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The Slam: Bobby Jones and the Price of Glory
An intriguing and detailed look at the greatest season a golfer has ever had--when Bobby Jones became the first golfer to win all four major championships in one year
The year 2005 marks the 75th anniversary of Bobby Jones's remarkable 1930 season. No one had won the Grand Slam before--and no one has since. In a splendid narrative that is worthy of Jones's singular achievement, Curt Sampson, acknowledged as one of golf's best writers, captures the magic of his feat and the high cost he paid to achieve it, set against the backdrop of the Depression.
Jones was such a sickly child that he was unable to eat solid food until the age of 5. At 6 he found golf, and by age 14 he was nationally known as a golf prodigy. He had matinee idol looks and dated Zelda Sayre before novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald wed her. His 1930 golf season glittered so brightly that he got two tickertape parades. Then, at the top of his game, he shocked everyone and quit the sport.
The book focuses explicitly on Jones and 1930. His fast run to glory was a dark, intricate tale that has never been told until now. The public Jones waved to the crowd in tickertape parades and smiled for the newsreel cameras. Meanwhile, the private man endured agonies. He couldn't eat or sleep, and morning drinking became his norm. Jones won with skill, courage, a lottery winner's luck--and some truly shocking help from George Prescott Bush, the father and grandfather of presidents.
Jones conquered the world just as it was falling apart. His triumphs represented hope for the hopeless. In many ways, Jones was the horse the world followed before Seabiscuit. And like Laura Hillenbrand's mega-bestseller, this is a sports story that captures the essence of an era--equal parts compelling sports biography, sweeping social history, and stirring human drama.
The year 2005 marks the 75th anniversary of Bobby Jones's remarkable 1930 season. No one had won the Grand Slam before--and no one has since. In a splendid narrative that is worthy of Jones's singular achievement, Curt Sampson, acknowledged as one of golf's best writers, captures the magic of his feat and the high cost he paid to achieve it, set against the backdrop of the Depression.
Jones was such a sickly child that he was unable to eat solid food until the age of 5. At 6 he found golf, and by age 14 he was nationally known as a golf prodigy. He had matinee idol looks and dated Zelda Sayre before novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald wed her. His 1930 golf season glittered so brightly that he got two tickertape parades. Then, at the top of his game, he shocked everyone and quit the sport.
The book focuses explicitly on Jones and 1930. His fast run to glory was a dark, intricate tale that has never been told until now. The public Jones waved to the crowd in tickertape parades and smiled for the newsreel cameras. Meanwhile, the private man endured agonies. He couldn't eat or sleep, and morning drinking became his norm. Jones won with skill, courage, a lottery winner's luck--and some truly shocking help from George Prescott Bush, the father and grandfather of presidents.
Jones conquered the world just as it was falling apart. His triumphs represented hope for the hopeless. In many ways, Jones was the horse the world followed before Seabiscuit. And like Laura Hillenbrand's mega-bestseller, this is a sports story that captures the essence of an era--equal parts compelling sports biography, sweeping social history, and stirring human drama.
- GenresSports
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 20, 2005
3 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Curt Sampson
30 books30 followersCurt Sampson, golf professional turned golf writer, came to golf the old-fashioned way—as a caddie. He looped for his father for a few years on summer Saturday’s, then turned pro, in a manner of speaking, at age 12, as one of the scores of disheveled boys and men in the caddie pen at Lake Forest Country Club in Hudson, Ohio. His golf game developed from sneaking on LFCC at twilight, an occasionally nerve-wracking exercise because the greens keeper intimated a readiness to call the cops on trespassers. Sampson—never caught—progressed as a player and as an employee, scoring a job as starter/cart maintenance boy at age 16 at Boston Hills CC, a public course, also in Hudson. His high water mark as a young golfer was a win in the Mid- American Junior in 1970. Sampson attended Kent State University on a golf scholarship and managed a municipal course for two years following graduation, worked a couple more as an assistant pro at clubs in South Carolina and Tennessee, then bummed around as a touring pro in Canada, New Zealand, and Florida.
In November 1988, Sampson began to write full-time, mostly about the game of his father, golf. Texas Golf Legends, his first book, was collaboration with Santa Fe-based artist Paul Milosevich. Researching TGL gained Sampson introductions with people he has written about many times since: Hogan, Nelson, Crenshaw, Trevino, and a few dozen others. His next book–The Eternal Summer, a recreation of golf’s summer of 1960, when Hogan, Palmer, and Nicklaus battled–is still selling 15 years after its debut, a rarity in the publishing world. Sampson’s biography of the enigmatic William Ben Hogan struck a chord. Both Hogan and his next book, The Masters, appeared on the New York Times bestseller lists. Subsequent books and scores of magazine articles cemented Sampson’s reputation as readable and sometimes controversial writer with an eye for humor and the telling detail.
In November 1988, Sampson began to write full-time, mostly about the game of his father, golf. Texas Golf Legends, his first book, was collaboration with Santa Fe-based artist Paul Milosevich. Researching TGL gained Sampson introductions with people he has written about many times since: Hogan, Nelson, Crenshaw, Trevino, and a few dozen others. His next book–The Eternal Summer, a recreation of golf’s summer of 1960, when Hogan, Palmer, and Nicklaus battled–is still selling 15 years after its debut, a rarity in the publishing world. Sampson’s biography of the enigmatic William Ben Hogan struck a chord. Both Hogan and his next book, The Masters, appeared on the New York Times bestseller lists. Subsequent books and scores of magazine articles cemented Sampson’s reputation as readable and sometimes controversial writer with an eye for humor and the telling detail.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 22, 2014
I found this book “The Slam”, about Bobby Jones very fascinating. Besides being a great golfer, he had also graduated from Georgia Tech University with a degree in engineering, then went to Harvard and graduated with a degree in English, not being done went to Emory Law school and after 3 years took the Georgia State Bar exam and passed. He then started working in his father’s law firm. While he was attending Georgia Tech he did play on their golf team, he did not play on Harvard’s golf team but he is in their sports men hall of fame. I should also point out that he started at college at the age of 17, so he was a very smart young man. Having already started a job and starting to play golf he married his long time sweetheart they meet his freshmen year at Georgia Tech, they would go on to have three children and that is one of the reasons why he went after the Grand slam, as it was called back then. He was already competing against pros like Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen. He won his first major the U.S.Open in 1923, won the U.S. Amateur in 24, and was the first golfer to win the double the U.S. Open and the British Open, back then they just called it the open. So by the end of 29 he was actually thinking about going for it and winning all four big major championships in 1930. He was getting tired being away from his family and he was being offered more was ways to make money and one of them was a set of films on how to golf. He thought that this might lead to him losing his amateur status and he did not want that to happen or anyone to question his status. Some golfers were now changing to iron shafts from wood and were trying to get him to make the change along with them. He did not what to make any changes and stuck with wooden shafts. You also have to remember that here in the states they traveled by train and by ship to go over to England. While in England in competed in both the Open and a short while later the British Amateur would take place. I do know that Tiger Woods thought he won the Grand Slam a few years ago but not all of the victories were in the same calendar year and after reading this book I can see why those golf historians were saying no. for me the biggest reason and I did not know this until reading this book is that on Saturday of a tournament they played 36 holes of golf. They would come early in the morning play 18 break for lunch and then you went back out and played and played another 18 holes unless it was tied then you played more. So yes I now understand that playing golf back then was different and you must win the four in the same year. I will say that he was pretty confidante in himself for he placed a wager on himself to win all four when he was in Britain, you had been able to wager on yourself up until this year for some reason they stop allowing players to bet for the first time. Any way he won 60,000 betting on himself in 1930 not a bad retirement, since he left playing after he won all four in the same year. The stories of each tournament are exciting and very interesting and make up a great deal of the book. The book is well written and you buy know means need be a golfer to appreciate this book, it is written that well and is a very good story. I was entertained and like always amazed how men and women can get that ball in the cup when I had the knack to find any water anywhere. A good read. I got this book from net galley.
August 5, 2022
Cracking Read
Great historical detail. And fantastic grammar. Research superb. Could of done with more photos of Bobby. Thoroughly enjoyable read, highly recommended
Great historical detail. And fantastic grammar. Research superb. Could of done with more photos of Bobby. Thoroughly enjoyable read, highly recommended
July 25, 2014
Rating:
3 of 5 stars (good)
Review:
In 1930, amateur golfer Bobby Jones did what no other golfer has done before or since – win the four major tournaments in one calendar year. By winning the US Open, The Open (formerly known as the British Open), the US Amateur and British Amateur tourneys he became the first golfer to win what would come to be known as the Grand Slam. Over the years, the “Slam” has changed to include the Masters (a tourney played on a course Jones later designed) and the PGA Championship as professional golfers now make up the bulk of players in the Opens. This book by Curt Simpson has been re-published in digital format and follows Jones through that 1930 season and also illustrates society customs and golfing norms in that era.
The accounts of the four tournaments that Jones won illustrates Simpson’s detailed research as his recap of Jones’ rounds are full of details about not only shots taken by Jones, but by those of his opponents as well. The reader will feel the drama of the matches in the two amateur opens as those were match play tourneys. At times, I almost forgot who was taking which shot as the results of one hole were quickly forgotten as the drama of the next one played out. It was gripping to read of shots onto the green and excellent putts.
Because I wasn’t familiar with Jones’ story of his personal demons, his drinking or his social life, I read those chapters a little more slowly and while they were written with the same detail and research, I had trouble following through these segments. While the reader will be able to ascertain the issues Jones had off the golf course, it will be a little slower to be able to soak it in.
Overall, I felt this was a good biography on a golfer whose legend has grown over the years as more years pass and no golfer can duplicate the feat. Some golf historians hold Jones to a very high pedestal, which Simpson does not do here. I appreciated that as it read to be a fairly balanced account of the man’s golf and his life. It is a good read for anyone who is interested in golf history.
I wish to thank NetGalley for providing a copy of the digital book in exchange for an honest review.
Did I skim?
I did skim through some parts that dealt with Jones’ personal life as I was more interested in his golf achievements. I did read most of the book at a normal speed and was able to comprehend the main point of the book, which I felt was that Jones had a major accomplishment despite his personal demons.
Pace of the book:
It read slowly for me, although because I wasn’t familiar with much of the information in the book, I did reread some sections as well to follow some of the chapters, such as the one on Bobby’s Open championship
Do I recommend?
Yes, for hard core golf fans of the players of that era and for readers who are interested in stories about the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Epub)
3 of 5 stars (good)
Review:
In 1930, amateur golfer Bobby Jones did what no other golfer has done before or since – win the four major tournaments in one calendar year. By winning the US Open, The Open (formerly known as the British Open), the US Amateur and British Amateur tourneys he became the first golfer to win what would come to be known as the Grand Slam. Over the years, the “Slam” has changed to include the Masters (a tourney played on a course Jones later designed) and the PGA Championship as professional golfers now make up the bulk of players in the Opens. This book by Curt Simpson has been re-published in digital format and follows Jones through that 1930 season and also illustrates society customs and golfing norms in that era.
The accounts of the four tournaments that Jones won illustrates Simpson’s detailed research as his recap of Jones’ rounds are full of details about not only shots taken by Jones, but by those of his opponents as well. The reader will feel the drama of the matches in the two amateur opens as those were match play tourneys. At times, I almost forgot who was taking which shot as the results of one hole were quickly forgotten as the drama of the next one played out. It was gripping to read of shots onto the green and excellent putts.
Because I wasn’t familiar with Jones’ story of his personal demons, his drinking or his social life, I read those chapters a little more slowly and while they were written with the same detail and research, I had trouble following through these segments. While the reader will be able to ascertain the issues Jones had off the golf course, it will be a little slower to be able to soak it in.
Overall, I felt this was a good biography on a golfer whose legend has grown over the years as more years pass and no golfer can duplicate the feat. Some golf historians hold Jones to a very high pedestal, which Simpson does not do here. I appreciated that as it read to be a fairly balanced account of the man’s golf and his life. It is a good read for anyone who is interested in golf history.
I wish to thank NetGalley for providing a copy of the digital book in exchange for an honest review.
Did I skim?
I did skim through some parts that dealt with Jones’ personal life as I was more interested in his golf achievements. I did read most of the book at a normal speed and was able to comprehend the main point of the book, which I felt was that Jones had a major accomplishment despite his personal demons.
Pace of the book:
It read slowly for me, although because I wasn’t familiar with much of the information in the book, I did reread some sections as well to follow some of the chapters, such as the one on Bobby’s Open championship
Do I recommend?
Yes, for hard core golf fans of the players of that era and for readers who are interested in stories about the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Epub)
April 28, 2012
Author was magnificent, I really enjoyed the light he shed on the not-so-beautiful side of Bobby.
Read
November 7, 2012loved it
November 16, 2016
A little dry in parts, but largely an informative journey through Bobby Jones' miraculous Grand Slam, which still has to underratedly be one of the greatest sports achievements of all time.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews