The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf
by Mark Frost
Originally published: November 2002
Paperback: 496 pages
Almost everyone with an addiction to the game of golf has heard of "The Greatest Game Ever Played". Some are familiar with the Disney movie, while others know it as the book by Twin Peaks co-creator and composer Mark Frost. Either way, unless you have delved into its meaty pages, you are probably under the impression that "The Greatest Game Ever Played" is the tale of a single, albeit legendary, golf tournament between an unknown amateur named Francis Ouimet and professional titan Harry Vardon at the 1913 U.S. Open.
It is.
And it is not.
While the 1913 U.S. Open match between Ouimet and Vardon provided Frost with the central framework for the book and it's gripping climax, the truer description of the book's content is contained in its subtitle: "Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf". For Frost, the story of Ouimet, Vardon, Ray, and the other cast of characters is, in large part, a mechanism through which he was able to re-create the history of the game from inception through it's acceptance in America. Frost starts his story several years before the epic duel between Vardon and Ouimet in 1913 and describes the people, the development of the equipment, the disparate treatment of professional versus amateur golfers, and everything in between.
If golf was a college history course, "The Greatest Game Ever Played" would be the textbook for the period of creation of tournament golf in Scotland through wide acceptance in America. At times, the shear weight of the detail packed into the text by Frost almost capsizes the central story of the book. Almost . . . but not quite.
Eventually, Frost hits his stride, moves away from a history book mentality, and he does an excellent job of telling the story of the 1913 U.S. Open. And what a story it is.
The Greatest Game Ever Played is not a book for the casual golf historian. It is a deep, rich, time consuming, and occasionally frustrating look at the birth of modern tournament golf. But like any difficult task worth doing, it is a rewarding experience and one not to be overlooked by any true fan of the history of the game.
It is.
And it is not.
While the 1913 U.S. Open match between Ouimet and Vardon provided Frost with the central framework for the book and it's gripping climax, the truer description of the book's content is contained in its subtitle: "Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf". For Frost, the story of Ouimet, Vardon, Ray, and the other cast of characters is, in large part, a mechanism through which he was able to re-create the history of the game from inception through it's acceptance in America. Frost starts his story several years before the epic duel between Vardon and Ouimet in 1913 and describes the people, the development of the equipment, the disparate treatment of professional versus amateur golfers, and everything in between.
If golf was a college history course, "The Greatest Game Ever Played" would be the textbook for the period of creation of tournament golf in Scotland through wide acceptance in America. At times, the shear weight of the detail packed into the text by Frost almost capsizes the central story of the book. Almost . . . but not quite.
Eventually, Frost hits his stride, moves away from a history book mentality, and he does an excellent job of telling the story of the 1913 U.S. Open. And what a story it is.
The Greatest Game Ever Played is not a book for the casual golf historian. It is a deep, rich, time consuming, and occasionally frustrating look at the birth of modern tournament golf. But like any difficult task worth doing, it is a rewarding experience and one not to be overlooked by any true fan of the history of the game.
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