5 comments about The Pro: Lessons About Golf and Life from My Father, Claude Harmon, Sr..

1. Little publicity gained from club pro, other than the infamous club pro's students who do good. These pros (male and female now) are true backbone of the sport, feeding the sport. In this case, Claude Harmon Jr. reflects on his father, famous club pro and player who wore the coveted Green Jacket.
   
   One clearly learns of life lessons Butch carried to his life and students from his father. Salient to his father's remarkable and here documented career is association with Henry Ford and Ben Hogan.
   
   There are many gleanings to take from this for golf, for life. Worth read which is personal and honest and passionate, reflecting the author.



2. The Pro; I though it was a very good read, It;s nice to know about others, and how they were able to get started.
   
   Playing lessons ;I did not carefor at all.



3. Excellent copy arrived in a timely fashion. A pleasure to do business with.



4. You don't need to be a golfer to enjoy this book. I'd been playing golf all of three weeks when this book was loaned to me. The title of the book is apt. The lessons indeed apply both to life and golf. A thoroughly enjoyable read!



5. There is way too much information about Tiger Woods in this book and not enough about Claude Harmon. Who cares whether Tiger did his first long TV interview on Oprah? So what if people clapped for Tiger in a restaurant in Vegas? Most people who haven't been living in a cave for the last ten years are aware of how great Tiger is and what a record he has amassed. I understand that a teacher is proud of his student, but I can read that stuff in Tiger's book. And Butch goes on far too long about how important it is for people to learn from as many sources as possible. It really sounds like Butch is mad or insecure about Tiger leaving him.
   On the positive side, there are a few good stories about Claude Harmon and some of the greats from his era.

3 comments about Jack Nicklaus: Simply the Best!.

1. I bought this book for my husband, he loves it. A great gift for a golf fan.
   He liked the stories about Jack Nicklaus not only a great golfer, a great dad and friend.



2. I have been a Jack Nicklaus fan for many years and was delighted to receive this book as a Christmas gift.
   
   However, I must say that my enjoyment was significantly diluted by the extremely poor editing that is apparent in several places throughout the book.
   
   Specifically:
   
   
   
   1) On page 40 in the blue box Thomas Bjorn's quote states "no matter where you go in the golfing word" when it clearly should be "world". Further this same quote has the same error in it on page 41. My daughter who is a teacher calls this a "spellcheck error". i.e. someone ran spellcheck but didn't read the text to see if it made sense.
   
   2) On page 188 the individual match results for the 1969 Ryder Cup for the afternoon singles on Day Three show that Miller Barber beat Maurice Bembridge but both players are shown as having won 1 point. Similarly for Gene Littler and Christy O'Connor. The day three totals, 8 points each, are correct but if you add up the individual points as they are shown in the table the GB team has 10 because these two points should be zeros.
   
   3) On page 233 the first sentence in the second paragraph says that "Jack won his sixth major" describing the 1975 PGA. If my math is correct it was his fourteenth major.
   
   4) Page 269 - the second sentence of the third paragraph says "with as a strong contingent of foreign players" - there should not be an "as". Another "spellcheck error".
   
   5) On page 317 in the results for 1999 the money shown as won for the Wendy's three tour challenge either has the comma in the wrong place or an extra zero depending upon whether the prize was $10,000 or $100,000.
   
   
   
   I realize this may be "nitpicking" but it is disappointing that a book memorializing the career of someone who in many ways was a driven perfectionist should be spoiled by these careless errors.



3. As a fan of Jack Nicklaus for some 30-odd years, this book is heavy, photo-filled and impressive. Vintage photos are perhaps the highlight, but the text is worthwhile as well when featuring authors such as Dan Jenkins, Herbert Warren Wind and other masters. Where the prose falls woefully short, I'm afraid, is in the summary of each of Jack's major titles and these pieces are the responsibility of Martin Davis, a writer who thinks so highly of himself that his photograph appears on the inside flap of the dustcover, rather than on the back as would happen with a more modest writer. Regardless of the event, Davis is content to simply piece together a few facts, often disregarding the main story that was present throughout a particular week.
   
   Finally, did I mention this book was big? Unnecessarily so but it follows a trend in publishing that says "bigger is better and thereby worth a premium price." Jack Nicklaus deserved a good deal more than this ambitious but disappointing effort.

3 comments about The Immortal Bobby: Bobby Jones and the Golden Age of Golf.

1. I have read a few books on Bobby Jones including his book Down the Fairway and this is definitely one of the better books about Jones. Well written with a different and interesting look at the life of Jones on and off the course. If you are an admirer of Bobby Jones this book is a must read and will make you admire and respect Jones more than ever before.



2. 
   Having heard about Bobby Jones since I started playing golf at age thirteen, and having attended many Masters tournaments, I was drawn quite naturally to this book.
   
   Rapoport serves as a keen biographer. While he praises Jones as the most gifted golfer of his era, he doesn't avoid including passages that show Bobby's warts. The book details Bobby's early temper tantrums, his longstanding feud with another leading amateur golfer, and how he missed opportunities to use his fame and good name to pave the way for racial transition in golf and in the Atlanta area.
   
   Even so, Jones comes across very positively in the way he handled his crippling illness that drove him from the game so early. In my judgment, his most heroic deeds happened when he clutched a wheelchair instead of a golf club.
   
   From the sporting angle, golfers will welcome the shot-by-shot replay of Bobby's most heralded victories. Also, the behind the scenes story of the Bobby Jones/Clifford Roberts relationship uncovers events known to only a few at the time.
   
   If you've never encountered Bobby Jones in print, this is a great place to start.
   
   The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication-change Your Life!



3. Ron Rapoport is a gifted and entertaining writer. His thorough research and effort to provide a detailed background in each chapter adds depth and interest that would be missing from a more straightforward sports story--without diminishing the excitement of the sports story itself. You will learn much about not only Bobby Jones and his life but also other golfers, Atlanta and other cities, England and Scotland, and American history as well. I thought this was a wonderful book and recommend it highly.

5 comments about One Magical Sunday: (But Winning Isn't Everything).

1. If you are a golf fan, this is a must read. My wife read it too and she doesn't even like golf but she loved it too. Great insights into Phil's personal life, family, and values. Definitely worth the read.



2. It was so good I got a audio copy for my husband.



3. This was a very personal book that brought you very close to the life of Phil Mickelson. When he describes his final round at the 04' Masters you feel like you were there with him every step of the way.



4. i find this book very good , iam a golf player and i think that every golf player will enjoyed to read this book , phil mickelson biography is very interesting for a golfer , phil teach : thinks can do when you work hard .



5. Excellent book. I am not a golfer, but admire Phil Mickelson because it has always seemed to me that he has his priorities straight. His wife and his children are uppermost in his list of what life means to him. Must confess that I merely skimmed the details of the hole to hole play in the Masters tournament being described since I had purchased the book to read about his personal life. However, my husband, who IS a golfer, very much enjoyed the "play by play" in addition to more information on the personal side of Phil. This is an athlete children can look up to and admire without parents fearing an ugly, hidden side. That simply doesn't exist in this athlete. I have always enjoyed watching him play; now I will enjoy those tournaments even more.

No comments about Tiger Woods (Biography (a & E)).

No comments about Jack Nicklaus: My Story.

5 comments about I Remember Ben Hogan: Personal Recollections and Revelations of Golf's Most Famous Legend From The People Who Knew Him Best.

1. The last two reviewers before me couldn't have read the same book I did. The whole point is that while Hogan is such a legendary figure inspiring tremendous curiosity, information about him has come out in bits and pieces over the years. There were dozens of tidbits in this book that were revelatory to me, and I'm someone who lived in Fort Worth many years while the reclusive Mr. Hogan was still alive. I found this book really good and informative, and full of new material. Based on its oral-history format, and the author's own admission in the introduction, this wasn't supposed to be an earthshaking biography full of dirt. Instead, it offers a lot of nifty snapshots about Hogan from people, a number of whom were his close freinds that, while not celebrities, had insights into Hogan's real life that "celebrities" who thought they knew him didn't. This book is definitely worth at least one read.



2. While I understand that any author that wants to write about The Hawk will have his work cut out for him, it seems that Towle took the path of least resistance. A couple of phone calls here, 5 minutes of editing there, and you're left with a book that tells you two things:

   1.) Hogan was a gruff but soft-on-the-inside guy.

   2.) Hogan got the yips later in life.

   Those who want to learn more than those two points would be better off avoiding this book.




3. there seems no in between. I have 800+ golf books and have read everything just about everything on Hogan. (What club did he REALLY hit at Merion in the famous photo?). Due to the negative reviews I didn't get to this one for a while. When I did, I truly enjoyed it. Is some info repeated? Sure. But this is mostly new, original and genuine investigation, not reguritation. If you are a golf and golf history BUFF I think you will enjoy. If not, pass and read the more current books. (a 2 iron.)



4. It's fascinating to me that a guy as reclusive as Hogan could command so much public adoration and curiosity. This is a book that offers a lot of neat stories about Hogan that I had never read. A bunch of people who knew Hogan, both well-known and not so well known, tell their stories about Hogan in their own words---in oral history form. I've read a couple of other books on the Hawk and those were nice reads in their own way as well. I read the other reviews on this page and don't understand why "clucas" called this a "duck hook." It isn't--it's not John Feinstein-caliber, but it's still worth the price. Sounds like some bitterness being expressed by clucas, probably someone who doesn't know anything what it takes to win at golf or can recognize good book writing.



5. I have read a lot about Ben Hogan but this was by far and away one of the best books I've read. I will read this again from time to time.

5 comments about Bury Me in a Pot Bunker.

1. Some think Pete Dye's golf courses are tricky or too hard. The courses Pete designs are built to be fair but punnishing for the right reasons. Played right, Pete's courses offer memorable rounds to the golfer. Now, it's not Pete who designs the course but a strong team of Pete, his wife Alice and his sons Perry and P.B. (architects in their own right) as well as the site managers and crews that are hired to do the building.

   You'll learn that Pete designs courses on a sheet of paper and this is where his skills lie - understanding the land offered for the course and knowing how the wind and terrain will match in creating a great experience. Courses like PGA West, TPC Stadium (Sawgrass), The Pete Dye Club, Harbour Town and many others are discussed. One chapter per course.

   Pete talks to you in this book. It's not an interview but it is presented as if Pete is telling you his life's story.

   For a golfer looking for lessons, these are a different kind of lesson - from the eyes of a designer (and historically gifted golfer too). You will play better golf after you read this.

   When you play a Pete Dye course, you'll remember Pete's words and how Alice was a main contributor to the design you're playing.




2. Having played several of Dye's famous layouts, you realize this guy knows the game and challenges all facets of your shotmaking abilities (or should I say streches them.) Enjoyed the organization by layout. Must seem like real chapters in his life. Great book from a great architect.



3. Books by golf architects tend to be on the dull side for most people. They don't tell you a story of their development as architects, or how their courses evolved during the design phase, but just seem to begin and end with "see, wasn't this brilliant?"
   
   Pete Dye is something of a mystery to many. His designs are "unique", which can be bad or good for most people. Where did his ideas come from? What influences him the most? What stories are behind his greatest feats?
   
   In this one book, we get pleanty of answers, all in a tale that feels like you are sitting down and listening to it as it is being told. Even golfers tend to think course architecture is a dull subject, but hopefully this will change a few minds. Architecture isn't some great mysterious practice. It is an art, and the artist is often times less seperated from us than we care to imagine.



4. You are going to love this book despite if you are a golf lover or not. It's the story of some of Pete Dye best golf courses described in a chapter base. Those who know Pete will enjoy the book since it is like talking to him in person because of the simplicity of the words chosen and the graphical description that he makes of how each course was conceived.
   
   The story of the famous island green 17th at the Stadium Course at TPC is one of a kind. I particularly enjoy the story of "Teeth of the Dog", a course that could hardly be replicated in history since it was practically built by hand decades ago at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. It is not only the best Golf Course in the Caribbean -according to Golf Digest and many other publications- but also the birthplace of golf in the DR at this enchanted destination. I consider this course as the "Prima Donna" of the Caribbean and one of the top 20 in any most play list. I hope that in a next edition he could also include one of his most recent courses "Dye Fore" also at this destination which I partially saw in the book Caribbean Architecture: Exclusive Designs by Gianfranco Fini in Marina Casa de Campo and has a breathtaking view all over the Chavon Cannon, the Casa de Campo Marina and, of course, the Caribbean Sea.
   
   Pete's book will help you understand why there is such connection between the player and his courses, how he makes it happened and best of all the anecdotes behind the creation of each one of them. This book is a keeper and it rating is 5 out 5 starts with any doubts. The pictures are touching; the text is like talking to Pete himself and; is a most for any golf aficionado.



5. Pete Dye has long been one of my favorite course designers and this book gave me some great insight into the mind of a master. I recommend this book to anyone who has played one of his courses and cursed Dye's name, it will make you appreciate all the design elements that you may have missed.

4 comments about Bernard Darwin On Golf (On).

1. I've long heard about the wonderful golfing essays of Bernard Darwin, the grandson of Charles Darwin, but I've never been able to find a collection. I have now. This excellent anthology covers the breadth of Darwin's long and honored career. It is filled with writing to be savored, and how fortunate we golfers are that there exists prose of such quality, heart, intelligence and wit on the game we love so much. Whether he's profiling great golfers he saw play like Bobby Jones, Frances Ouimet, and Ben Hogan, touring courses like St. Andrews, offering a strategic tip, or just weighing in on the small, seemingly insignificant things we all think about over a round -- like why can't the group ahead move faster, or when is this string of good shots I've just hit going to end -- Darwin's words are moving, funny, lyrical and insightful. I'm thrilled someone's finally put a book like this together. Having just finished the copy I bought for myself, I've purchased another three to hand out to the rest of my regular foursome before we tee off next weekend. This is a perfect addition to every golfer's library.



2. Jeff Silverman's compliation of Darwin stories is a must have for any library. Long one of the Game's more overlooked heroes, Darwin's legendary writing style spells out in great detail of golf's most definitive years, where the purity and passion ruled the Sport.



3. Bernard Darwin lived through, played in and wrote about the Golden Age of golf. Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Bob Jones, Glenna Collett, Joyce Wethered, Ben Hogan and beyond - he knew them all. He wrote about golf from the perspective of an accomplished player but all his stories are gems, whether about the immortals and the classic tournaments and matches or about the mere mortals who populate the game of golf. This is a wonderful selection of golf literature and I am indebted to Mr Darwin for creating it and to Mr Silverman for bringing it to us.



4. I bought this as a Christmas gift for my husband. He thinks it is very well written and is enjoying it a lot. He is an avid golfer, but was not familiar with Bernard Darwin.

5 comments about Ty and The Babe: Baseball's Fiercest Rivals: A Surprising Friendship and the 1941 Has-Beens Golf Championship.

1. Mr. Stanton's Ty and the Babe is well researched and a great read for any baseball fan interested in two of the sport's iconic figures. Of course I knew of Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth before reading this book, but I didn't know too much about their background and playing days. Not only did I learn about Ty and Babe, I also became more familiar with the long ball era and how baseball changed during these years that the two historic figures competed.
   
   Kevin Grammens



2. I have now read all of Tom Stanton's books, and I have enjoyed them all. I am one of many that had certain perceptions of Ty Cobb's character based on stereoptypical opinion of Cobb in recent years. But Stanton sets the record straight in allowing us to get to know a different Ty Cobb; one who is a great competitor, but no where near the "evil" man that he has been portrayed as. The Babe is as fun loving as ever in this book and it is a fun read. I would recommend it to baseball fans, and golf fans too!



3. This book was very interesting and informative and obviously well researched since the author is a baseball historian. It makes you feel as if you know the players and are living in their time period but it isn't the most enjoyable book I've ever read. You rarely smile or laugh, there's very little that's amusing even though these are two very colorfull and bigger than life characters so I felt the book could have been a little lighter. Also check out two of my favorites - The Teammates by David Halberstam and When Life Was Baseball Teams and Egg Creams by Craig Howard, the last one being much lighter and more about life in the time period than baseball itself. Good nostalgia though.



4. This is a strange little book. For one thing, it presents a far more positive picture of Ty Cobb than one often encounters. Second, golf becomes a key part of the relationship between two bitter antagonists--Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.
   
   Ty Cobb was an exemplar of the old fashioned "scientific" approach to baseball, bunts, stolen bases, sacrifices, etc. Babe Ruth was a harbinger of a new era--focusing on the home run.
   
   Cobb versus Ruth, while they were in the major leagues together, had a pretty negative relationship. Cobb had little respect for Ruth; Ruth despised Cobb.
   
   The book tells of their slowly evolving relationship, to the point where they expressed respect toward one another by the end of Cobb's career.
   
   Their rivalry took a turn after their respective retirements. Both became avid golfers. They took part in a series of golf matches, where there was much greater camaraderie than when they played baseball.
   
   The book chronicles that strange evolution in their relationship.
   
   There is a nice appendix, which chronicles those games in which they opposed one another. Interesting. . . .
   
   An offbeat little book that ends up humanizing Cobb.



5. An excellent resource for the Baseball fan, who is always looking for good books about the Legends of baseball.