Customer Reviews

The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Frost has done it again! A superb retelling of American golf history, this time a sudden come together dream match brought on by two titan entrepeneurs pitting pro golfers versus amateurs. The last surviving of this foursome, Venturi, called it a dream match so good even fiction could not touch.

He was right. It is a magnificent event, with Eddie Lowery of Ouimet fame (Frost's other excellent golf book) and George Coleman arranging a bet pitting Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson against Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. He sets up the match at renown Cypress Point by setting the stage with all the characters and their development, weaving a fascinating stream of characters such as Bing Crosby into the showdown.

He gives the replay hole-by-hole interspersed with the background development of each player, such as would haunt most of us walking to play the next shot. This makes for rather dramatic reading as one can't wait to hear what unfolds on the next swing and hole.

For the avid reader of golf as this reviewer, I knew most of the background on all the players except for Harvie Ward, whom I could not recall ever hearing about, but he certainly was a remarkable player. All three thought this of him. Venturi said one time at Augusta when asked about Ward, "Take Nicklaus at his best, and Ward at his best. I'll take Ward." Quite the compliment.

This is treasured golf lore, which will serve our sport well. Certainly hope that Frost will follow this one as well with a movie version. Please?

I just finished Mark Frost's new book, The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever, and while I was excited to read the latest from the author of the amazing and invaluable true golf tale, The Greatest Game Ever Played, this new book exceeded my expectations. I was moved to tears several times and another, perhaps even more important, slice of golf history was illuminated.

I also looked forward to this read because I had heard that "The Match" takes place at Cypress Point and I've always dreamed of playing that course, so it was a treat to walk and play it with some of the greatest golfers of all time. In case you haven't heard, the center piece of this story is a casual best ball match play round between Ben Hogan and Bryron Nelson (representing the pros) and Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward (representing the amateurs). The time is 1956 and Venturi and Ward are the last of the gentleman amateurs playing at the highest levels of the game. The event is precipitated by a bet instigated by none other than Eddie Lowery, the pint-sized ten-year old caddie from "Greatest Game" who has (believe it or not) become a millionaire California car dealer. This connection to the earlier book is more than a coincidence and Lowery becomes more important to the story than one might expect.

I'm going to go so far as to say that this book is required reading for any serious golfer. On one level learning more about the life story and personality of these great players as well as that of Cypress Point and the Crosby Clambake are quintessential elements of the glory of golf in America. As before, Mark Frost does an amazing job illuminating this background (including the best recounting of the famous Hogan comeback after his accident that I've ever read.) But there's much more beyond all this.

I can't summarize that essence better than the last paragraph of the book:

"No four men will ever play such a match again. No four men like like these. The genuine way they lived their lives makes most of today's fast and frenzied sports and entertainment culture seem like so much packaged goods, a self-conscious, inauthentic hustle. In their best and worst hours alike each of these four stood his ground, put all he had on the line, and for better or worse lived with the consequences of his actions and moved on. Some green, untested souls might be tempted to wonder why one should still care, but none of us are here forever, we're not even here for long; and if it's true that our collective past exists inside all of us, unless we take time to bear witness to the best of those who strived before us, our chance to learn from their lives will be lost forever, and we will be the poorer for it."

That's why I call it "required reading"... not to mention that it's totally fun and a complete delight! Thanks so much, Mr. Frost.

Golf in the day of Der Bingle aka Bing Crosby. A panoply of the game back in the day when the guard was changing. Eddie Lowery, who as a 10 year old had caddied for Francis Ouimet when he defeated the then reigning greatest in the game, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray (as magnificently told by Mark Frost in his earlier book "The Greatest Game") has come to California and become a hugely successful car dealer. He remains close to the game both in California and nationally as a member of the inner circle at the USGA. He has nurtured several talented amateurs. At the time of "The Match" his two protege's/employees are Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi. At a dinner party on the eve of the Crosby "Clambake" at Pebble Beach he promotes a bet that "his two amateurs" could beat any two pros in the game. This leads to an impromptu match the next day at Cypress Point, the focal point of this wonderful story, between two of the greatest pros the game has ever known, Ben Hogan and his fellow Texan, Byron Nelson. Along the way to the conclusion of this incredibly played match we are treated to the color and background of the times and the lives of the four protagonists up to this moment in their respective lives. As ever, Frost is a peerless storyteller and keeps the reader engaged at every moment as the story unfolds. Don't miss this!

With the publication of THE MATCH: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever, Mark Frost cements his credentials as one of the country's finest chroniclers of the rich and celebrated history of golf in America. In two previous efforts, he painted remarkable portraits of significant events in the annals of the game that travelled to America from Scotland. THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED is his account of the 1913 United States Open and the victory by Frances Ouimet, an unknown American amateur. THE GRAND SLAM is his narrative of Bobby Jones's victory in the four major golf championships of his era. The chronological saga continues as THE MATCH takes readers back to 1956, the era of golf preceding television and legends Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

At the outset, readers should accept the fact that Frost's title for his third golf book is hyperbole. Indeed, one can search its pages in great detail and never find an answer to how the game of golf changed as a result of the 18-hole practice-round match pitting professionals Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson against amateurs Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi. While substantial money may have changed hands as a result of the contest, very few sports fans were even aware that it had occurred. Contemporary professional golfers probably pass out more in tips than the four players battled for on this day.

Setting that aside, Frost describes far more than a competition involving four men. Through his words readers gain a portrait of the status of professional and amateur golf in the 1950s, as the beloved and respected amateur golfer would now take a backseat to a new era of professional golfers and their fans.

The money men behind the contest were Eddie Lowery and George Coleman, wealthy businessmen who loved golf and betting on it. Lowery had a storied connection to the game; he had been Ouimet's caddy in the historic 1913 Open. As a successful car dealer in San Francisco, he allowed amateur golfers to work at his dealership for princely salaries and continue playing golf as amateurs. In the 1950s even the most successful professional golfer had official winnings of less than $50,000 per year. The substantial financial lure of modern professional golf was at least a decade away. Amateur golfers were still highly revered in the 1950s, and the dream of most United States Golf Association officials was that another great champion such as Bobby Jones, an amateur who played only for the love of the game, might again dominate championship events.

The stage was set for the match played during practice for the 1956 Bing Crosby Pro-Am. Venturi idolized Hogan, and indeed, after turning professional, he would model his wardrobe after the Texas golfer. While Hogan had the reputation of being a cold and ruthless man on the course, he could also be warm and generous. While Venturi was in the army, Hogan remarked that Venturi's clubs were not in the best condition. Venturi replied that his military wages did not allow for the purchase of new clubs. Shortly thereafter a brand-new set of irons from the Hogan factory arrived at Venturi's door.

Throughout THE MATCH, as he has done in his other books, Frost captures the essence and spirit of an era. Sports does not exist in a vacuum; it is a reflection of the moment. Hogan, Nelson, Venturi and Ward were products of a generation tempered by World War II and the post-war experience. They influenced the game of golf and professional sports for the second half of the 20th century. Frost chronicles that influence in a masterful fashion that all who love the game of golf will appreciate.

--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman

Mark Frost is to golf writing what Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward were to golf....

Some golf books you read and pass along to your friends. Some you keep. This is a Keeper of the first order. Your friends can buy their own...

As with his earlier golf books, "The Grand Slam" and "The Greatest Game Ever Played," Frost can tell a story, a story of people, personalities, a story of drama on and off the golf course, and he brings it all to together in such a warm, affectionate--sometimes critical, but always honest and objective--way that you, the reader, feel you know these people. You care about them. You feel their joy, their pain, their hopes, their dreams and their heartache. You pull for them.

Like the old CBS Televison series, "You Are There," Frost takes you "there", in this case to one of the greatest and most unusual matches ever played, and you, if not in body, then certainly in mind and spirit, are "there"

Great writer, great golfers and a great story makes for a great read which this book is.

One question, however. Given the antipathy Hogan felt for Nelson as their careers diverged--Nelson, once his best friend was not even invited to Hogan's by-invitation funeral--why did Hogan so readily agree to play the match with Nelson as his partner against Venturi and Ward?

If you know the answer or have an opinion, post it as a comment to this review...As Dan Jenkins would say, "Fairways and Greens...Fairways and Greens..." Keep hitting the fairways and the greens...and life will be good....

I had heard about the famous 4-ball match between Hogan, Nelson, Venturi, and Ward for many years, odds and ends from different sources. Obviously, the detail in this book is unsurpassed. This is an absolute must-read for the golf enthusiast. Most golf fans have a fairly thorough knowledge of Ben Hogan, Byron Nelso, and Ken Venturi. However, Harvie Ward has remained a relative name-figure only in golf lore to many, especially those under the age of 40. As can be deduced from the book, he, too, was a fabulous player, and quite a character. Putting all four stories in one concise read is great, and the recounting of the match, hole-by-hole, is thrilling. Knowing the history of the game is very important to the serious golfer. The scores and the winners are not just numbers and names, but living documents to be discussed over and over with fellow golfers. Such conversations can almost make one feel like the event is being replayed in the present, and this book is no exception. Read it once, and you will definitely want to re-read it for sheer enjoyment. You will be very pleased with your purchase.

Mark Frost has done it again. His wonderful ability to mix the current subject with past history adds immeasurably to the readers interest. All readers of golf books have certainly had their fill of Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Ken Venturi, but little has been written about Harvey Ward and what occured in his life after The Match. Frost does a good job of giving us some unique flashbacks and solid history leading up to The Match, as well as after. I felt like I was in the gallery at Cypress Point that incredible day in 1956.

"The Match...." is absolutely the best golf book I have ever read and I have read a number of them. The narrative flows masterfully, recounting not just the match itsself, shot-by-shot, but provides an affectionate look at each of the SIX participants; i.e. the two men who ginned up the match and the four players. But more than all this, the book tells lovingly, how a piece of real estate was turned into one of the premier golf venues in the world and by whom.

"The Match..." gets five stars and my unqualified recommendation. Give it as a gift on some special day, or give it simply because you know the recipient is a lover of golf.

"The Match" is my favorite book EVER on golf. If you are a golfer over the age of 55, I think you will feel the same way. If you are a younger golfer, you still will love it. If you don't play or have an appreciation for the game, I don't know.

Mark Frost is a great writer. He made this non-fiction recount of a historical event in golf an exciting adventure for me and ALL those with whom I have shared it. Thank you Dick for sharing it with me.

Thank you Mark!

Great Book by a great writer ... if you are a golfer or you know a golfer you must get this book for them! It's amazing!!! You will be very happy with your choice!