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Draw in the Dunes: The 1969 Ryder Cup and the Finish That Shocked the World
In 1969, the 42-year history of biennial golf matches between the United States and Great Britain reached its climax. The U.S., led by Jack Nicklaus, had dominated competitive golf for years; Great Britain, led by Tony Jacklin, was the undisputed underdog. But in spite of having lost 14 of 17 Ryder Cups in the past, the British entered the 1969 Ryder Cup as determined as the Americans were dominant. What followed was the most compelling, controversial, and contentious Ryder Cup the sport had ever seen. Draw in the Dunes is a story of personal and professional conflict, from the nervousness displayed at the very beginning of the Ryder Cup matches―when one man could not tee his golf ball―to the nerve displayed by Nicklaus and Jacklin, who battled each other all the way to the final moment of the final match. Throughout the Cup, 17 of the 32 matches were not decided until the final hole. Most electrifying was Nicklaus and Jacklin's contest, which decided the fate of the Ryder Cup. At the last putt, Nicklaus conceded to Jacklin, keeping the cup for the Americans while letting the British walk away with their most successful Ryder Cup result in years. From this event, which came to be known as "The Concession," Nicklaus and Jacklin forged a lifelong friendship and ushered in a new era of golf. From the author of the critically acclaimed golf history The Longest Shot , Draw in the Dunes is the gripping account of a legendary Cup competition, and the story of golf's greatest act of sportsmanship.
- GenresSports
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 9, 2014
4 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Neil Sagebiel
4 books11 followersI'm an author, writer and blogger who started ARMCHAIR GOLF BLOG in 2005. Through my golf blog, I met Jack Fleck and wrote THE LONGEST SHOT: Jack Fleck, Ben Hogan, and Pro Golf's Greatest Upset at the 1955 U.S. Open. THE LONGEST SHOT was named one of the Top 10 Sports Books of 2012 by Booklist.
My second book, DRAW IN THE DUNES: The 1969 Ryder Cup and the Finish That Shocked the World, published in September 2014. It includes a foreword by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin.
I live in Staunton, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.armchairgolfblog.blogspot.com or http://www.headlinesfromfloyd.com.
My second book, DRAW IN THE DUNES: The 1969 Ryder Cup and the Finish That Shocked the World, published in September 2014. It includes a foreword by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin.
I live in Staunton, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.armchairgolfblog.blogspot.com or http://www.headlinesfromfloyd.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 9, 2017
(1 1/2). I am a pretty hardcore golf nut. I will read most any golf book. This was hard to get through. Yes, I know it was an historical event, but the recollection should not be putting me to sleep. The fact that you totally know the outcome and its ramifications is also a cooling factor but mostly this is a somewhat tedious look at a match that just does not feel that important any more. I have read good narratives of competitions (The Match for instance) in this genre and this does not measure up.
May 10, 2017
Engaging but pretty ordinary account of the nail-biter 1969 Ryder Cup matches. The story is gripping and Sagebiel does a good job of incorporating details about seemingly mundane things like wardrobe that add a nice texture. But generally speaking it reads like most every history of major sports events, and you won't walk away from it knowing all that much more about the participants.
July 15, 2015
Let's start with the basics - the 1969 Ryder Cup basically is remembered for one moment - a putt that was never attempted.
In fact, it's probably the reason why "Draw in the Dunes," the story of that tournament, was written and published.
Funny how things sometimes work out.
That moment certainly will be mentioned this month, as the Ryder Cup competition resumes on the other side of the Atlantic. The best of the United States and the best of the Europe will square off in a team competition, You no doubt will see players affected by a different type of pressure, and suffer for it as a result.
It's been 45 years since that non-putt, and author Neil Sagebiel takes us back to 1969 and the Royal Birkdale Golf Club to review the competition. The Ryder Cup was in some trouble at that point, as the format matched the United States' pros versus Great Britain's best. That once was more than a fair fight, but by the late Sixties the Americans were dominating the event. The U.S. had lost once since a defeat in 1933.
Entering 1969's competition, the Americans seemed to have all of the big guns. Jack Nicklaus was on that team, followed by Lee Trevino, Ray Floyd, Billy Casper and other solid players. The British team had Tony Jacklin, on the roll of his life, and several guys who might have popped up on a British Open leaderboard once in a while. However, as a team, Great Britain didn't figure to be much of a threat.
In stunning fashion, the Brits jumped out to an early lead and stayed close throughout the competition. Jacklin was a tiger, and players such as Neil Coles and Peter Townsend were on top of their games. It all came down to the last singles competition, Jacklin and Nicklaus, and the last hole, the 18th. Both men had short birdie putts, relatively easy under normal circumstances but certainly much more difficult when a team championship was on the line. Nicklaus rolled in a testy 5-footer, which guaranteed that America would keep possession of the Cup since the U.S. could do no worse than tie.
Nicklaus then walked over and picked up Jacklin's ball marker, conceding the putt. He wasn't going to let his friend suffer the possible consequences of a missed putt in front of his home country. In the cutthroat world of sports, then and now, it was a memorable gesture of sportsmanship.
The story as presented here doesn't have much momentum in the early going. Safebiel goes over some recent (from the 1969 perspective) golf history of the Ryder Cup and the participants. Part of the problem is that from an American perspective, few British players from that group are familiar to golf fans on this side of the Atlantic today. Peter Alliss is one of them, but that's more of a tribute to his work as a broadcaster. If only for that reason, it's easy to think this book might be more successful in reaching a British audience. When the golf balls start to fly in the story, it's also difficult to make the play-by-play of a golf event like this come alive years later, although some of the participants do give some good comments about what they were thinking at the time.
But eventually, the competition slowly winds down to Nicklaus vs. Jacklin, and that remembered and dramatic gesture. Not only do the two principals give their thoughts, but some of the other team members jump in with reactions. It's interesting to discover that opinions have changed about the incident over the course of 45 years.
It's tough to argue successfully that the 1969 Ryder Cup started us on the road to the huge international event that goes on today. The Americans went back to their winning ways through the final four U.S.-G.B match-ups, and only the full participation of European players changed the dynamics of the competition.
"Draw in the Dunes" certainly fulfills its key role - explaining exactly what happened on that famous non-putt, and how it's perceived today. It's difficult to say that most golf fans will want more information on the entire event than that; a long magazine article might have satisfied the curiosity of many. But it's nice to have the information published, professionally written, and available.
In fact, it's probably the reason why "Draw in the Dunes," the story of that tournament, was written and published.
Funny how things sometimes work out.
That moment certainly will be mentioned this month, as the Ryder Cup competition resumes on the other side of the Atlantic. The best of the United States and the best of the Europe will square off in a team competition, You no doubt will see players affected by a different type of pressure, and suffer for it as a result.
It's been 45 years since that non-putt, and author Neil Sagebiel takes us back to 1969 and the Royal Birkdale Golf Club to review the competition. The Ryder Cup was in some trouble at that point, as the format matched the United States' pros versus Great Britain's best. That once was more than a fair fight, but by the late Sixties the Americans were dominating the event. The U.S. had lost once since a defeat in 1933.
Entering 1969's competition, the Americans seemed to have all of the big guns. Jack Nicklaus was on that team, followed by Lee Trevino, Ray Floyd, Billy Casper and other solid players. The British team had Tony Jacklin, on the roll of his life, and several guys who might have popped up on a British Open leaderboard once in a while. However, as a team, Great Britain didn't figure to be much of a threat.
In stunning fashion, the Brits jumped out to an early lead and stayed close throughout the competition. Jacklin was a tiger, and players such as Neil Coles and Peter Townsend were on top of their games. It all came down to the last singles competition, Jacklin and Nicklaus, and the last hole, the 18th. Both men had short birdie putts, relatively easy under normal circumstances but certainly much more difficult when a team championship was on the line. Nicklaus rolled in a testy 5-footer, which guaranteed that America would keep possession of the Cup since the U.S. could do no worse than tie.
Nicklaus then walked over and picked up Jacklin's ball marker, conceding the putt. He wasn't going to let his friend suffer the possible consequences of a missed putt in front of his home country. In the cutthroat world of sports, then and now, it was a memorable gesture of sportsmanship.
The story as presented here doesn't have much momentum in the early going. Safebiel goes over some recent (from the 1969 perspective) golf history of the Ryder Cup and the participants. Part of the problem is that from an American perspective, few British players from that group are familiar to golf fans on this side of the Atlantic today. Peter Alliss is one of them, but that's more of a tribute to his work as a broadcaster. If only for that reason, it's easy to think this book might be more successful in reaching a British audience. When the golf balls start to fly in the story, it's also difficult to make the play-by-play of a golf event like this come alive years later, although some of the participants do give some good comments about what they were thinking at the time.
But eventually, the competition slowly winds down to Nicklaus vs. Jacklin, and that remembered and dramatic gesture. Not only do the two principals give their thoughts, but some of the other team members jump in with reactions. It's interesting to discover that opinions have changed about the incident over the course of 45 years.
It's tough to argue successfully that the 1969 Ryder Cup started us on the road to the huge international event that goes on today. The Americans went back to their winning ways through the final four U.S.-G.B match-ups, and only the full participation of European players changed the dynamics of the competition.
"Draw in the Dunes" certainly fulfills its key role - explaining exactly what happened on that famous non-putt, and how it's perceived today. It's difficult to say that most golf fans will want more information on the entire event than that; a long magazine article might have satisfied the curiosity of many. But it's nice to have the information published, professionally written, and available.
June 12, 2015
This is a very good book for any golf fan, and any golf fan is particularly keen to hear more about the Ryder Cup and its history. The focus of this book is on the matches in 1969, which was full of interesting story lines, not just about the characters and incidents involved, but regarding its role as a pivotal point in the history of the Cup. This year could very well have ended the competitions.
Some like me will be entertained with memories of the times, the players, and what the Ryder Cup was in those days, especially knowing what happened from that time forward. Younger readers will find their perspective of what the Ryder Cup is today enhanced by the knowledge of its earlier history. Insights into the individual players will tell readers more about some familiar names, and bring to light some not so familiar, but all will lead one to compare not only their play but their on-course actions to today’s players.
These matches in 1969 had several reasons for being important in the game, but perhaps most of all it is remembered for the way they ended. If you want proof of why Jack Nicklaus is rightfully considered one of the classiest people who ever played the game, much less one of the finest people you’d ever meet, this is as good a place as any to start. “The Concession” is an important part of the history of golf, and of the Ryder Cup, but it says so much more.
My rating was affected by how a good portion of the book struggles to present a play-by-play, stroke-by-stroke description of each and every game without redundancy of verbiage. In retrospect, hearing about every stroke may not have been as necessary as the author felt. Beyond that, I know from the writing of my own novel, “Gabriel’s Creek” how difficult play-by-play is to pull off, but this historical record was certainly more challenging. Many readers may find that part of this more thrilling than I did.
Some like me will be entertained with memories of the times, the players, and what the Ryder Cup was in those days, especially knowing what happened from that time forward. Younger readers will find their perspective of what the Ryder Cup is today enhanced by the knowledge of its earlier history. Insights into the individual players will tell readers more about some familiar names, and bring to light some not so familiar, but all will lead one to compare not only their play but their on-course actions to today’s players.
These matches in 1969 had several reasons for being important in the game, but perhaps most of all it is remembered for the way they ended. If you want proof of why Jack Nicklaus is rightfully considered one of the classiest people who ever played the game, much less one of the finest people you’d ever meet, this is as good a place as any to start. “The Concession” is an important part of the history of golf, and of the Ryder Cup, but it says so much more.
My rating was affected by how a good portion of the book struggles to present a play-by-play, stroke-by-stroke description of each and every game without redundancy of verbiage. In retrospect, hearing about every stroke may not have been as necessary as the author felt. Beyond that, I know from the writing of my own novel, “Gabriel’s Creek” how difficult play-by-play is to pull off, but this historical record was certainly more challenging. Many readers may find that part of this more thrilling than I did.
November 5, 2015
Solid golf book. Some good stories, especially about the game that almost came to blows. No two and a half footer to force a tie for the Ryder Cup would be conceded in this day and age. That's a fact.
November 20, 2014
Interesting read, a good story that I had not heard much about previously. A lot of famous golfers in this tourney!
October 24, 2014
I had never read a golf book before and found this to be very entertaining but mainly because I knew all the names from the '69 PGA Tour.
May 11, 2015
Decent golf book especially if you like the Ryder Cup today. Some interesting stories.
April 12, 2015
Recap of 1969 Ryder Cup and the concession.
June 30, 2015
Another well written historical golf piece by Neil Sagebiel. I hope he keeps producing works in this niche.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews