No comments about I Remember Sam Snead: Memories and Anecdotes of Golf's Slammin' Sammy (I Remember Series).

5 comments about Jack Nicklaus.

1. This book provides Nicklaus's views on his championship golf and on relevant aspects of his thinking and life. Since Nicklaus is the greatest champion ever by a distance (for the time being), and it is his thinking that's credited by his peers and himself for much of his success, his exposition is interesting in itself and as something for golfers to learn from. So far so good. Unfortunately Nicklaus's book is let down by the ghostwriter, Ken Bowden, who is, frankly, a poor writer. There's little variation of tone or pace or, even, vocabulary. Accounts of Nicklaus's many incredibly exciting championship battles (e.g. vs. Hogan and Palmer at the US Open; vs. Miller and Weiskopf at the Masters; vs. Watson in the British Open; vs Ballesteros at the Masters) fail to capture the excitement of those great contests. A comparison of this book with Nicklaus's early autobiography with Herbert Warren Wind illustrate what a wonderful writer Wind was and what a positive difference a really good writer can make.



2. Certainly one of the leading sports figures of our times and beyond a doubt one of the best golfers of all times, this autobiography of Jack Nicklaus is both interesting and informative. Nicklaus, like Palmer, Jones, Player, et al, are a passing breed. Not only are they great atheletes, but they are gentlemen in every sense of the word. Mr. Nicklaus' approach to the game and to life reflects this at every turn. This is a work that can be enjoyed by both golfers and non-golfers equally. I have probably ran into better writers that Ken Bowden, but hey, he did an adequate job and certainly got Jack's story across. Enjoyed this one a lot and very much recommend it.



3. In fact, I have only very minor complaints about the book. One is that his "contributor", Bowden, uses some phrases ad nauseam. I don't know how many times we read that Jack finished the third round 3 shots "adrift" of the leader. Not trailing by three, or behind by three, but "adrift" by three. Using that term for variety is okay, but it's used to death. I think he's a golfer, not a sailor.

   Again, though, that's a minor distraction that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of reading about the greatest.




4. Jack Nicklaus' career is one of the greatest in all sports. Especially famous are his 18 major victories (20 if you count the US Amateur), and this book is a story about those victories, and his life in between. His book is divided into 20 chapters - one for each of those major victories, and in them he discusses the events which transpired before that particular tournament, and the tournament itself. What a natural yet perfect structure for a book like this!

   The best aspect of the book, I felt, was the immediacy with which Nicklaus writes. When you read this book you almost feel as if Nicklaus is talking to you, just yourself, at points.

   Each chapter talks about a particular tournament and what happened before it. Particularly amazing is the clarity with which Nicklaus can recall those tournaments he describes. He describes individual key holes, what was going through his mind, and the general up and downs which accompany a round of golf. After reading this book, we know Nicklaus is a champion: he can win not only when he's up, but also when he's (to some extent) down. Also, as an interesting side note, Nicklaus also gives a few golfing tips - perhaps no one can become as great as him, but it never hurts to try!

   And the last aspect of the book I found enjoyable were the photographs. True, they were black and white, but show how he changed over time, and chronicle some of the most memorable moments of his major career wins.

   You come away more convinced than ever of Nicklaus' greatness. A great book to read anywhere, anytime.




5. Insights into this champion and our time in golf will be read by the future generations through the Bear's eyes. Humble yet intense, this guy never quits. Especially enjoyed his sharing of what was going on inside with his famous finish at Turnberry in 1977. He's a guy you respect for his game and his person.

No comments about Seve Ballesteros: A Biography of Severiano Ballesteros.

5 comments about First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush.

1. I bought this book for my father-in-law but I enjoyed reading it when I visited him. Good for any golfer that likes to read, or for someone who enjoys presidential history. Most of the anecdotes have no quoted source, so who knows if they've been embellished, but that doesn't spoil the book.



2. I don't golf. Never did. Never will. I think golf is borrrring.... but, I bought this book for a guy who loves golfing. Absolutely loves it. He claims to be good at it. Well, he loved the book. He was laughing when he told me about how much he enjoyed it. I think he really appreciated getting the book, especially getting it from someone who doesn't know a thing about golf! I recommend this as a gift for anyone who golfs. Especially someone who would enjoy the history of the presidential golfers.



3. Author Van Natta, a New York Times correspondent and 100+ golfer, believes (like most golf-lovers everywhere) that you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about someone by watching him/her play golf. He takes it one step further, however, finding golf particularly revealing of a President's personality and values. "Nearly every person in a president's privileged life says yes...Only the golf course says no."

   Accumulating fascinating anecdotes from his research into the golf games of the Presidents, and combining these with his own experience as a reporter, which includes more than two years spent covering President Clinton, he shows how a President's golf game reflects the inner man. Fourteen of the last seventeen Presidents were golfers to one degree or another, and no reader, whether a golfer or not, will be disappointed in the unique insights and revealing anecdotes the author gives us of Presidents at leisure. What makes this book different from so many others, is that Van Natta is a real writer, carefully choosing his quotations (including on-course remarks), narrating anecdotes so that they have real climaxes, and emphasizing details that are so telling that no reader will fail to see parallels between the man's golf and his Presidential administration.

   Though JFK is adjudged the best player of the fourteen, with an "effortless swing," few citizens knew how addicted he was to the game, something he kept secret because, after Eisenhower's administration, golf was considered a political liability. (Ike left cleat marks in the floor leading from the Oval Office to the practice green outside his window.) Ike, JFK, FDR (who was a passionate golfer until he was stricken with polio at age 39), and Gerald Ford are considered the purists of the game, and none of them were ever caught lying about a score, using mulligans (extra shots off the tee), or tossing the ball out of the woods. Not surprisingly, Bill Clinton is considered among the White House's "most polished and prolific golf cheats." As one observer noted, "You don't have to subpoena Whitewater documents. Just watch him on the golf course." He elevated the mulligan to such a new level that it was referred to as a "billigan." Nixon, LBJ, and Warren G. Harding, were also considered cheats.

   With a final section devoted to the Bushes, father and son, Van Natta closes his analysis of Presidential golf games with particular panache, since the Bushes so often play together. The book is pure delight, providing a unique take on Presidents, who, on the golf course, face the same challenges as the rest of us, with some of them responding more gracefully to the challenges than others. Mary Whipple




4. I'm a classic golf widow who happened to pick this book up in the bookstore for my husband. He loved it. But, to my surprise, I loved it, too. I wound up learning a lot more about presidents, and what makes them tick, than I ever expected. It's a breezy, fun read, full of quirky surprises and amusing anecdotes. Rather than bore you with too much golf lingo, the book actually brings the game and the presidents to life without tumbling into cliches. I highly recommend it.



5. Interesting angle. Using the sport and game
   of golf as the foundation to add insights and discuss the Presidents who played it. Author Van Natta Jr. brought forth an original avenue to bring a topic that is commonly written about (presidents) to light. Golf, the ever-increasing mainstream sport to the American public, is no longer stereotyped (falsely) that it's an elitist sport to play. In "First Off The Tee," there are many interesting facts about the habits of some of the commanders-in-chiefs that hit the greens.

   Bill Clinton took so many mulligan's the author called
   them "Billigans." He scored himself in the low 80s, similar to his idol JFK, but he literally took over 200 swings. Clinton played loosely with the rules, at times bending them to conform to his ends. Can the phenomena of how a person plays golf be taken and applied to political and administrative behaviour? Psycho-social analysis? Perhaps a dissertation has started somewhere regarding this.

   One President drank booze while golfing during prohibition. He also gambled on a every game.

   John F. Kennedy was an avid golpher, and fairly decent one at that,
   getting scores in the low 80s. But he did keep the fact that he
   played the game secret from the public.

   Gerald Ford played amateur tourneys and pinged the
   bystanders in the crowd from time to time.

   The author played with the likes of Clinton and George W.
   Bush. G. W. Bush could play through 18 holes in an hour

   and a half, while Clinton took six hours. (He liked
   to talk a lot more.)

   In the past, Presidents didnt' want to be
   photographed on the greens. Today it's acceptable, and
   perhaps even expected.

   14 mini-biographies highlighting the lighter side of the Execs as men and the sport of golf. Very interesting.

No comments about Ben Hogan: The Man Behind The Mystique.

1 comments about The Walter Hagen Story: By The Haig, Himself (Rare Book Collections).

1. There is nothing more enjoyable than the history of the players of Golf and what a player Walter Hagen was!

5 comments about A Golfer's Life.

1. Biographies by old warriors and old jocks usually are just not that good. This one is different. I have followed Mr. Palmer's career from the start, and after reading this work, felt I knew him much better. It was pure Palmer. The book is well written, informative and actually rather inspiring. As I suspected, I could not find one line in the book to lead me to a different opinion, one I have held for years, that this is a true gentleman. Wish there were more like him in the world of sports today. On the other hand, as hinted at above, Mr. Palmer has been one of my "heros" since I was eight years old or so, so, in my eyes, he could do little wrong, including writing his autobiography. Recommend the read for anyone.



2. This is fine book about a man with deep principles that have continued to deepen and nourish his life. What a life! From golfing legend to aviator to business entrepeneur to course designer to philantropist to family man to cancer recoverer et al.

   One of the true heroes of our time. Growing up with this guy, we baby boomers need one like this to exude what it truly is about -- not the titles or record or such, but how one played the game and treated others.

   Such neat memories from AP's life: earning nickels hitting over the ditch for ladies when young; his detest for media's microscopic view; his leaving the French Open after being mistreated by the Frogs (guess things never change); his opinion of the PGA's historical problems; his committment to his word; his enjoyment of piloting immediately after tournament, whether win or lose.

   Guy is first class and leaves us with much to emulate and pass on. His family roots run deep and it's evident. Maybe influence some parents to such as well.

   More enjoyable read than assumed. This guy has given so much to the development of the sport we love. His views should not be lightly glanced over.




3. I have to give this five stars because Arnold Palmer is my all time, all time sports idol, but I think the writing could have been better. That is evident in the people who thought Arnie was not candid about his feelings on Jack. In numerous other accounts, those feelings are explored in depth, so if there is a problem in that regard it is a failing in the author, not in Arnie. Also, I disagree that he doesn't see Jack as the best of all time, because he's said that numerous times. If there was rancor there on Arnie's part, it was probably because he felt that in Jack's younger days he didn't respect the fans enough, which is probably why I sense some rancor in some of the things Arnie now says about Tiger. In any event, this is a purely classy guy, who deserves all the accolades he's gotten, and this book gives a good glimpse into his soul.



4. Palmer deserves his reputation as one of the most respected figures in professional sports. This book, with its down-home style is far above the mind-numbing blow-by-blow accounts of careers hardly justifying the ink and paper which clog the sports book shelves. For this, his collaborator, golf writer, James Dodson, must be due for a large share of credit. Arnold Palmer looks back over a fantastic career with no lack of humility, but with personal glimpses in sufficient depth to maintain the interest at all times. But more than this, Palmer gives fascinating insights to his business life and associations with the famous in other fields, from presidents to show business personalities, to his fellow-golfers over six decades, always making it clear that his first love is his family. Palmer may be a little old-fashioned in his outlook for some of today's readers and indeed the schmaltz might be a little thick at times, but this still rates as a sports book of excellent quality.



5. I was pleasantly surprised by this book, by its candor and by how well-written it was. It minimized many warts, but there is still some bite to it.

   Arnold Palmer defines what charisma is. Charisma has nothing to do with skill, he certainly was not the most skilled or accomplished golfer. His talent and achievements fall short of those of Nicklaus, Hogan and even Gary Player. Yet Palmer with his amazing charisma can arguably be considered the most important golfer in the last 50 years.

   A few years ago I was watching a Senior tournament. My wife came by and became enraptured by what was on. That was extremely odd, she usually does not watch golf. She asked me who the man on the screen was that was so fascinating. It was Arnold Palmer.

   The portraits that Palmer draws of his parents, especially of his father, are wonderful. His stories of growing up are wonderful and I feel a good sense of the man and his roots. And he spares no words in discussing the death of his best friend while he was at school at Wake Forest, a death he still somewhat blames himself.

   However, the story about the Ku Klux Klan meeting and his mother's reaction to it (live and let live) is rather naïve.

   Palmer brings up an interesting theory about his career, that his decision to stop smoking played a factor in it. Nicotine creates a dependency, physical and psychological, no doubt about it. Palmer feels that cigarettes helped him concentrate. But I admire him for not starting again, even if it cost him some strokes. So do his grandchildren and his fans, if he had not stopped, he would not be here today.

   Palmer talks about several people in the golf world at length. He speaks highly, yet evenhandedly, of Clifford Roberts and the Masters. I daresay that there are others who would not agree with that opinion.

   It is obvious that Arnold did not get along with Ben Hogan, but few people did. Hogan was a hard man and while Palmer speaks highly of Ben's skills, you can see that he did not like him personally.

   The section about Nicklaus is fascinating. There is a major rivalry in many ways between the two of them, there is no question about it. Palmer makes some very astute observations about their divergent styles and personalities.

   There is much greater kinship with Gary Player and the stories about Player are quite funny.

   People have tried to analyze Palmer's appeal for years. One of the ideas is that he comes across as a blue-collar worker in a rich man's sport. It was him that drew fans across income and class lines.

   To many people, Arnold Palmer is old-line establishment. He was a close friend of Eisenhower, and of Bob Hope. The book slows when he talks of the rich people he is friends with.

   In particular, I was repulsed by a golf course he built with an airstrip within, so one can land one's private plane and then tee off. Give me a break!

   And his apparent tolerance for many of the racist policies of the PGA is galling as well. Palmer could have done more to bring the PGA into the 20th Century. His decision to keep quiet and "work within the system" again shows naivity beyond belief.

   But Palmer has some wonderfully nice things to say about President Clinton, so he is even-handed.

   Palmer is not overly introspective, so he does not try analyzing his popularity very much. He does say that he loves to perform, to show off and entertain people. He talks of his joy the first time that happened.

   A section of Feinstein's "A Good Walk Spoiled" discusses Palmer from a fan's perspective and also from a fellow player's. It gives a different perspective on the man.

   Palmer has always been treated well by the press. But he deserves a lot of the credit himself. He tells a great story about Jim McKay getting all noisy and excited in the 1960 Masters and interrupting Palmer's concentration. Palmer could have snarled or been nasty. Instead, he just smiled and McKay realized what was going on. You can get more with the carrot...

   At the time this book was written, his wife Winnie had just been diagnosed with cancer. She is no longer with us and my heart aches for Mr. Palmer and his loss. Palmer also talks little of his own fight with cancer and the remarkable recovery he has made. Nor does he talk about all the money he has raised for research of prostate cancer.

   There is very little about his daughters as well, or his family life beyond his early married days.

   In an ESPN show, one of those daughters said on-camera that her dad loved being Arnold Palmer. There are countless people who can testify of how nice a man he is.

   Good book!

No comments about Tom Crow: King of Clubs.

5 comments about The Old Man and the Tee: How I Took Ten Strokes Off My Game and Learned to Love Golf All Over Again.

1. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is not a "how to book" about improving your game, though the author does delve into the mechanics of how he improves. To give away a bit of the book, you need to take a year off and really practice a whole lot, and make sure you get top notch instruction while you do it. Read the book to learn about the highs and lows of the author on his journey to his final destination, not as another golf mechanics manual.



2. This book should make you laugh and cry. A great read that moves along fast. In my case I had to slow myself down. I wanted to jump ahead to the final chapter to see what happened. Being a golfer I would have liked more details on the final round at Pebble Beach.
   All in all a very enjoyable book.



3. I'm a huge golfer, but not a big golf book reader. When I picked this book up I thought it would be boring, like most of the golf books. I was pleasantly surprised at how quick I was enthralled with the book and the humor in it. Not only funny, but I could really relate to this book and feel like I'm standing right next to him while he is telling the story. It is a great read and I recommend to give to the golfer in your life. It is truly a joy to read.



4. First of all, I enjoyed this book as a golfer. To be honest, I expected that when I bought it. But maybe even more, I enjoyed this book as a son and as a father. Mr. Pipkin has made my Christmas shopping easy this year; I'm giving his book to every guy I know who loves his golf and his father. Or his son, for that matter. And right now, I'm reading it all over again...



5. When it comes to instruction books and equipment, golfers will buy anything that lays claim to being able to improve their game. (See: Roy McAvoy, "Tin Cup".) Pipkin doesn't claim to improve his readers' games except by extension, since he tells us how he took 10 strokes off his own handicap in one year of concentrated lessons, practice, and travel to the great golf locations of three continents. Trouble is, who among us mere sloggers could cobble together such a year's schedule without the leverage of a decent reputation as a golf writer and the promise of a mention (or, in some cases, a paean) in a soon-to-be-published golf best seller?
   Pipkin is up front about the custom Calloways and the Ledbetter lessons he gets in return for singing the praises of these golfing ultimates, and somewhat less so for the 30-odd other product placements (not including all the courses)that jump off the pages in what pretty quickly becomes an off-putting kind of way. He generously shares the lesson tips he gets (why not - they cost him nothing) but the golfer who trys to digest, much less apply, all the instruction points will find himself or herself hopelessly muddled.
   Never mind all that. The book has some good golf stories and is, in large part, an instruction book with a lot of advice on what equipment can do, and if you're a golfer, you know what that means. Buy it.

1 comments about The New Encyclopedia of Golf: The Definitive Guide to the World of Golf--Courses, Champions, Characters, Traditions.

1. This is not a guide to technique, it is more of a reference book. This newly updated and expanded version also includes the latest international tournaments and elebrated names as well as new championship courses.
   
   I'll let you guess who's picture is on the first page.
   
   The Contents Include:
   
   The Early Game
   The Modern Game
   Championship Courses of the World
   The Hall of Fame
   Records and Reference
   
   If you want to know about the history of golf, where championships are held and who is famous in the game of golf, there is absolutely nothing like this book!
   
   Some of the great features include:
   
   Modern Club Design
   Women in Golf
   The evolution of the Golf Ball (Featheries and Gutties)
   How Clubs are manufactured
   Championship Records
   
   ~The Rebecca Review