Grand Slam, The: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf | Mark Frost

Grand Slam, The: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf | Mark Frost | Character Revealed

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Grand Slam, The: B...

	Grand Slam, The: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf Mark Frost Hyperion, 2005 - 512 pages average customer review:based on 22 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

From the bestselling author of The Greatest Game Ever Played comes The Grand Slam, a riveting, in-depth look at the life and times of golf icon Bobby Jones. In the wake of the stock market crash and the dawn of the Great Depression, Bobby Jones emerged as a ray of light. His abrupt disappearance from the public eye into a closely guarded private life helped create a mythological image of this hero from the Golden Age of sports, that endures to this day. This book brings it all to you - from the beginning to the legend!

A Grand Slam of a Bio

Purchasing this book I had expected nothing more than the chronicle of Bobby Jones' assualt on the 4 golf majors of 1930. I got so much more. This book is certainly one of the better biographies I've ever read. Though Frost never goes too in depth into the private life of Jones, the writing style is exceptional, the sports action is compelling, but the most amazing thing is how the entire thing is brought together and every new section begins with an exceptional framing of where the event stands within the confines of history. Truly an amazing first rate bio.

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Character Revealed

In The Grand Slam, Mark Frost tells the story of Bobby Jones and the way in which his inconceivable 1930 championship run changed the sport of golf forever, in such a lively and engaging way that readers will be on the edge of their seats even though the outcome has been assured for 75+ years. Each of Jones' Grand Slam wins is recounted in painstaking detail, giving Frost the opportunity to paint an illuminating portrait of the golf world of the 20's and to set Bob's accomplishments against the backdrop of the times in which he lived. He reached his athletic peak at a time when people were beginning to tire of the frenetic pace of the Jazz Age and longed for a simpler time. Bob Jones possessed all the qualities Americans appeared to be searching for, and so, like the other sports heroes of the Golden Age he was quickly elevated to demi-god status. Frost does a wonderful job of peeling back the layers of the legend to reveal the human being underneath. He has proven yet again why he is one of the best writers working today. This book is a must for all true students of the game, but should appeal to non-golf fans as well.

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Not as good as "Greatest Game," but still a worthwhile read

Frost's follow-up effort to the outstanding "The Greatest Game Ever Played" - the movie adaptation of which will be released by Disney this fall - this meandering tale tracks the career of Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur golfer of all time, climaxing with his assault on the Grand Slam (back then, it was the US and British Open and Amateur titles) in 1930. After winning the Slam, Jones retired from tournament competition, at the age of 29. After reading Frost's harrowing account of his physical and mental anguish during the ordeal, you'll certain understand why.

Aesthetically, this book doesn't hold together nearly as well as "Greatest Game". Frost includes far too much "background" information (most of which is, quite honestly, common knowledge) about everything from the origins of World War I to the Scopes "Monkey Trial". The bits of early 20th-century lore than festooned the pages of "Greatest Game" were a welcome addition to the storyline, helping us to understand the time and place. Here, they are an annoying intrusion. Despite this unfortunate slip, Frost's prose is still enjoyable to read, and the story will be of interest to anyone who has an interest in the history of golf.

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2.5 stars at best

I had high hopes for this book. I read it in preparation to attend the Masters, which I got to do this year and it was amazing.

That said, this book was just average. I felt like the author added things to the book without a true need. I appreciate the fact that Frost was trying to explain the times that Mr. Jones was rooted in, but he seemed to stray from the main topic on numerous occassions.

There were points when he was talking about golf, Mr. Jones and the courses they played... then he would stray into international politics and not for a brief explanation but rather 2 to 3 pages on the industrial revolution or WWI or the Depression. I get that those are important subjects to mention but the explanations got in the way of the biography I thought.

In addition, the explanation of the golf read like a front page story or first-hand recap in the USA Today not a backstory of the event. I understand the need to recap key matches but Frost appeared to recap nearly every match and it got to be too much. I did appreciate the brief bios of other golfers of the period. That was interesting and necessary.

The bio was roughly 450 pages. The same story could have been told in 300 pages and included the same key points. I would have liked more anecdotes and interesting stories that described Jones the man not Jones the golfer and/or ball-striker etc.

I might recommend another book on Jones that doesn't detail things that really don't educate you that much about who he was and what he stood for.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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