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Hachette Books

The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever

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Arrives Friday, Jan 17
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Format: Paperback


Description

In 1956, a casual bet between two millionaires eventually pitted two of the greatest golfers of the era -- Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan -- against top amateurs Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi. The year: 1956. Decades have passed since Eddie Lowery came to fame as the ten-year-old caddie to U.S. Open Champion Francis Ouimet. Now a wealthy car dealer and avid supporter of amateur golf, Lowery has just made a bet with fellow millionaire George Coleman. Lowery claims that two of his employees, amateur golfers Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi, cannot be beaten in a best-ball match, and challenges Coleman to bring any two golfers of his choice to the course at 10 a.m. the next day to settle the issue. Coleman accepts the challenge and shows up with his own power team: Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, the game's greatest living professionals, with fourteen major championships between them. In Mark Frost's peerless hands, complete with the recollections of all the participants, the story of this immortal foursome and the game they played that day-legendarily known in golf circles as the greatest private match ever played-comes to life with powerful, emotional impact and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hachette Books; Reprint edition (March 17, 2009)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1401309615


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 19


Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 1.05 x 8 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #23,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #7 in Golf Biographies (Books) #10 in Sports History (Books) #27 in Golf (Books)


#7 in Golf Biographies (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • best golf story ever!
Mark Frost is a beautiful writer and has captured the heart of the golfer, the love of the game, and the purity of the emotion it incites. For anyone who loves, or likes, golf this a MUST READ.
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023 by Betts
    • nostalgic read for any golf enthusiast
I enjoyed this book and although I know a lot of golf history this was a story and Match I knew little about. Well written but very sappy and overly sad at times. Very descriptive and great back Stories on the golfers.
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2023 by Dr. B
    • A page-turner
While I enjoy an occasional round of golf and watching PGA tournaments on TV, I m not much of a golf history buff. When I heard an interview with Mark Frost on a podcast, discussing The Match, I knew I had to read it. The Match is the story of a friendly round of golf instigated by Eddie Lowery, the boy caddie of Francis Ouimet, whose story was chronicled by Frost in his earlier book The Greatest Game Ever Played Grade: A+ . What made The Match unique, was the foursome that played: Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Ken Venturi, and Harvie Ward. Nelson and Hogan were legendary professional golfers, though somewhat past their prime. Venturi and Ward were a couple of young amateurs who worked for Lowery at his car dealership an arrangement that proved detrimental to Ward . The book casts this battle as one between golf professionals and amateurs for the future of golf. Contrary to the current climate, the PGA tour was hardly a jetsetting high-paying profession. It was a grind that saw pros driving from tournament to tournament, staying in cheap motels, and hoping to earn enough money to buy their meals and repay their backers. The Match took place at Cypress Point Golf Club, an apparently extraordinary course that is no longer host to PGA events. It was played prior to the 1956 Crosby Clambake, which has since become the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The backstory about Cypress Point and the Clambake is fascinating enough in its own right. But what makes the book a page turner is the tension of The Match itself. The four golfers played an almost unbelievable round of match play, in which neither side ever led by more than one hole I won t spoil the story by telling you which team won. Interspersed are the life stories of the four protagonists. While I knew of Nelson, Hogan, and Venturi, I didn t know the story of their lives and how they intertwined. I hadn t heard of Ward, which is a shame, because he was an incredible amateur golfer who was seen as the successor to Bobby Jones. My one complaint with the book was the prose Frost occasionally used in describing the golfers lives. For example: "You didn't need a crystal ball to see that worldly success waited just down the road for Harvie; he wore the can t miss sign in neon lights a mile high and exuded the rare intangible confidence of a man supremely comfortable in his own skin. That future appeared all mapped out; Harvie just had to fill in the details on the requisition; sign on the dotted line; and start living the life of Reilly." I'm not sure what exactly bothers me about the language, perhaps the use of cliches or hyperbole. However, this is outweighed by the way Frost paints the picture of Cypress Point and The Match. If you have even a passing interest in golf, or appreciate the competition of elite athletes, you owe it to yourself to read The Match. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2008 by Stephen G. Judd
    • Take a Trip Back in Time...
It is difficult to remember or appreciate what the game of tournament golf was like some fifty or so years ago. Before Tiger Woods, before Jack Nicklaus, before Arnold Palmer, before network television and the Golf Channel. This book will open a window on those times and does it in a very entertaining way. It is the time of the Crosby Clambake, an event started by Bing Crosby which brought together touring pros and wealthy and well known amateurs and has now evolved into what we know as the AT+T National Pro-Am, played on golf courses on the Monterey Peninsula. In 1956, the premiere kick off party for the week long event was a party held at George Coleman's. Coleman, is a millionaire many times over and an avid and accomplished golfer in his own right. Attending the party that night was Eddie Lowery, another golfing millionaire and a person known to have engaged Coleman in several sporting wagers over the years. Lowery owned the most succesful Lincoln-Mercury dealership in the country and was also a ardent supporter of amateur golf. In order to support some of the most promising ones, he gave them jobs as car saleman which meant they were to sell his cars in the morning and be available to play golf in the afternoon. On this particular evening he is singing the praises of two of "his boys" who he has arranged to have play in the golf tournament, Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. At dinner he proclaims to all who will listen that there are not two players in the world that can beat them when they play as a team. Coleman's ears prick up and he inquires, "Including pros?" "Any players breathing," comes the reply. "Well, I've got a couple of fellas in mind," "Fine. Bring 'em on. Name your price." The amount of the wager differs according to those with memories of the evening, but it was substancial for 1956 and perhaps as much as twenty thousand dollars. "So who are your players?" Eddie asks after the bet is arranged. "I'll tell you in a minute," Coleman replies as he leaves the room and places a call to Ben Hogan. He agrees. Byron Nelson is already at Coleman's house and after a quick conversation the match is agreed to. Those at the dinner are sworn to secrecy, but are told the match will be at Pebble Beach where Hogan has a tee time arranged for 11 AM. The players gathered the next morning at Cypress Point to commence one of the most amazing golf matches ever played. As the match progresses, the author uses it to also describe aspects of the careers of the participants, give interesting insights into the times and describe the wonders of one the the world's finest golf courses. For golfers, it is a trip back in time not to be missed. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2008 by John R. Linnell

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