The Greatest Player Who Never Lived: A Golf Story

by J. Michael Veron

When Charley Hunter goes to work as a summer intern at a prestigious Atlanta law firm, he has no idea that his passion for golf will come into play on the job. Stumbling onto a yellowed file containing correspondence between Beau Stedman, an astonishingly talented teenage golfer, and the legendary Bobby Jones (once a partner at the firm), Hunter finds himself embroiled in a decades-old murder case–and searching for an invisible champion who won nearly all his matches with the masters.

As Hunter unravels the facts of Stedman’s case, his hunger for the truth is matched only by his deepening reverence for the game, one that leads him to a heart-stopping courtroom showdown between golf’s most powerful association and a family torn apart by buried secrets.

Genres: Sports, Fiction, Mystery

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Anna]

I am sorry but I just had to give up. Not being a golf player/enthusiast/addict you might wonder what made me choose this book. The answer is - I have no idea. My over enthusiastic self, in the used bookshop? It sounded interesting, cozy even, maybe?: When Charley Hunter goes to work as a summer intern at a prestigious Atlanta law firm, he has no idea that his passion for golf will come into play on the job. ….”
If you share my reflection that golf is just about the least exciting sport to watch, then you might want to pass this one.
I refrain from giving it any stars because it wouldn’t be fair - for someone who loves golf this could be a fantastic read, but not for me.

[Kyle Heiden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine golf book with an inspiring theme. Don’t recommend for anyone who isn’t an avid golf fan as it was slow at times. Very much enjoyed the historical references throughout this book. I learned my fair share throughout the story of Beau Stedman. I just couldn’t help to keep thinking how I wanted the story from his point of view though. Enjoyed the twists and turns towards the end of the book. 3-3.5 stars.

[Warren R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, easy to visualize, keeps moving with sufficient description of action and context.

[Books, Brews, and Tunes · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read this about 15 years ago when I was a teenager, thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and sport of it then. I found it even more enjoyable this time around... a story of history, mystery, and sporting success along with a wonderful life story and timeless message throughout. Glad I remembered this book's existence whilst watching "Why Didn't The Ask Evans?" and even more glad I decided to re-read it.

If you like history, sports (especially golf), law, and mysteries... this is the perfect book.

[Rick Fifield · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Beau Steadman who was wrongly accused of murder and unable to follow his dream to play golf. However his friend Bobby Jones, who besides being the world famous golfer was a lawyer, helped set up matches with various famous players using numerous aliases. Mr. Jones also found out as much information about the crime as possible. A great little known story.

[Mark Maioli · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, but would probably be better for someone who is not familiar with golf history. Most of the stories about the great players from the past I already knew so it could be tiresome go over those exploits again in parts of the book.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this book down

I loved this book as a golf playing junkie would but this book is so much more. I really enjoyed reading about Bobby Jones, Augusta and how golf has changed so much over the years. What a great read.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book that I have ever read!!! I had to think how a unknown person could beat every great golfer and still stay unknown to the golf world!!!
I’m going to try to play golf the way he plays, and enjoy the moment!!!

[Bruce · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book. It had very shallow character development, no character development at all for the greatest player. The book did give a little history of well known PGA golfers which kept me reading.

[Rhea L Gonczi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book

What a story not only of golf but life itself. If more people lived their lives as Beau, our country would not be where it is today. It would be a much better place. Thank you for writing this book.

[Bruce Eckert · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars - Unless you are a hard core golfer do not read this book as it is directed at people who follow golf history and know the back stories of many of the old-time golf stars. I am a golf nerd but I found this story a little amateurish and mostly unbelievable.

[Ronald Vasicek · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most interesting part of the book is all the golf history in it. We listened to this as an audio book on the way home from Rochester.

[Alfonso Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an enjoyable read. I highly recommend it for any lawyer who plays golf and loves UU Golf history.

[Jeannie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best stories I've ever read. It's hard to believe that it's fiction.

[Ka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must know a bit about golf to truly appreciate this wonderful read.

[Larry McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who loves the game of golf! A fascinating novel. It was so well crafted that I had to remind myself as I read the book that it was fiction and not a true part of golf history.

[Josh Sokoloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just to let you know, this is one of the best golf books I have read. I had a to find a book for an english project and I am glad I chose this. Even if you don't like golf, it has a great story line to it.

In this book Charley Hunter goes to a summer internship at Butler and Yates. His first task when he gets there is to organize files of Bobby Jones (For all of you who don't know who Bobby Jones is...well he is the greatest golfer). While going through his files he finds out that a 16 year old kid named Beau Stedman, had beaten Bobby Jones in a competitive golf tournament. This caught the eye of Charley, so he decided to do some more research on Beau. He found out that Beau had a very special talent and a good relationship with Bobby Jones. He also found out that Beau was accused of a murder, which led him to leave his hometown of South Carolina and never play competitive golf tournaments again. He was accused of killing a golf club manager's wife. Charley didn't think that Beau would do something like this, so throughout the book, Charley tries to find out who really killed the manager's wife. This book is really interesting and if you are interested in a good book to read, I recommend "The Greatest Player Who Never Lived".

[Russ Jarvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love watching and playing golf and have published an introduction to the game. This novel doesn't read like fiction. It was a good companion read to "The Grand Slam: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf." He covers a lot of golfing history but the story manages to stay about the main character and has a good sense of closure. You empathize with him and cheer for the protagonist who makes the good ending possible. It's a story that I wish could be true for all of us, whether or not we choose to make golf part of our lives. I have a friend who turned me onto Andrew Greig's memoir "Preferred Lies: A Journey into the Heart of Scottish Golf." I think I'll give this book to him for a good read.

[Adam Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must have for golf fans all over. This book thrives on the lore surrounding the game (of which there is a vast amount) and a legend that helped create a great deal of it. "The Greatest Player Who Never Lived: A Golf Story" is a detailed account that at many points makes the reader do a double take to be reminded that it is in fact fiction. Blending the truth with the fiction kept me reading for three solid hours. Though the book does at times feel a bit dense, Veron is a writer with a background in law, it was a very well written and crafted story. The sense of justice at the end of the book allowed for one to feel as if they had helped uncover the truth about a man who deserved to be recognized.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful premise, so well done that it felt like it could have been true. Golfers and fans of golf history will love this, though non-golfers will probably be put off by the amount of detail about the game. I could have lived without some of the legal posturing, but the excellent golf history more than made up for it. Highly recommend.

[Jomie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had greater expectations given the 'John Grisham meets golf' touting, but I didn't think the storyline was all that great. And all the historical golf facts and tidbits were too much for me. I can see how golf aficionados would love it though.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it. I really don't know how much I would have liked it if I wasn't been a golfer, or didn't known of all the famous golfers who are part of this story. But I enjoyed it as much as any book I've ever read.

[Michael Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great golfing novel, a mystery found in the private files of Bobby Jones and revealed very vividly over the course of the story. I know golf quite well and loved this; maybe I would have even if I were ignorant about the game's history.

[Bill Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice story. I'm usually turned off by stories that incorporate real people, but give them a different personality. I've read a little about Bobby Jones and think it is unlikely he is much like the character depicted in this book. Despite that flaw, I enjoyed the story.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you play golf You must read this book. You will not regret it

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun, quick read, and it sparked my interest in other golf literature. Veron does a nice job of mixing fact and fiction - the story is very believable and entertaining.

[Helen Southall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, fun read especially after watching the Master's this year. Not great literature but enjoyable

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent golf mystery but some of the rounds he plays are unrealistic. I mean a 69 at Augusta Ntl on like your 1st round in a year?

[Bruce Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

great golf book

[David Carraturo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story and the way the writer told it. All golf fans should read this.