Customer Reviews

The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Author Curt Sampson captures the birth and life of one of the most famous sporting events in the world, The Masters golf tournament. Played annually in Augusta, Georgia, this prestigious golf tournament has become the new face of golf. Mr. Sampson shows us how this once unknown place, turned into a sanctuary for some of the greatest golfers of all time. He gets deep into how it was started by a group of New York business men, only 68 years after the Civil War. He shows us how although, one of the most famed golf course in the world has always been dampered by the reputation for being a racist society. He explains how that when Tiger Woods won the Masters in 1997, Augusta and the Masters had come full swing from what it once was. This book goes well into detail about things the common person would have never known or been able to find out. Although, occasionally drags on about the birth of this event. this book has solid content and gives information that you would have never known otherwise. I recommend this book to any golf enthusist.

Curt Sampson has done it again with his new book, " The Masters." It is a very thorough look at the tournament, the men involved and the town which hosts the event.It is a great history of golf and of the struggles of a southern town. The author is not judgmental, he just gives you the facts. I would recommend this book not only to golf/Masters fans but also to those who enjoy southern history or reading about the history of a town.

I have been to the tournament and knew a little of the history behind it. Sampsons book was very interesting and will be of interest to anyone following the game. He must have done a lot of research to find some of the people today, years after their Masters experience. I am going to attend the tournament again with a different outlook.

Not a bad read. Would have liked more insightfulness. Just felt is glossed over some things, while it focussed on non golf related, Augusta matters too much. Value for money worthwhile as it wasn't too pricy. Best summed up by, once read went back on shelf.

The Masters is an interesting read, but surely the first rule of writing books like these is to provide both points of view. The average person has no chance to find out what Augusta National is really like, so we need to rely on authors such as Curt Sampson to go behind the myth and reveal the truth.

If you compare "The Masters" with "The Making of the Masters" by David Owen, you wouldn't believe the two authors are writing about the same golf club. Most likely the truth lies somewhere between the two books - Owen could be the chief cheerleader for Augusta National, while Sampson isn't likely to be on the Chairman's Christmas card list.

I would recommend the book to the serious golf fan, but have an open mind when reading it.

Sampson doesn't pretend to write an objective history of Augusta National and the Masters. This book is all about the crabgrass and bare spots in the fairway. Picking and choosing his "facts" and with a colorful writing style, the author dumps on most everyone associated with Masters, Augusta National Golf (not Country) Club, and even the City of Augusta. Though most of his venom is directed toward Cliff Roberts, the club's founder and original czar, even Bobby Jones comes across as something less than the golfing saint he's often portrayed to be. Interestingly, the last chapter of the edition I read introduces Hootie Johnson as the new club president, in whom Sampson seems to see a ray of hope. Obviously, that chapter was written before Johnson's go-around with Martha Burke.

Curt Sampson is the best golf writer around, and this book is an excellent followup to that best of all golf biographies, Hogan. Some reviewers have criticized him for casting a cold eye on Clifford Roberts, the fanatical creator of the Masters, but I'm glad he's dug out the truth--it's much more fascinating, by the way. And his look at how the club has affected the area and town around it is quite interesting. His writing, though, is what I love--wonderfully crafted sentences by a fine writer. This is an excellent look at America's most prestigious tournament, and the personalities that have made it what it is. Highly recommended.