The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia [Paperback]

Curt Sampson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 1999

The Masters golf tournament weaves a hypnotic spell. It is the toughest ticket in sports, with black-market tickets selling for $10,000 and more. Success at Augusta National breeds legends, while failure can overshadow even the most brilliant of careers. But as Curt Sampson, author of the bestselling Hogan, reveals in The Masters, a cold heart beats behind the warm antebellum façade of this famous Augusta course. And that heart belongs to the man who killed himself on the grounds two decades ago. Club and tournament founder Clifford Roberts, a New York stockbroker, still seems to run the place from his grave. An elusive and reclusive figure, Roberts pulled the strings that made the Masters the greatest golf tournament in the world. His story--including his relationship with presidents, power brokers, and every golf champion from Bobby Jones to Arnold Palmer to Jack Nicklaus--has never been told. Until now.
        
The Masters is an amazing slice of history, taking us inside the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Augusta's most famous member. It is a look at how the new South coexists with the old South: the relationships between blacks and whites, between Southerners and Northerners, between rich and poor--with such characters as James Brown, the Godfather of Soul; the great boxer Beau Jack; and Frank Stranahan, the playboy golfer and the only white pro ever banned from the tournament. The Masters is a spellbinding portrait of a tournament unlike any other.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Curt Sampson follows his exceptional biography of Ben Hogan with another sweeping exploration of one of golf's icier hearts: Augusta National and the powers behind the Masters. A combination of history, sociology, and good old sports writing, The Masters counterpoints a rich, white institution with the town surrounding it that is anything but. Ultimately, the book tells the story of a singular sporting experience--and the marvelous drama it has provided--that manages to succeed spectacularly despite the arrogance, dourness, and manipulations of the homogenous bastion that deigns to let the rest of the world intrude upon its exclusiveness for one week every April. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Arguably the most prestigious event on the Professional Golfers Tour, the Masters imposes 13 specific qualifications a player must meet to be on the invitation list. Even then there is no guarantee that a golfer will be selected to participate. No wonder this competition is a who's who of the world's best golfers. Sampson, author of several books on golf (e.g., Hogan, Rutledge, 1996), has compiled an interesting study complete with bibliography and index. This portrait of the Masters, appropriately subtitled "gold, money, and power in Augusta," traces the tournament's history since 1933, revealing both the dramatic moments and the controversial secrets, most notably racismAcertainly a book to raise eyebrows at the Augusta National Golf Club. The members' code of silence and a tight control of the media have kept a lid on the club's less-than-flattering side. Golfing enthusiasts will enjoy the publication. Purchase where demand warrants.ALarry Robert Little, Penticton P.L., BC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Villard (March 16, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375753370
• ISBN-13: 978-0375753374
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Curt Sampson, golf professional turned golf writer, came from a large, athletic family. Golf was something his father did. Sampson caddied for his dad for years before trying to fit the game into his crowded sports schedule. Two things piqued his interest, both occurring when he turned 12. He began to caddie full-time at Lake Forest Country Club in Hudson, Ohio; and he discovered that he could not hit a Little League curve ball.

Sampson spent the money earned caddying on plaid pants, entry fees, and travel to tournaments. His most notable win before college was in the Mid-American Junior in 1970. He accepted a scholarship to Kent State University, where he won one tournament, finished second in another, and made the All-MAC team twice. And twice during his four years at KSU, the team missed qualifying for the NCAA by one shot. Current Kent Men's Head Coach Herb Page and Women's Head Coach Mike Morrow were teammates.

Sampson toiled as a club pro for several years following graduation. He toured internationally for a short time, and played in mini-tours in Florida. In his only try to get on the PGA Tour--at Pinehurst in 1977--he missed the cut badly, and applied for and received a return to amateur status.

Following a ten year career in sales (wiring conduit, hydraulic hose, labeling machines, lumber) Sampson began writing full-time in November 1988.

Texas Golf Legends, his first book, was collaboration with Santa Fe-based artist Paul Milosevich. Researching TGL gained Sampson introductions with people he has written about many times since: Hogan, Nelson, Crenshaw, Trevino, and a few dozen others. His next book--The Eternal Summer, a recreation of golf's summer of 1960, when Hogan, Palmer, and Nicklaus battled--is still selling 15 years after its debut, a rarity in the publishing world.

Sampson's biography of the enigmatic William Ben Hogan struck a chord. Both Hogan and his next book, The Masters, appeared on the New York Times bestseller lists. Subsequent books and scores of magazine articles cemented Sampson's reputation as readable and sometimes controversial, a writer with an eye for humor and the telling detail.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible truth of The Masters in finally published!, December 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia (Hardcover)

Having played at Augusta National and attending the tournament for over 25 years, everything Curt Sampson has to say is true. Until now, nobody had the courage to publish the truth, for fear of losing their "privileges". His book is not a revelation of new facts, but is more a history lesson of the elitist group of men who founded the club and the tournament and their relationship with the city of Augusta. The members are still pompous! We forget that what we see now on TV is far from how this event started. Very factual. Well written. Easy reading. A good gift for any golfer who dreams about Augusta National.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Backswing, but no Follow Through, July 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia (Hardcover)

The author starts well but doesn't finish as he jumps from the course, to the town to the townspeople, but with no real insights into the main subject: the golf course and the tournament itself. His one-sided portrayal of Cliff Roberts doesn't help the reader truly understand why Roberts spent much of his life devoted to Augusta National. The last chapter was out of joint with the rest of the text as he struggles to end what he started. Hard to recommend to others.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provocative Insights into The Club and Tournamet, March 23, 2003

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia (Paperback)

If Sampson's probe is anywhere near the truth, it surely smudges the high place we give to Augusta and The Masters.

Certainly, it still revolves around Jones, and it always has. The legend of this amateur and supposed gentleman is tarnished by his association with Roberts and his seizure of power and control of what has become golfing legend.

Without the champion's name and backing and tournament, The Masters and Augusta would be just another club and tour stop. But from the outset it was Bobby who kept it together. Then the illness and pulling away, and the inroads of Cliff and the rest is history, here well documented by one of the great golf writers. Sampson again weaves his literary magic with different piercing vignettes of the personalities and events which have led to Augusta lore and legend.

Story upon story from various facets permeate this fluid read--from club caddie to townfolk to neglected member and player -- one is given much to contemplate.

The tales are superb, sampling but a few: the caddie deliberately overclubbing Robert's opponent on a Par 3 course contest; Dave Marr's respone to Arnie that even his divot cleared Rae's Creek on 15; the asst. pro's wife being offered big money for the rope marker that only quandred off souvenir sales.

Augusta appears to be the premier "ole boys" club. If you want scoop about it's past and insights possibly into its present, this read will begin that path.