Men in Green

April 1, 2015
A sportswriter embarks on a "legends tour" to discover the experiences of both the biggest and the uncelebrated names and contests in golf and capture those veteran players "as they actually are" today. In leisurely, detailed interviews, Sports Illustrated senior writer Bamberger (The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale, 2006, etc.) reveals the characters of the greats of the game and the contexts of their celebrated tournaments and achievements. Though he doesn't necessarily think things were better "back in the day," he admires how "in Arnold [Palmer]'s day, the Masters Tournament was charming and clubby and genteel." (Bamberger admits only in passing that "Augusta National is not a place where change comes quickly"; indeed, the guardians at that storied club, which was founded in 1932 and has hosted the Masters since 1934, didn't allow women as members until 2012, when former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore received membership.) The author clearly appreciates the members of the Greatest Generation and their "old-school, fly-straight, DIY values, golfing and otherwise," but he also recognizes the need for change. About the camaraderie among golfers in these exclusive, country-club environments, he cleverly writes, "golf is [a] book group for men." Though Bamberger is awestruck by his subjects-see the dozens of pages devoted to Arnold Palmer-and enamored with the game, his prose is thankfully straightforward and free of sanctimony or syrupy, romantic sentiments, and his interviews and game accounts are extensive without being tedious. This book about "old men and their war stories" is full of golf lore and will be a pleasure for fans and historians of the game, specifically the era between the 1950s and the 1970s.

April 1, 2015

Veteran Sports Illustrated writer Bamberger (This Golfing Life) had a bucket list of golf interviews. A sometime caddy, he was joined on the road with Mike Donald, a golf pro who got close to the sun with a near-win at the 1990 U.S. Open. The book has a somewhat misleading title, as it features conversations with a number of Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) luminaries such as Mickey Wright and Barbara Romack. There is also dialog with Hale Irwin, Curtis Strange, and several others both inside and outside the ropes. But the highlight is Arnold Palmer recounting his controversial win over Ken Venturi in the 1958 Masters Tournament. Bamberger does an exceptionally good job of presenting the various sides of the issue, including conversations with former United States Golf Association (USGA) president Sandy Tatum about the rule in question. (Palmer prevails.) Also noteworthy is Palmer's opinion on Tiger Woods's struggles since returning to the sport. VERDICT A fun read for those who have an interest in golf personalities from the 1950s to the early 2000s.

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