scotland is its spiritual and cultural home. This is a book devoted to one nation's devotion to a game of stick and ball which today casts its enchantment over the entire world. The beginnings of golf and its early development are shrouded in mystery and are part fact and part fable. The Scottish Golf Book separates one from the other as it traces the early history of golf to the multimillion-dollar, worldwide obsession it has become today. Images from the earliest days of Scottish photography recall titanic battles between the early superstars of the game, while the modern lens takes the reader on a spectacular and magical journey around the historic, the classic, and the hidden treasures of Scotland's finest courses.
Customer Reviews:
Very complete guide to golf in Scotland.......2002-02-27
I bought this book "on site" in Scotland in 2000. A really great book. I agree with the descriptions of the courses, at least the dozen of the I've played. A funny thing is that the chapter about scottish players, the players of the future does NOT include Paul Lawrie, who soon after the book was printed became the first Scot to win the Open for a long time. But despite that, the book is great. You will find all the inspiration you need here.
Book Description
Golf Greens offers a hands-on resource to the design, construction, and history of all types of golf greens.
* Provides highly illustratative coverage, with a sixteen-page, full-color section featuring shots of old and new greens, greens under construction, and newly finished greens.
* Provides guidelines for determining best construction methods--with special emphasis placed on site-specific concerns.
* Covers turfgrass selection with detailed information on artificial turf.
* Shows how design can be used to make greens fast or slow to match player and course expectations.
Customer Reviews:
A fellow golf course architect makes comments. .......2004-11-10
Mike Hurdzan's Golf Greens is not an easy read straight through from cover to cover because it is highly technical. But I did it and I'm glad. It searches the subject in far greater depth of detail and pictorially than anyone has ever done before. Great coverage! And it doesn't always simply "sell the conventional line". I learned lots from it, though before thought I was already pretty well experienced in this important matter. I recommend this book to all golf course developers, contractors, maintenance superintendents and other golf course architects for learning much more about golf greens.
Book Description
During the Golden Age of Sports in the 1920s, Walter Hagen was to golf what Babe Ruth was to baseball. The first professional golfer to make his living playing the game rather than teaching it, Hagen won eleven major professional tournaments over his long career -- two U.S. Opens, four British Opens, and five PGA Championships (including an amazing streak of four consecutive PGA wins) -- a record surpassed only by Jack Nicklaus. Hagen was also influential in helping to found the Ryder Cup and was the first American golfer to top $1 million in career earnings -- a figure equivalent to over $40 million today.
Award-winning sportswriter Tom Clavin has penned a thrilling biography that vividly recalls Hagen's dazzling achievements and the qualities that made him a star. Energetic, witty, and one of the best putters ever to walk the green, Hagen was a man who loved to party, was extraordinarily generous to his friends, and golfed the world over, giving exhibitions. He preferred to travel by limousine, and if he intended to stay awhile he'd bring a second limo just to transport his clothes, which were nothing but the finest. On his many trips across the Atlantic to compete in the Ryder Cup or British Open, Hagen was known to throw parties that lasted days, ending only when the ship reached the shore. He was also the first professional golfer to admit to playing not only for the love of the game, but also for the love of the winner's purse.
Walter Hagen, forerunner of today's sports superstars, is as dynamic a character as can be found in American sports history. Bringing Hagen to life with incredible detail and countless anecdotes, Sir Walter is the authoritative biography of the man who helped create professional golf as it's known today.
Customer Reviews:
You have to love Sir Walter.......2007-10-16
As a retired Naval Flyer, I thought I had lived a grand life thus far, but Walter is my new role model. Don't hurry, don't worry, we're only here for a short visit, so be sure to stop and smell the flowers along the way. While this book has some sad realities of just living life, he was so genuine, fun, and good at his craft that you can't help but put his flaws aside and join the ranks of innumerable professional golfers who have praised him for his vision, bravado, and realistically for expanding the ream of professional golfers and opening doors that previously were very closed. I bought a set of Walter Hagen clubs from Dicks Sporting goods and decided to delve a bit into this unknown fellow and what I got was a wonderful history lesson in golf, sportsmanship, business acumen, and how to enjoy life to the fullest.
Sir Walter, Out from the Shadow of St. Bob.......2005-08-21
This is a wonderful book, and an important American chronicle as well. Noted editor, journalist and golf writer Tom Clavin has gone where few have in the past, finally providing us with a stylish and authoritative biography of the great Walter Hagen, and of that man's lasting impact on the sport, both domestically and on the international stage. In doing so, Clavin has restored "The Haig" to his rightful place in the pantheon of golfing greats and as the true pioneer of American professional golf.
For anyone even remotely interested in the royal and ancient game, this book is a must and a joy. But for anyone who simply loves a good read, and one about a compelling personality-in other words, the type of sportsman who transcends his sport-this is also a book certainly worth the time and entertainment value.
Clearly, Clavin has a certain affection for this subject, but he also brings the cool eye of the practiced reporter to the tale, separating the caricature of "Sir Walter" from the reality, telling the man's story less as the tale of myth and exaggeration (which Hagen fully contributed to himself) that grew up around him, and is still filtered down to the present day by less talented and thorough writers.
Indeed, Hagen was perhaps the most colorful character ever to play the game at such a high level, and was certainly friendly with the most dynamic personalities and revelers of his era, such as Al Jolson and Babe Ruth. But he was also a fierce competitor and the frequent winner against a host of future Hall of Fame golfers, such as Ted Ray, J.H. Taylor, George Duncan, Chick Evans, Jock Hutchison, "Long" Jim Barnes, and of course, Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones.
The widely known image of Hagen as a womanizer and party animal, the famous stories of Hagen staggering onto the first tee from a limo in a rumpled tuxedo just in time to make his morning tee time, and of course, the essential spirit of the man who so famously said he didn't necessarily want to be a millionaire, but to live like one, are all here in Clavin's story. But they are also balanced with a more realistic account of how Hagen both enjoyed himself to the full, and yet also sometimes used his image to lull opponents into complacency, or actually hoodwink them. For the first time I know of, Clavin provides some evidence that Hagen did in fact occasionally get a good night's sleep before an important match, often poured his double whiskey into a flower pot when no one was looking, and, even more surprising, was a fiend about practicing his famous putting stroke.
The end result of this balanced reporting is that Hagen the man, and the golfer, are all the better for it. He emerges in Clavin's telling as a fuller and more sympathetic human being, though one hardly less compelling. In addition, we learn of the deep sorrows of his life, which included the heartbreaking loss of his favorite grandson, and of the day Hagen accidentally ran down a little boy with his car, which led to a lifelong hatred of driving. Imagine, the flamboyant Hagen, who rented Daimler limos at the British Open, and had often sported the latest wheels from Detroit, later becoming a nervous, doddering driver and passenger.
Hagen won 40 official PGA tournaments, including 11 professional majors (second only to Jack Nicklaus's 18) and four straight PGA championships (still a record) when that event was a grueling match play affair. Overall, Hagen won five PGA's, while also taking the U.S. Open twice, the British Open four times (the first native-born American to do so) and five Western Opens, when that event was widely considered a major. Hagen was also a stalwart on Ryder Cup teams for a decade, either as a player and/or captain. But the PGA's are what stand out. What further evidence is needed of how steely a competitor Hagen was, and how he ranks as the all-time master of the psychological game? Hagen won 22 straight 36-hole matches in that tournament over various years, and between 1921 and 1928, won 32 of 33.
Clavin should also be thanked for finally pulling "Sir Walter" out from the shadow cast down through the ages by Robert Tyre (Bobby) Jones, Jr., to whom Hagen often had to play second fiddle in the story of American golf. Of course, the "saintly" Jones supposedly played golf for love, rather than money, though Jones had the advantage of hailing from a secure, upper class background (his attorney father built a home alongside the famous East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta), whereas Hagen emerged from the hardscrabble life of a Rochester, N.Y. working class family. It should also be noted, as Clavin does in the first chapter of this book, when Jones and Hagen went head-to-head in an exhibition (Jones could not play in the PGA Championship since he retained his amateur status), Hagen thoroughly dusted his heavily favored opponent.
But the goodies don't stop with Hagen's story alone. This book is also a complete and fascinating chronicle of the early days of American golf, and how the present-day, multi-million dollar PGA Tour emerged from the almost single-handed efforts of Hagen. By sheer force of personality and dash, Hagen helped raised the status of early golf pros from near-servant level to the marquee stars they are today. Leaving a cushy job as a club pro in Michigan, Hagen hit the road, becoming the first American golfer to unabashedly play both for the love of the game, and the love of the money he could make with his considerable skills. Hagen also toured the planet, staging exhibitions and spreading the gospel of golf in Europe, Africa, Australia and Japan, while also lifting a few notes of currency from the natives who turned out in droves to see the famous man play. As Arnold Palmer, the other golfing great who emerged from humble origins to later reign as the "The King" in his era said at a banquet honoring Hagen: "If not for you, Walter, this dinner tonight would be downstairs in the pro shop, not in the ballroom."
Clavin also tells his story by treating us to interviews culled from some of Hagen's great contemporaries (in some cases among the last interviews with those legends) such as the late Gene Sarazen and Paul Runyon, along with appreciations from the Great Lord Byron Nelson, and perhaps the greatest of them all, Jack Nicklaus. Clavin also doesn't mind taking the occasional sidetrack if the telling of a rare anecdote is worth the time and delight to the reader. My favorite in this book concerns an early British amateur champion, who had often played at the famously difficult Prince's Golf Club (I know, since I've played it myself and lost a box of balls, along with two pros I was paired with!), which lies along the southern coast of England. During World War II, the golfer turned RAF pilot, was hit by German fire over the Continent and had to carefully nurse his Spitfire back over the Channel. Needing a sure place to land, he naturally steered toward fairways of Princes and brought down his craft near the 9th hole, though he ended up in the rough rather than the fairway. "I never could hit that fairway," he famously groused afterward. Another tale Clavin tells is of the American golfer who had calmed his nerves before a U.S. Open round with several drams of scotch, and then proceeded to butcher a 185-yard par 3 hole with a record score of 18.
What a delight! Sir Walter, we hardly knew ye...until now.
A Bigger than Life Man.......2005-03-23
There are a handful of sports players who come into a game and leave it quite differently than they found it. I'm not sure that Hagen could be considered the intentor of professional golf, but I am sure that he is a major contender for the title. It seems like a lot of people in the time between the world wars lived life that was bigger than life.
Walter Hagen, like his friend Babe Ruth, seemed to live life the way he wanted. As he said, he didn't want to be rich, he just wanted to live that way. And it seems that he did. Hard parties, triumph on the golf course the next day. Travel was by limousine with a second one for his clothes.
There was a darker side of course, two failed marriages, the death of his son by an accidental gunshot wound, and his own death from cancer - a legacy of 45 years of cigarette smoking.
Mr. Clavin has done a supurb job of bringing this man and his life to us.
The Original Sports Celebrity.......2005-02-25
Even if you are not a golfer, you will enjoy this biography which vividly portrays a man who pioneered the role of the celebrity sports star. The Tiger Woods of his time, Sir Walter Hagen brought attention to the sport of golf as well as himself. Clavin brings alive the era of the roaring twenties and breathes life into his subject with numerous anecdotes which make you feel like you were there on the green in the tie-breaker with Hagen himself. And for someone like me who doesn't know a lot about the history or specifics of the sport of golf, it proved educational on the fine points of the game. Hagen also emerges personally as a real dandy, and a larger than life social figure who always created excitment wherever he went. He sounds just like the type of guy you'd like to hang out with at the pub.
brilliant.......2005-02-23
More than a golf book for people who love golf. Seabiscuit, Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, and, especially, Sir Walter evoke a bygone era of both professional sports and American culture that will never be duplicated. Clavin captures the essence of that era like no other golf book, or sports book, for that matter, that I have ever read. More than anything, when I finished this delicious narrative, I wanted grab my clubs and run out to play a round with Hagen - and then hang out with him and his famous friends in the Nineteenth Hole.
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General
| Biographies
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
The Greatest Game Ever Played: A True Story
Sir Walter: Walter Hagen and the Invention of Professional Golf
Ben Hogan: An American Life
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius (Special Edition)
