A Golf Story: Bobby Jones, Augusta National, and the Masters Tournament

As a golf historian I loved it⛳️🏌️‍♂️

When my father was a teenager growing up in Winnipeg in the 1920's, Bobby Jones was his hero. He took up golf and would play until late in the evening on long summer days. On cold winter nights, his sisters would lay awake listening to the swoosh of the broom he would practice swing with in the kitchen. When Bobby Jones won the Grand Slam, people in the English speaking world went crazy. I decided to review this book---which I read long ago---on the eve of the U.S. Open and Father's Day, in memory of what would have been my Father's 100th Birthday this year, and to remember that Bobby Jones won four U.S. Open titles as an amateur.Most of this great little book by Charles Price is about how Jones went on to create the Master's Tournament and the Augusta National Golf Course on which it's played. Price notes that at the time, it was anticipated that Bobby Jones would dominate the tournament. But he never won it even once. It was also a disappointment for Bobby Jones that amateur golf faded out in the 1930's because of the Depression. But, the Master's Tournament grew into one of the major events of the U.S. golf tour and an international event. The name "Masters," by which the tournament came to be known, was not what Jones chose. Other than that, Jones, through his protege Clifford Roberts, kept tight rein on the event.Charles Price(1926-1994) was one of my favorite golf writers. He wrote with depth and passion. One of my favorite articles he wrote was his Golf Digest tribute to Jimmy Demaret upon his death in 1984. Demaret was a colorful character who won the Master's Tournament three times.Price writes with compassionate detail about the tragic side of Bobby Jones. Bobby Jones had suffered from childhood illnesses and overcame them on the golf course. But after the Grand Slam, his ability to compete at the highest level began to fade. Gradually, his general health deteriorated until he was diagnosed with syringomyelia in the late 1940's. The degree of his suffering in the end was kept private.Bobby Jones deserves a lot of credit for the gift of golf to the World War II vets who came home mangled and broken and found in golf a way to heal themselves and walk again.

I gifted this book to a close friend. His comment to me was that it was well done and an appreciated story.

The author provided an accurate account of the beginning of Bobby Jones’ dream golf course. The story will hold the attention of all golf enthusiasts like me. A great historical perspective of The Masters in a story for golfers of any age.

Without question, this is the finest book written on the founding of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament. Charley Price enjoyed a very close friendship with Bob Jones and collaborated with him in the production of three volumes, Bobby Jones on Golf, Golf Is My Game, and Bobby Jones on the Basic Golf Swing. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is Price's description of Jones' life after the Second World War, as the great golfer became afflicted with the syringomyelia that would ultimately claim his life. Price describes Jones' withdrawal from much of the day-to-day life of the ANGC and the Masters and, by extension, he chronicles the rise to prominence of Clifford Roberts. For anyone interested in Bobby Jones, this is a must-have volume by as close to an eye-witness as one could find.

This should be required reading for any golfer.It can easily be enjoyable reading for men women and any sportsman.A truly great history of the development of the Masters as a golf major.

Informative book, some places a little slow to read but overall a good book.

Outstanding in everyway. This was very good and detailed, Mr. Bobby Jones was the finest golfer in every way.