1 comments about I Remember Bobby Jones: Personal Memories of and Testimonials to Golf's Most Charismatic Grand Slam Champion, As Told by the People Who Knew Him (I Remember Series).

1. 
   This is one of several volumes in the Cumberland House "I Remember" series. Each is an anthology of reminiscences of those who personally knew the subject, in this instance one of the greatest golfers, Bobby Jones (March 17, 1902 - December 18, 1971). Mike Towle edited the material and contributed brief introductions to each of the five chapters. Although Jones had his flaws, imperfections, and failures, there was also much in his career as well as in his personal life that is commendable. Few other great athletes then or since have combined such a high level of sportsmanship with an equally high level of achievement in competition.
   
   For example, during the final playoff of the 1925 U.S. Open as he was preparing to hit the ball, his iron caused a slight movement of the ball. No one else nearby saw it. Nonetheless, Jones called a two-stroke penalty on himself and eventually lost the tournament by one stroke. When he was praised for his gesture, he replied, "You may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank." The United States Golf Association's annual sportsmanship award is named the "Bob Jones Award" in his honor. By the time he retired from competition at age 28, he had won five U.S. amateur championships and one British amateur championship as well as four U.S. Opens and one British Open. Of special note is the fact that, in 1930, he won what were then viewed as the four "majors" and this combination of victories is now referred to as the first "Grand Slam." He co-founded the Augusta National Golf Club and played in the Masters tournament it sponsored each year it was played (from 1934 until 1948) but, ironically, never won a tournament on the course he co-designed with Alistair MacKenzie.
   
   Here is a representative selection of brief excerpts from the narrative:
   
   Of all the greatest golfers who ever lived, why would Jones be an especially congenial as well as impressive companion during a round of golf? "One, Jones won his thirteen majors in an eight-year stretch before retiring at age twenty-eight; two, he could hit a ball more than three hundred yards with a hickory shaft; three, he loved playing with golfers of all abilities and giving advice when asked; four, he had a good sense of humor; five, he wore knickers; and six, he was well versed in the extracurricular activities of golf often found at the nineteenth hole. Jones was the whole package, and he certainly had to be a fascinating conversationalist with three college degrees under his belt and a law practice, to boot." (Mike Towle, Pages xi-xii)
   
   "One of the reasons for Jones's early retirement was the fact that he was inwardly high strung. So much that he regularly would lose ten to fifteen pounds during a championship. So much that his only form of relaxation was to ingest two stiff drinks and soak in a hot tub of water. When a championship was over he would burst into tears without provocation." (Ben Crenshaw, Page 36)
   
   "Nervousness? I was nervous going to the first tee in every round or every match I played in competition...My knees would be knocking, I was so unsure of what might happen on the first tee. I often wondered if people could see or hear them. If I had worn plus fours (a la Sarazen) they could not have seen them but they might have heard them. I think they were playing `Dixie' by the time I put the tee in the ground. After that first tee, it was done with." (Jones to John Doerr, CBS-TV executive, Pages 48-49)
   
   "The feel of the [Masters] tournament was premised on the fact that Booby Jones was there, as was Magnolia Avenue and a little clubhouse that was the center of everything that took place - just a nice little building. You were assigned a caddie and then you went to play. The course was a lot different then because of all the minor and major changes that they have made to it since. Jones was the master of ceremonies. There was already a nostalgia build in to the tournament because the name Jones was so big. That helped get it started. Then add to the fact Clifford Roberts [co-founder of Augusta National Golf Club] was such a perfectionist." (Byron Nelson, Page 71)
   
   "One thing about Jones was that he would let his clubs do his talking for him. But he was not a great, outgoing figure like a Walter Hagen or a Sam Snead. He was a quiet, gentlemanly Southern player. But I understand that as a youngster he had been a brat. He was so good at such a young age that, so I've been told, during one of his matches Bobby threw his tam -o'-shanter (golf cap) down and stomped on it. And some great British professional he was playing with pushed him aside and said, `Young man, why don't you let me do that. I can do a much better job of it.' And he tore the cap all to pieces and I think it was because of that incident that Jones never threw any tantrums on the golf course again. During his playing days as a grownup, Jones emerged as the epitome of sportsmanship." (Paul Runyan, Pages 128-129)
   
   In 1948, Jones was diagnosed with syringomyelia, a disorder during which a cyst forms within the spinal cord. It expands and elongates over time, destroying the center of the cord. For about the last 20 years of his life, he suffered progressively more severe pain as well as paralysis that eventually restricted him to a wheelchair. "Twice I had the thrill of having Jones ask me to lend him my good right arm. The first time was at the funeral of his good friend, Grantland Rice. Bob was an honorary pallbearer, one of many. He had come to New York for the funeral, even though his crippling illness already hindered his walk unattended. That he asked my help in walking up the aisle thrilled me." (Doerr, Pages 163-164)
   
   Of course, it is impossible to know how successful Jones would be if he were competing today, and with today's equipment, nor is it possible to know how well Tiger Woods would have played if he were competing in the 1920's and 1930's. My guess (only a guess) is that great athletes such as they would be successful in any era, if not dominant. That said, wouldn't it be a special treat for those of us who love golf to see them in the last twosome, teeing off in the final round of the Masters tournament?
   
   Those interested in a more comprehensive discussion of Jones's life and career are encouraged to check out Ron Rapoport's The Immortal Bobby: Bobby Jones and the Golden Age of Golf, Mark Frost's The Grand Slam: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf, Rand Jerris' Golf's Golden Age: Bobby Jones and the Legendary Players of the 10's, 20's and 30's, and Bobby Jones on Golf by Robert Tyre Jones.

No comments about Michael & Me: Our Gambling Addiction... My Cry for Help (Michael & Me).

1 comments about Thirty Years of Championship Golf.

1. This is such an enjoyable read, which reads much like what one would think after hearing Gene do the color on Shell's Wonderful World of Golf.

   There is just one delightful story after another about Sarazen's life in golf, which began as many others did of his day in caddying. He didn't come from country club family. Italian immigrants, he changed his name"Saraceni" eventually to Sarazen. Great story about initial caddy experience, where he didn't even know about the tee (which the caddy was supposed to take care of.)

   From his infamous double eage at Augusta to his touching story with the elderly caddy Daniels and their win at The British, this book is jammed packed with golf told through the eyes of a man who played alongside the like of Vardon, Cotton, Armour, Snead, Hogan and Hagen, among others.

   What a fascinating insight into not only this wonderful champion and his life and development, but the development of the game so many of us receive such great enjoyment from ourselves.

   Golfing lost a true champion when Gene departed several years ago. Classy man.

1 comments about Triumphant Journey: The Saga of Bobby Jones and the Grand Slam of Golf.

1. This is the story of the Grand Slam in Golf (US Amateur, US Open, British Amateur, and British Open) and the only golfer to ever win it. The Modern Slam ( Masters, US Open, British Open, and US PGA ) was conceived by the press when becomeing a pro golfer became an honerable profession and amateur golf went by the wayside. The story of Bobby Jones' 1930 Grand Slam is more exiting than any modern day golf story. Jones, who quit the competive game at 28 with 13 major championships is the greatest golfer who ever lived. Tiger is really chasing Jones not Nicklaus.

1 comments about Playing Partners: A Father, a Son and Their Shared Passion for Golf.

1. For those of us who love golf and have children,George Peper's book, Playing Partners, is a must read. Golf, like children, is a life time endeavor, sometimes rewarding, often frustrating but deeply enjoyable. This book captures all the subtleties of these parallel pursuits and shows that there is no magic formula for success, just hard work and practice.

No comments about Tiger Woods (World's Greatest Athletes).

1 comments about A Game Of Golf.

1. I found the book very interesting overall. There are some parts that drag on but all in all a neat book. It tells the details of a great golfer Francis Ouimet. It was written in the 1930s and I am sure some of the details have been sugar coated but if a person like history and likes golf you will like this book!

5 comments about Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Sport and Society).

1. Cayleff has thoroughly researched and documented Babe's life and times. She conducted extensive interviews with surviving members of Babe's family, friends, and partner (Betty Dodd). Cayleff also incorporated massive amounts of journalistic accounts--sports writers, magazines accounts, etc. This is not a fluff biography--the book will teach you about what it meant to be a woman in Babe's time, what it meant to be a female athlete, and how Babe managed--and manipulated--these things. Babe fans will learn more about her, and scholars will be able to follow up on Cayleff's work through her extensive endnotes. This is the first book to tell of Babe's relationship with Betty Dodd, but Cayleff does not label it "lesbian." That is because Babe herself never did. Remember that this was the 1950s. They were life partners, spouses. The loved each other. Cayleff's book is important for bringing this relationship to light, as well as many other hidden realities of Didrikson's life--her heroism as an "out" cancer patient (when it was taboo to talk about it), as well as how Babe manipulated the press. As dozens of published book review has stated (see quotes above at this cite), this is absolutely THE most extensive research ever done on Babe. I've seen rave reviews of the book in SOJOURNER, WEST COAST WOMAN, WOMEN'S REVIEW OF BOOKS, and SPORTS HISTORY REVIEW, among many others.



2. As a former student of Dr. Susan Cayleff, I found the book to be a wonderful and informative read. Knowing Dr. Cayleff and her constant search for truth and knowledge of women and their accomplishments, this book is one more testament to her thoroughness, her brilliance as an academic, and the passions that she imbues in her students - - the fire of wanting to know more about women,who and what they are, who and what they have been, and who and what they can become. Anything that Dr. Cayleff writes stands as witness to her intellect, her love of the written word, and her desire to spread the joyous news of women's feats and accomplishments. Is it any wonder that this book was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize? Keep them coming Susan. The next one will be terrific too, after all, I had the opportunity to be one of your research assistants for the next book. Thank you for all of it, the books, the awareness that you instilled and inspired in so many of your students and readers, for your caring about humanity in general, and women in particular.



3. Since I am from Beaumont, Texas (South Park) and a fan of the BABE, I found the book a very interesting read. I was unaware of the Babe's relationship with Betty Dodd; however, I feel that an individual's sexual life is their own business. I can't help but wonder how the author could have been sure of their special relationship without ever being in the same bedroom with them??? Changing her colostomy bag is hardly a sexual act, but the type of action from a nurse, close relative or friend.



4. Amazing champion this lady was. Her accomplishments in a short life are dazzling. Like many others naturally gifted with athleticism and a burning desire to compete and win, Babe did just that.

   This is well written, but suffers from my own perspective with an underlying desire to document how cruel and unmodern Babe's cultural times were to not allow lesbian relationships to be openly exposed and women to be subjected to conformity.

   We live in just the reversal, where abnormality shines brightly as acceptable or even desirable, and where has this sexual revolution gotten our society?

   Babe loved the game of golf, and my interest was primarily in this achievement area of her career. She should deserve more recognition as one of the game's truly greats!




5. THis is one of the best sports biographies I have read.Its very well written, very unbiased,sensitive and portrays an accurate picture of this amazing human being. Its also a fun read and reveals a side of the Babe,her pranks,egocentric often annoying style, that few knew.In my mind she surely was the greatest woman,s athlete and this book truly does her justice.You won,t be disappointed

5 comments about Stalking the Shark: Pressure & Passion on the Pro Golf Tour.

1. This look at Greg Norman tells those who think he chokes in the big ones something they have not perhaps thought of. The reason Greg Norman has lost so many tournaments in the final round or final hole is because he is in contention on more of them than anyone else. A good look at the fiercest competitor in golf since Arnold Palmer.



2. Terrible! Time would have been much better spent re-reading "A Good Walk Spoiled".



3. Carl Vigeland has done a great job showing the reader what makes the Shark so dangerous on the course and so interesting off the course. Well written and very enjoyable reading



4. Ever wonder who is the biggest choker in the history of sport? Then you have found your answer with Greg Norman. Years of rumors about Norman's off the course problems are not even touched in this book. Instead it is PR. Don't bother with this book. Buy something about Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer or other great golfers who did not throw their talent away by indulging off the course activity.



5. Decent read although it became boring at times and the author tends to jump around alot. If you are a golf fan or an avid golfer you will find the book interesting. Poorly edited with some blatant errors such as describing a typical par 72 course as consisting of "four par threes, four par fives, and twelve par fours". With that the author seemed to lose some credibility and made me wonder how he gathered the tidbits of information and dialogue supplied throughout the book.

1 comments about The Way of an Eagle.

1. I found out about "The Way of an Eagle" through the International Golf Association awards (it was a finalist for book of the year), or I never would have heard of it. Not only does it have highly personal, high revealing interviews with top golfers like Tom Lehman, Paul Azinger, Betsy King, and about 40 others, it includes VERY helpful golfing tips from each touring professional. Includes interviews with Senior and Women's tour golfers as well. Interesting introduction by Byron Nelson, of all people. If you've got a golfer in your family who has ANY religious faith, he or she'd love this book. Good-looking photographs, too. Nice father's day gift.