Rating: 
Summary: Inside the Ropes at the Majors in 1998
Review: The year was 1998 and the winners were Mark O'Meara (The Masters at Augusta National and The British Open at Royal Birkdale), Lee Janzen (The U.S. Open at the Olympic Club), and Vijay Singh (The P.G.A. Championship at Sahalee Country Club). Although all four Majors are conducted under the collaborative supervision of the U.S.G.A. and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club organizations, each has its own terms and conditions for participation as well as stages of qualification to compete with those who, for various reasons, are automatically eligible. For me, one of this book's most fascinating subjects is the qualifying process to which many are called but few are eventually chosen. Perhaps only the annual process to earn a P.G.A card creates greater tension and frustration for those involved. To the extent that space allows, Feinstein examines wannabes as well as perennial and promising contenders for each of the championships in 1998. He includes hundreds of vignettes and anecdotes about them, thus giving human significance to the names on the scoreboard. I also appreciate having historical information which creates a context for each Major, three of which have a different course location each year. Only the Masters has a permanent site. P.G.A. golf competition is unique among professional sports in that players are essentially self-regulated, personally assume all costs of participation (travel, accommodations, caddy, etc.), and earn nothing if they fail to make the 36-hole cut. It is not uncommon for one player to prevent another from inadvertently breaking a rule as Tom Kite once did near the end of the final round when he was in contention. Later, Kite was astonished that anyone was surprised by his initiative which probably denied him victory in that tournament. (The player he assisted won it.) Feinstein skillfully captures the flavor and nuances of what can be ferocious competition but also the fact that it is (with rare exceptions) conducted with dignity, style, and grace as well as with exceptional skill. For those who love the game of golf and especially for golfers who are eager to know what it is like to compete in the Majors, this is the book to read. It reads more like a novel than an almanac. It reveals "the joy of victory" for some and the "agony of defeat for others" while celebrating certain values which seem to have become less common each day...except on a golf course. For whatever it may be worth, over the years I have played probably 500 rounds of golf on several dozen different golf courses (both public and private) and do not remember a single "ugly" encounter with another player. Having said that, I feel obliged to point out that "golf" is "flog" spelled backwards. On numerous occasions, it really has been for me "a good walk spoiled" but my passion for the game and my respect for those who play it so well remain undiminished. Beginning in 1960, Theodore H. White wrote several "The Making of the President" accounts. I was reminded of that as I read this book, wishing that Feinstein or another author of comparable talent would write an annual volume in (let's call it) "The Making of Majors' Champions" series. This would enable avid golfers such as I to return in time to memorable moments during past Majors competition. End-of-year DVDs featuring such moments plus commentaries among special features would also be much appreciated. Meanwhile, we have Feinstein's lively as well as informative book which recreates (to the extent a text can) stirring triumphs by O'Meara, Janzen, and Singh as well as dozens of other human subplots associated with those victories eight years ago.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice account about the toughest tasks in golf
Review: There is no doubt that noted sportswriter and author, John Feinstein, is quite the golf fan. He currently has three separate books on the market about golf. "A Good Walk Spoiled" deals with the vast cross-section of PGA Tour players from the `grinders' who can barely make the tour to the elite who win the major tournaments. Feinstein's most recent book, "Open" focuses on the notable 2002 U.S. Open tournament held at New York's Bethpage Black public golf course. In between these broad and narrow manifestos, Feinstein finds a middle ground in his book, "The Majors". "The Majors" follows a similar approach to "A Good Walk Spoiled", but narrative focus is narrowed to only deal with the four `major' tournaments: The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship. Instead of focusing on all the golfers who play on the tour, Feinstein cares about those are legitimate contenders for the majors and the pressures they endure in pursuit of golf's Holy Grail.
The season in question is the 1998 PGA Tour season. This is just one year after Tiger Woods burst on to the scene with his shocking domination of the 1997 Masters. In the interim, Tiger-mania has faded as has Woods' performance. 1998 is less about Tiger and more about men who have long battled for these trophies, but had, so far, failed to attain them. It is ironic that Tiger's good friends, Mark O'Meara actually became the big winner of 1998 with his victory in The Masters and the British Open.
"The Majors" is quite an enjoyable read because of how it thrusts the reader in the high pressure world of big-time golf and major tournaments. Feinstein is a gifted sportswriter and great author. "The Majors" is just one more testament to that.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring. Tired.
Review: There is, if you can actually believe it, a line in this book about Fred Couples' girlfriend going to the bathroom. In an effort to just write whatever down, Feinstein has included a bunch of pointless subplots and ignored, once again, the tournaments themselves. The PGA, in this book, is just some homecoming for Fred Couples. You don't even get a reasonable picture of the course. You would think, given the book is about four damn events, Feinstein could tell you about the course. But, then, he figures every person who reads his book knows exactly what the hell he's talking about at all times, so....we get anecdotes about Fred Couples wanting to leave, if only his girlfriend weren't in the bathroom.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Review: When you pick up this book, don't think that you are going to learn everything you want to know about the 4 majors. This book focuses solely on the stories in 1998. With O'Meara winning the Masters and the British and Vijay Singh and Lee Janzen winning the PGA and US Open respectively, in comparison, it wasn't that exciting a year. Don't get me wrong, there were some interesting storylines and it was well written, but if you are a golf fan who knows some of his/her stuff, you will not learn too much. One thing I did not hear before this was that Rae's Creek is dyed blue every year. There are a few other interesting tidbits, but not too many. All in all, it was well written, but not too difficult to read. Very easy to follow.
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