Short description
Chronicles the birth of the modern game of golf through the story of Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet. In pursuit of their passion for a sport that had captivated them since childhood, Vardon and Ouimet lifted themselves out of their lives of poverty on parallel paths which led to the 1913 US Open.
Long description
This narrative chronicles the birth of the modern game of golf through the story of Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet. These men, in pursuit of their passion for a sport that had captivated them since childhood, lifted themselves out of their lives of common poverty and broke down rigid social barriers, transforming the game of golf into one of the most widely played sports in the world today Vardon and Ouimet were two men from different generations and vastly different corners of the world whose lives, unbeknown to them at the time, bore remarkable similarities, setting them on parallel paths that led to their epic battle at Brookline in the 1913 US Open. This collision resulted in the big bang that gave rise to the sport of golf as we know it. In this book, Mark Frost tells their story, including along the way over a dozen of the game's seminal figures, within the dramatic framework offered by the 1913 tournament where they finally met, which became one of the most thrilling sports events in history.
Review
An extraordinary book...[with] passages that were so convincing they made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up THE TIMES Mark Frost has done a wonderful job of capturing the moment of golf's awakening in America. His work is thoroughly researched Ben Crenshaw, 1999 US Ryder Cup Captain Brilliantly told... marries social history with sporting biography...vivid, often moving, portraits of the two protagonists SUNDAY TELEGRAPH [A] great insight into how golf got its start in America, and the man who really introduced it: Francis Ouimet Ken Venturi