Customer Reviews

The Eternal Summer: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Hogan in 1960, Golf's Golden Year

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read a lot of golf books. This is one of my favorites, and I'm glad to see it's finally back in print--there are a lot of golfers I need to recommend this to. It's more just plain fun to read than almost any one I can name. One of golf's great years, and one of the sport's all-time great cast of characters: Hogan, past his prime at 48 but trying to win one more major; Arnie, the greatest golfer of the 50s, trying to win the Grand Slam; 20-year-old Nicklaus, the chunky college kid; and plenty of other characters, like the irascible Charlie Sifford, the first black player on the tour; the legendary Sam Snead; Chi Chi Rodriguez, who weighed 118 pounds; party animal Doug Sanders; Gary Player, the Man in Black from South Africa; and several others. Reading about these guys is just fascinating, they come alive in this book, and the story of how several of them could have and should have won the Open is one of the best in golf. Sampson has a breezy, highly readable style and has a good sense of humor. I highly recommend this book to any fan of golf.

Only on the fringe of my teenage years in 1960, Sampson marvelously chronicles this year in golf and society. Society we all know because of the revolution that was gaining momentum.

TV is growing and would play a major role in golf's history as well. Along with three individuals, Hogan, Palmer and Nicklaus.

The "y" in the road is the televised Open at Cherry Creek, when Palmer made the celebrated charge. Hogan tries but comes short, and Nicklaus, not knowing for sure his position, didn't really grind, or he likely would have tied. Palmer wins, the sport grows, and as fate seemed to dictate, the game is on the way to the marvelous heights we now see it occupy.

Reading this wonderful book, it gives one more insight and compassion into those early pioneers who made it what it is. Today's pros seemed so pampered, however, the stress is large and looming larger.

Sampson is articulate writer and delivers great insights: Hagen's saying to Sarazen before the shot heard round the world at Augusta: "Come on, hurry up, I've got a date tonight."; and Gary Player calls up Hogan for some advice on his swing, so Hogan asks, whose clubs do you play? When Player answers Dunlop, Hogan responds, "Ask Mr. Dunlop."

Empathy for those like Sampson who wrote passionately about the game and didn't really make a living, let alone get rich. Loved the story about Bob Drum being snubbed by his paper until they hear Palmer is leading The Open, then cable him to send a story. Upon receipt of telegram, Drum crumbles it into ball, and said: "Hope to hell you get it."

This is a must for any serious golf collection of books on the game.

THE ETERNAL SUMMER, the story of the hard-fought 1960 season. I was lucky to read MASTERS and SUMMER in that order. MASTERS is a slanted but colorful and enjoyable piece of work. I was pumped for more Sampson and got my wish. SUMMER is one of the best golf history books ever written, and I have read most of them; period. Leap at any opportunity to read SUMMER. It is a top-drawer treatment of 1960's events.

This is the story of events that happened 40 years ago to golfers retired or departed from this earth. Yet, with Curt Sampson's writing and story telling ability, it is as fresh and real as if it was last summer.

A good, good book.

In the age of Tiger, Phil, Sergio, Adam Scott and others, this is a book worth reading or re-reading in this or any other age.

Palmer, Nicklaus, Hogan, Snead, Demeret, Venturi, Souchak, singer/golfer Don Cherry and all the others of that place and time, here again, living, breathing, laughing, joking, competing as if it was yesterday.

An outstanding piece of work about an outstanding time in the sport of golf.

Very written book. I found this one of the best books on golf history that I have read.Very interesting for golfers and perhaps the non golfer.

Curt Sampson has ably resurrected the magic of golf in 1960, the famous year in which Palmer became King, Nicklaus loomed, and Hogan and Snead made last runs at majors. Reading this tale one is transported back to what seems to us nostalgically as a simpler time. For a golf nut it is so much fun to relive those dramatic events. I would have given this book 5 stars except John Feinstein has demonstrated what a 5-star golf book is really like (The Majors, A Good Walk Spoiled). Sampson does not quite write with the same level of detail and insight as Feinstein, and lapses a bit more into the rehashing of familiar stories, but he is still quite good.

Interesting subject matter about 3 of the game's greatest players. Talk about 3 vastly different personalities: Hogan, the obsessive perfectionist; Palmer, the charismatic king and Nicklaus, the cerebral greatest of them all. I had the pleasure of meeting Palmer about 15 years ago in Florida. Pretty genuine guy and a seriously strong handshake, like a vice.

I was so excited to read this book. It seemed like the perfect year to read about the drama of Ben Hogan's last hurrah, the beginning of the upstart Jack Nicklaus, and the coming of age of Palmer. Despite the obvious excitement of the topic, particularly the US Open, Curt Sampson does not due a good job of building the drama. I must compare it to Mark Frost's the Grand Slam. Obviously any golf fan knows that Jones accomplished his feat, but the sense of drama Frost unfolds had me on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, Sampson does not build the same sense of drama. He does a nice job of describing the way Hogan truly struggled to even strike a short putt, but even Arnie's drive of the green at Cherry Hills is anti-climactic. I did learn a few new facts about some of the protagonists, but I couldn't wait for this book to be over. If you are a golf nut, then go ahead and take a look, but don't expect the same drama that you will get out of any of Frost's books. I know I'll be looking for a different author when I pick up a biography of Hogan, since there are several to choose from.

Curt and I worked togehter back in the days when he was selling "widgets". He was always a great guy to work with, and it was a pleasure to finally read one of his many well written books. I had heard from the guys that his books were good, but just never took the time to experience it myself. What a joy it was to be able to look back and know all of the goings on behind the scenes, and to gain a better understanding of the larger than life personalities of the time. It was an easy read, and a very thorough and comprehensive piece of work. I can't wait to start reading "Hogan". Well done Curt !!!

If you love golf and its history, this is the book.
Curt Sampson is once again great and meticulous with the details.
He loves the games and its immortal characters.
This is a great golf history book.
The coming about of the greatest rivalry in golf between Palmer and Nicklaus is well detailed here. Ben Hogan, already the greatest golfer of his generation, seemed to be reaching out for his last glory.
It seems that the sport is no longer as elegant as it once was because the characters are no longer as heroic as they once were.
Highly recommended and a very good book to read over and over.