Extraordinary Praise for Golf's Greatest Eighteen
"This is a wonderful tribute to the finest players from all eras." -- Jack Nicklaus
"This is a most interesting book, embodying the talents of so many of golf's finest writers...a wonderful concept of David Mackintosh. I am pleased to be included in it." -- Arnold Palmer
Top sportswriters debate which player is king among golf's champions
Who really is the greatest golfer of all time? In clubhouses around the world the heated debate continues: If the finest men ever to play the game were brought back to this moment in time, playing on modern-day, manicured courses, equipped with the latest aerodynamic golf balls and rocket-shafted titanium clubs, who would triumph as the champion of champions?
In this fascinating reader, eighteen of the world's most acclaimed golf writers take on golf's most intriguing discussion, each writing about a specific player. Every chapter offers a unique and insightful essay, vividly capturing the eighteen top golfers of modern history at the pinnacle of their game, as well as the distinctive spirit of greatness each brought to the arena.
Golf magazine's James Dodson writes eloquently of Sam Snead in Southern hillbilly vernacular. Veteran sportswriter and long-time friend of Jack Nicklaus Kaye Kessler provides the ultimate inside track on the Golden Bear. Jaime Diaz, senior writer for Golf Digest, splendidly captures the determination and discipline of perfectionist Ben Hogan. And sports journalist Tom Auclair goes above and beyond with golf's latest phenomenon, Tiger Woods. These are just a few of the captivating essays you'll find in this compendium of golfing lore.
Celebrated golf writer David Mackintosh then describes the evolution of prize money in golf and his search for an unbiased method of comparing the greatest players in the modern age of the game. Using a "New Money" model, Mackintosh is able to establish the present-day values of all past tournaments and construct a comprehensive analysis of the entire career records of our eighteen greatest champions. This mathematically sound basis of evaluation and comparison puts "Golf's Greatest Eighteen" on the same course, playing for the same prize money, to determine the most prolific championship winners of all time.
A year-by-year all-time "New Money" analysis appears at the end of each essay, so now you can realistically compare the earnings of such legends as Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen with those of modern-day champions. With each player's complete career translated into current times, Mackintosh's fascinating analysis of the best golfers in history allows you to decide who indeed is the greatest golfer of all time.
"It would be wonderful to be able to bring back Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, and Walter Hagen, playing with modern equipment on today's beautifully manicured courses against Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer in their prime or today's Tiger Woods. Even the contributors to this anthology cannot conjure up that miracle. This book, however, is the most realistic level playing field ever constructed."
--from the Introduction
Armed with a veritable who's who of top golf journalists, Golf's Greatest Eighteen delves through the past ninety years of golfing history to tackle the most debated question in the game: Who really is the greatest player?
Weaving together a unique combination of the game's historical feats with modern-day statistical analysis, the world's greatest golf writers offer eighteen original essays on the world's greatest golfers in a highly entertaining and captivating attempt to answer golf's greatest question.
The eighteen players: Severiano Ballesteros, Billy Casper, Nick Faldo, Raymond Floyd, "Sir" Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Hale Irwin, Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods.
The eighteen writers: Tom Auclair, Al Barkow, Furman Bisher, Jaime Diaz, James Dodson, John Garrity, Ron Green, Sr., Dave Hackenberg, John Hopkins, John Huggan, Kaye Kessler, Dr. Stephen Lowe, Sidney Matthew, Marino Parascenzo, Mike Purkey, Dan Reardon, Phil Tresidder, Ben Wright.
