The Match

I like to read as much as I can.  However, between work, golf, movies, and television it is not as much as I would like.  I wanted to start relaying my thoughts on the golf books that I read.  A good one to start with, in my opinion, is The Match by Mark Frost.

The book focuses on a legendary match played in 1956 between the teams of pros Byron Nelson/Ben Hogan and amateurs Ken Venturi/Harvie Ward.  The game was set up by Eddie Lowery, the former caddie for Francis Ouimet in his famous U.S. Open victory at Brookline.  In the 1950s Lowery is a multimillionaire and comes up with a bet that his two employees (Venturi/Ward) can beat any two players.  George Coleman, another multimillionaire, is his fellow bettor and decides to bring Nelson and Hogan as the opposition.  The real treat of this match is that it takes place at Cypress Point.

The book does a wonderful job of recounting the match itself as well as giving a vivid literary tour of the famed golf club by the sea.  Frost’s words on the course make me want to play the course more than I already did, which I didn’t think was possible.  It also delves into the lives of the four participants.  I would recommend this book for any golfer with an interest in the history of the game.  I especially liked learning more about Harvie Ward, as I was the least familiar with him before reading the book.

If you like this book, consider some of Frost’s other works on golf such as The Grand Slam and The Greatest Game Ever Played.  You can also check out his website at bymarkfrost.com.  Let me know if you have read this book and what you thought!