The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever

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.

As a 66 year old who is in semi retirement ( whatever that is!) and tries to play golf three times a week , the 2 ball team event has always seemed the most enjoyable golf. This wonderfully written book captures for me, why I feel this way. I can therefore quickly understand and relate to the special challenges of this format when it's not just dealing with the unique characteristics of each hole ( and of course in this case what amazing golf holes they are - Cypress Point an emerald in the pantheon! Worth the read if only for the wonderful analysis of Cypress Point But no...in the 2 ball game it is also the particular individual challenges that each player must face to best respond to the team situation so that one plus one equals three times the effect Then,superimpose on this the fact that the players are first an unbeaten amateur national team of much fame Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi who find themselves much to their surprise and unique fortune,pitted against probably the two greatest golfers of their time , indeed perhaps any time- the Great Ben Hogan and the amazing talent of Byron Nelson ! These two legends of vastly differing style and temperaments and motivation who only once played together in a two ball- and on this day ,in a classic example of for the enjoyment of competition ,rather than for trophy or dollars How therefore could this not be a special event ? But the fact also is that the match played actually exceeds any possible expectations ,at all the various possible levels ( sustained skills of all four players at their very best, classic pressure moments for each individual, prolonged uncertainty as to outcomes and for the true golf spirit and enjoyment. Mark Frost has captured all of this . Thank you!

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.

Amazing story, narrative, very entertaining and educational at the same time

A good story well written.

brilliant read for the golf addict or any who are interested in sports stories, a glimpse of a long gone era in sport, a must read in particular for Hogan and Nelson lovers

Good read but long wait to get it.

Wonderful book on golf, 4 great players written very well