The Masters : Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia
- Book Review,
by CURT SAMPSON
Amazon.com
Curt Sampson follows his exceptional biography of Ben Hogan with another sweeping exploration of one of golf's icier hearts: Augusta National and the powers behind the Masters. A combination of history, sociology, and good old sports writing, The Masters counterpoints a rich, white institution with the town surrounding it that is anything but. Ultimately, the book tells the story of a singular sporting experience--and the marvelous drama it has provided--that manages to succeed spectacularly despite the arrogance, dourness, and manipulations of the homogenous bastion that deigns to let the rest of the world intrude upon its exclusiveness for one week every April.
From Library Journal
Arguably the most prestigious event on the Professional Golfers Tour, the Masters imposes 13 specific qualifications a player must meet to be on the invitation list. Even then there is no guarantee that a golfer will be selected to participate. No wonder this competition is a who's who of the world's best golfers. Sampson, author of several books on golf (e.g., Hogan, Rutledge, 1996), has compiled an interesting study complete with bibliography and index. This portrait of the Masters, appropriately subtitled "gold, money, and power in Augusta," traces the tournament's history since 1933, revealing both the dramatic moments and the controversial secrets, most notably racismAcertainly a book to raise eyebrows at the Augusta National Golf Club. The members' code of silence and a tight control of the media have kept a lid on the club's less-than-flattering side. Golfing enthusiasts will enjoy the publication. Purchase where demand warrants.ALarry Robert Little, Penticton P.L., BCCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Jack Nicklaus may own six green jackets, but no one has captured the Masters like [Curt] Sampson."
--The (Baton Rouge) Advocate
"Sampson has put together a great story of a powerful institution."
--Austin.Citysearch.com
"[Curt Sampson's] fine new book, The Masters, is the only
way we mortals are ever going to gain entrée to the hallowed Augusta National Golf Club." --The Dallas Morning News
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Review
"Jack Nicklaus may own six green jackets, but no one has captured the Masters like [Curt] Sampson."
--The (Baton Rouge) Advocate
"Sampson has put together a great story of a powerful institution."
--Austin.Citysearch.com
"[Curt Sampson's] fine new book, The Masters, is the only
way we mortals are ever going to gain entrée to the hallowed Augusta National Golf Club." --The Dallas Morning News
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Book Description
The Masters golf tournament weaves a hypnotic spell. It is the toughest ticket in sports, with black-market tickets selling for $10,000 and more. Success at Augusta National breeds legends, while failure can overshadow even the most brilliant of careers. As it is the only major golf tournament to return to the same site year after year, much of the fascination is historical.
But as Curt Sampson, author of the bestselling Hogan, reveals in The Masters, a cold heart beats behind the warm antebellum faade of this famous Augusta course. And that heart belongs to the man who killed himself on the grounds two decades ago. Club and tournament founder Clifford Roberts, a New York stockbroker, still seems to run the place from his grave. Roberts, an elusive and reclusive figure, pulled the strings that made the Masters the greatest golf tournament in the world. His story--including his relationships with presidents, power brokers, and every golf champion from Bobby Jones to Arnold Palmer to Jack Nicklaus--has never been told. Until now.
No mere recitation of birdies, bogeys, and tourna-ment winners, The Masters is the intricate tale of the interplay among the town, the tournament, and the club. It is an amazing slice of history, taking us inside the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Augusta's most famous member. It is a look at how the new South coexists with the old South: the relationships between blacks and whites, between Southerners and North-erners, between rich and poor. It is a portrait of a tournament unlike any other as well as the town in which it lives and breathes--with such characters as James Brown, the Godfather of Soul; the great boxer Beau Jack; and Frank Stranahan, the playboy golfer and the only white pro ever banned from the tournament.
The Masters is a book that is certain to cause controversy yet will reinforce one's love for and dedication to the sport's greatest event. It is just as certain that The Masters will be the golf book of the year.
From the Inside Flap
The Masters golf tournament weaves a hypnotic spell. It is the toughest ticket in sports, with black-market tickets selling for $10,000 and more. Success at Augusta National breeds legends, while failure can overshadow even the most brilliant of careers. As it is the only major golf tournament to return to the same site year after year, much of the fascination is historical.
But as Curt Sampson, author of the bestselling Hogan, reveals in The Masters, a cold heart beats behind the warm antebellum façade of this famous Augusta course. And that heart belongs to the man who killed himself on the grounds two decades ago. Club and tournament founder Clifford Roberts, a New York stockbroker, still seems to run the place from his grave. Roberts, an elusive and reclusive figure, pulled the strings that made the Masters the greatest golf tournament in the world. His story--including his relationships with presidents, power brokers, and every golf champion from Bobby Jones to Arnold Palmer to Jack Nicklaus--has never been told. Until now.
No mere recitation of birdies, bogeys, and tourna-ment winners, The Masters is the intricate tale of the interplay among the town, the tournament, and the club. It is an amazing slice of history, taking us inside the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Augusta's most famous member. It is a look at how the new South coexists with the old South: the relationships between blacks and whites, between Southerners and North-erners, between rich and poor. It is a portrait of a tournament unlike any other as well as the town in which it lives and breathes--with such characters as James Brown, the Godfather of Soul; the great boxer Beau Jack; and Frank Stranahan, the playboy golfer and the only white pro ever banned from the tournament.
The Masters is a book that is certain to cause controversy yet will reinforce one's love for and dedication to the sport's greatest event. It is just as certain that The Masters will be the golf book of the year.
From the Back Cover
Praise for Hogan by Curt Sampson
"An exceptional book."
--Dan Jenkins
"Curt Sampson has dissected Ben Hogan and what he is about in further detail than anyone. This is a fascinating look at perhaps the most feared and revered golfer of all time."
--Ben Crenshaw
"A superb and insightful portrait of the most elusive and complex champion in golf history . . .
worth every damn cent you're asked for it."
--Guy Yokom, Golf Digest
"Rings true as a Hogan iron to the green."
--Sam Blair, Dallas Morning News
About the Author
Curt Sampson was a junior, amateur, and college golfer. He has written three other books: The Eternal Summer, Full Court Pressure, and Hogan.
Sampson lives in Ennis, Texas, with his wife and two children.
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