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Above par books for golfers of all abilities
REVIEWS BY MARTIN BRADY It may seem on the surface like a laid-back, bucolic endeavor, but golf is a tough game that constantly defies even its finest practitioners. We've found five new books that capture the sport in a variety of modes: historical, personal, elegiacal. Glory of the game
By Howard Sounes Morrow, $25.95 352 pages, ISBN 0060513861
Personal stories
By James Dodson Doubleday, $27.50 416 pages, ISBN 0385503121
By John Feinstein Little, Brown, $25.95 320 pages, ISBN 0316777889
Places to play
By Bradley S. Klein Sports Publishing, $39.95 208 pages, ISBN 1582616051
Quotes from the pros
By Ron Cherney and Michael Arkush HarperResource, $19.95 224 pages, ISBN 0060562781
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Until the 1950s, golf remained a rather elitist game, played for relatively modest purses and equally modest media attention.
In The Wicked Game: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and the Story of Modern Golf,
Howard Sounes provides a rigorously well-written history of how that all changed. Arnold Palmer, says Sounes, is the guy chiefly
responsible for golf's high-profile, big-money modern ways, having captured a devoted fan following in the late '50s through dramatic
tournament wins and the projection of a common-man personality. Sounes shows how Jack Nicklaus built on Palmer's efforts and includes
a detailed account of the life and precocious achievements of Tiger Woods. Fascinating biographical material is mixed with sociocultural
analysis of golf's growing pains, in particular the hard-won fight for black golfers to gain access to exclusive events and major
money-making opportunities. Sounes also includes solid coverage of the sex-discrimination flap at the 2003 Masters. This is one of
the most important sports books in recent seasons.
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With its thorough research and unstinting personal and professional detail,
Ben Hogan: An American Life fills in the blanks of the life of one of America's most enigmatic and overachieving sportsmen.
Hogan (1912-1997) overcame childhood trauma—he saw his father commit suicide—to carve out a legacy as an unrelenting
shot-maker who set the standard for the later greats of modern golf. Author James Dodson probes Hogan's seemingly jinxed early career, his ascension to the pinnacle of his sport, his contentious relationship with the press, his remarkable comeback after a calamitous 1949 auto crash, and his sometimes difficult but devoted marriage.
In Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story, all-world sportswriter John Feinstein offers a tribute to pro caddy Bruce Edwards. Completed before Edwards' recent death from Lou Gehrig's disease, the book captures his easy persona and lifelong love of the game, focusing in particular on his 25-year association with Tom Watson, who, through the late '70s and early '80s, was probably golf's finest player.
Edited by sportswriter and former PGA Tour caddie Bradley S. Klein,
A Walk in the Park: Golfweek's Guide to America's Best Classic and Modern Golf Courses
features compact yet evocative course descriptions and coolly informative essays on broader architectural and design issues. Best of
all, there is a bevy of lustrous color photos that exploit the courses' singular vistas.
A few years ago, committed amateur golfer Ron Cherney and sportswriter Michael Arkush sent letters out to 200-plus pro golfers,
male and female, soliciting their feedback about their personal best individual shots in competition.
The result is My Greatest Shot: The Top Players Share Their Defining Golf Moments, which
compiles the responses of 80 pros, active or retired, including Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods, Watson, Billy Casper, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson,
Mickey Wright, Kathy Whitworth, Carol Mann and others. For each respondent, the authors provide a brief bio, career highlights and quotes on
the game and life in general.