Book Description

Amazon.com

As "The Golfer of the Century," Jack Nicklaus is arecognized authority on the game's history and direction, and in his 13thbook, My Story, he shares the details of his most impressivevictories. With 20 major championships under his belt, he has plenty ofhighlights to share, including shot-by-shot analyses of his classic battles withfellow legends Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Tom Watson. Indeed,Nicklaus seems to recall every shot of his illustrious career, and he is able toinfuse his discussions of final round action with suspense, even thoughwe've known the outcomes all these years. To this erudite study of golf theGolden Bear adds personal elements that reveal the man behind the one-iron.Nicklaus describes his business dealings--both successes and failures--hislove of golf course design, the effects of celebrity status, and his childhood.Written with his longtime collaborator Ken Bowden, My Story isanother eagle for the man whose name fills the record books. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Very good book, hits all the highlights of his great career.
In fact, I have only very minor complaints about the book. One is that his "contributor", Bowden, uses some phrases ad nauseam. I don't know how many times we read that Jack finished the third round 3 shots "adrift" of the leader. Not trailing by three, or behind by three, but "adrift" by three. Using that term for variety is okay, but it's used to death. I think he's a golfer, not a sailor.

Again, though, that's a minor distraction that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of reading about the greatest.

An Incredibly Charming and Informative Book
Jack Nicklaus' career is one of the greatest in all sports. Especially famous are his 18 major victories (20 if you count the US Amateur), and this book is a story about those victories, and his life in between. His book is divided into 20 chapters - one for each of those major victories, and in them he discusses the events which transpired before that particular tournament, and the tournament itself. What a natural yet perfect structure for a book like this!

The best aspect of the book, I felt, was the immediacy with which Nicklaus writes. When you read this book you almost feel as if Nicklaus is talking to you, just yourself, at points.

Each chapter talks about a particular tournament and what happened before it. Particularly amazing is the clarity with which Nicklaus can recall those tournaments he describes. He describes individual key holes, what was going through his mind, and the general up and downs which accompany a round of golf. After reading this book, we know Nicklaus is a champion: he can win not only when he's up, but also when he's (to some extent) down. Also, as an interesting side note, Nicklaus also gives a few golfing tips - perhaps no one can become as great as him, but it never hurts to try!

And the last aspect of the book I found enjoyable were the photographs. True, they were black and white, but show how he changed over time, and chronicle some of the most memorable moments of his major career wins.

You come away more convinced than ever of Nicklaus' greatness. A great book to read anywhere, anytime.

One of the greatest tells his story
Insights into this champion and our time in golf will be read by the future generations through the Bear's eyes. Humble yet intense, this guy never quits. Especially enjoyed his sharing of what was going on inside with his famous finish at Turnberry in 1977. He's a guy you respect for his game and his person.

If you like Jack, this ones for you
Having been a golfer for 26 years and taught by my Dad, I can relate well to this book. Jack is one of my top 2 favorite players, the other being Tiger Woods. This book tracks Jacks career from kid to Senior Tour. To look back at it, he was a tremendous player. Tiger has his work cut out to surpass Jacks career achievements. Good stuff about his family, mentors and fellow players. A must for Jack fans.

A golden treasure about the golden bear!
Who won 2 U.S. Amateurs, 6 Masters, 4 U. S. Opens, 3 British Opens, 5 PGA Championships and countless other golf tournaments? Who was honored and the greatest golfer in the 20th century? Jack Nicklaus and nothing more need to be said.

This 13 tape, that's right 13 tapes, collection is a truly one of a kind audio book, that I will hold onto for years to come and pass on to my children. Jack Nicklaus exemplifies every that golf stands for.

Reading the book was a great experience, however listening to it added even more to the already exciting and glamorous career that has spanned over 40 years. I enjoyed each and moment of the audio book.

One thing I think may have added even more to the recording would have been if the Golden Bear himself has done the reading. Overall this ranks as one of the great books I have reviewed so far! ... Read more

Book Description

Golf is sometimes referred to as "the wicked game" because it is fiendishly difficult to play well. Yet in the parlance of the Tiger Woods generation, it's also a wickedly good game -- rich, glamorous, and more popular than ever.

When we think about golf -- as it is played at its highest level -- we think of three names: Tiger Woods, the most famous sports figure in the world today, Arnold Palmer, the father of modern golf, and Jack Nicklaus, the game's greatest champion. In this penetrating, forty-year history of men's professional golf, acclaimed author Howard Sounes tells the story of the modern game through the lives of its greatest icons. With unprecedented access to players and their closest associates, Sounes reveals the personal lives, rivalries, wealth, and business dealings of these remarkable men, as well as the murky history of a game that has been marred by racism and sex discrimination. Among the many revelations, the complete and true story of Tiger Woods and his family background is untangled, uncovering surprising new details that inspire the golfer's father to exclaim, "Hell, you taught me some things about my life I never knew about!" Earl Woods and other members of Tiger Woods's family, his friends, girlfriends, caddies, coaches, and business associates were among the 150 people interviewed over two years of research. Others included Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, fellow champions such as Ernie Els, Gary Player, Tony Jacklin, and Tom Watson, and golf moguls such as Mark H. McCormack, billionaire founder of the sports agency IMG.

The Wicked Game is a compelling story of talent, fame, wealth, and power. Entertaining for dedicated golfers, and accessible to those who only follow the game on television, this may be the most original and exciting sports book of the year.

Reviews (3)

A page-turning history of golf that stays with you
The story of men's professional golf since the 1950s is laid out in an easy-to-read, highly enjoyable style. The chapters are well-crafted, and lively and fun. The stories of the classic major tournaments are re-told in a fresh way, based on new interviews. But the heart of the book is what we don't usually learn about the likes of Palmer, Nicklaus and Woods (also Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Byron Nelson et al): the business deals, the politics, the personal lives. And some of these golfing heroes have feet of clay. Criticism is well-balanced and fair-minded, however, unless you happen to think pro' golf already has an open-handed attitude to women and ethnic minorities. Sounes obviously has a low opinion of the golf establishment, bodies like the PGA and PGA of America. But at the same time there is real affection here for the great tournaments and genuine appreciation of big characters like Arnie Palmer who are, whatever their faults, interesting men who have lived rich lives. Now I know exactly how rich.

Interesting but tries too hard
Some interesting stories on the business dealings of the Palmer, Nicklaus and Woods but I don't buy the agrguments regarding discrimination in the PGA. It is too easy to carve out one piece in the overall history of race relations and make Palmer and Nicklaus (and other major golfers) look bad for not leading the charge for change. Many American failed in this area.

And why doesn't the author focus on Woods lack of involvement in making change? Woods is like Palmer and Nicklaus in their day - great golfers focused on their game.

A great read!
I bought this book after reading a rave review and it is a tremendously engrossing read: the whole story of modern golf in its glory, and the skeletons in its closet. Many surprises. Finely written. Often funny, and a new take on Tiger Woods for sure. ... Read more

Book Description

Jack Nicklaus: Golf's Greatest Champion is an intimately penned biography following the life and times of the Golden Bear. Mark Shaw takes the reader on a trip through history from Jack Nicklaus's childhood and early golf training with his mentor, Jack Grout, to his success on the Senior PGA Tour. Along the way, the reader finds anecdotes from Nicklaus's family, closest friends, golf rivals, and associates; career statistics; and analysis of Nicklaus's playing theories. Shaw paints a portrait for the reader of Jack, the golfer; Jack, the family man; and Jack, the golf course designer and businessman. With the energy of a life-long fan, Shaw concludes the book with arguments why Jack Nicklaus should be recognized as the greatest golfer in the history of the sport. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Jack is the greatest
This is the best book on Jack Nicklaus I have ever read. It details his career, but more important, insights into Jack's mind and his strategy. Tiger may be on his trail, but until he racks up a few more championships, Jack is the greatest. This is a must-read for Nicklaus lovers and there are many of us out there.

Atrocious Nicklaus book
Actually, a quarter of a star. Hampered by overstylized, crummy writing; apparently no copyediting or proofreading, so mistakes aplenty; and, amazingly, zero quotes from Nicklaus. Author has a love/hate relationship with Jack. Just can't get the golden bear to speak to him. Does author really believe that Nicklaus--not Tiger--is golf's greatest champion? Even Nicklaus would find that hard to swallow. So was this sham of a book. ... Read more

Book Description

In the rest of the world, they call it the Open Championship. Americans call it the British Open, but if any tournament is considered the battle for the world championship of golf, it is the one held annually on the great links courses of Scotland and England, the birthplace of the game.

By the time the 1977 Open came to Turnberry on Scotland's west coast, Jack Nicklaus had established himself as the greatest champion the golf world has ever known, well on his way to the record that Tiger Woods would spend his childhood dreaming of and pointing toward. The sight of Nicklaus on the leaderboard was enough to make strong golfers shake. Everyone knew that Nicklaus was the man to beat in every major championship he entered.

At the same time, Tom Watson had become the latest golfer to be heralded as the "Next Nicklaus." Watson had overcome his reputation for choking in big tournaments and was beginning to be viewed by his peers as the top player of his generation. He had won two majors, but there were still questions about his ability to stand up under the fiercest pressure.

There are few moments in sports when it is clear to one and all that a torch has been passed. The 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry was one such event. The weather was uncharacteristically warm, British golf fans bared their pink skin to the unfamiliar sun, and the course played hard and fast. Nicklaus and Watson were tied after the first two rounds. Nicklaus shot a blistering 65-66 over the last two days to post a 72-hole score that set a tournament record; but Watson, paired with Nicklaus over those fateful 36 holes, looked Jack in the eye and shot 65-65 to win by a stroke. And the Next Nicklaus had been found at last, even as the original kept winning major tournaments -- but the air of invincibility was gone forever.

Michael Corcoran takes the drama of this rare moment in golf history and brings it to vivid life. He draws on his interviews with competitors, caddies, commentators, and spectators to tell the magnificent story of this epic duel in all the rich detail any fan of golfing drama could ask for. Duel in the Sun is an unforgettable tale of the rise of a new hero and the grace of an older champion welcoming him to the summit of the game. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

it makes you wish tiger had players he could duel with.
I am a 31 year old former college golfer. I am a history buff of all sports but I really didn't know my golf history as well as i should. This book really helped me. The book details Palmer, Player, Trevino, Nicklaus, Watson and a host of others. You also learn the detailed history of the British Open or as they call it "The Open" The detail of how the British cadies talk is alone worthy as a reason to read this. If you are a golf fan this is a 5 star book if you are not a golf fan I would not recommend it. Although I wouldn't want to dress like they did in the 1970's ; this book made you wish that you did grow up then.

Great read!
Even the most casual sports fan will love this book. Like Laura Hillenbrand did in Sea Biscuit, Corcoran breathes life into an epic moment in sports history, the duel between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson in the 1977 British Open. The writing makes you feel like you're right there during the twists and turns of the tournament, getting to peek inside the heads of the athletes during the most pressure-filled moments. And the story is terrific... two golfers at the top of their game, battling a course that none of their competitors could handle. This book was really top-notch.

Best I've Ever Read on Golf
The storytelling and the quality of writing in this book are excellent. You won't want it to end.

A rambling piece ...
This book is very poorly written and organized. It is a rambling piece that covers a number of subjects other than the "Duel in the Sun" in a very disorganized manner. The commentary etc. of the actual "Duel in the Sun" comes along after about 2/3 of the book, and presents virtually nothing insightful.

The best kind of golf book
This is the best golf book I've read in several years. The author makes exciting an event which took place more than a quarter-century ago, and that's no easy chore. The minor characters are just as interesting and entertaining as Nicklaus and Watson. Corcoran weaves together geography, history, psychology and more as he tells the story of the greatest mano a mano golf showdown ever. Corcoran does an excellent job of building drama and tension page by page, until finally a winner is revealed. I couldn't put it down! In fact, I read it twice in two days. Buy this book for yourself or for the golf nut you know. You won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A fine exit
This book is the story of the Jack Nicklaus's farewell tour of the 4 majors. After hip replacement surgery, Nicklaus decided that 2000 would be the last year he would attempt to play in all 4 of professional golf's major championships. In a way, the timing worked out great. He was not normally exempt for the U.S. Open, and he assumed that 2000 would be the last year he would be granted a special exemption to play. I guess I am of the age that I really don't quite remember him when he was at his dominant peak of golf in the 70's. I just remember his great wins at the U.S. Open and at the Masters when most people had written him off as being too old. So this book is confirmation of his role as probably the greatest golfer of the 20th century, but is is sort of sad at the same time that it isn't until the age of 60 (!) that Nicklaus has to admit to giving into father time. He admits that he can't apply his ferocious will to get the ball in the hole when he wants to anymore. If you are a fan of Jack or of golf in general, this book is highly recommended ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Jack Nicklaus comes alive in this great biography.
Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer who ever lived and this book tells everything about him. I especially like the comparisons with the rest of the great golfers and the author's insight into Jack the family man.

Tom Shaw should take a mulligan with this book
For me, the best thing about this gawd-awful little book is the fact that I borrowed it from the library. Had I wasted so much as a ball marker I would have felt ripped off.

Was this a quick hack job? Or what? The author, Mark Shaw, is apparently a successful writer. I wondered, reading "Nicklaus", if this book was a rush job, the Domino's of biography. If you don't know anything about Nicklaus and you don't know anything about golf (not the sort of reader Shaw intended for the book I presume) you still need only stay awake, if you can, to notice the sloppiness.

One example out of many, from p. 243: "By the time he reached the seventh hole, Nicklaus had collected four more birdies, coming at four, five, six and seven." Trust me. When Nicklaus "reached" the seventh hole he had not yet birdied it.

As I say, this is only one example of many. Even more annoying is Shaw's inability to note contradictions within the text. In two consecutive

paragraphs, p. 175, Shaw quotes Nicklaus on the subject of pressure. In the first paragraph Nicklaus says: "There are not degrees of nervousness. I'm as nervous over a $5 bet as over a tournament prize." In the very next paragraph Nicklaus says: "I don't get nervous unless I'm in a major and in a position to win."

I suspect the first quote was from early in Nicklaus' career and the second quote from much later in his career. But who knows? There are no footnotes so how can you tell? The various contradictions in this book, back to back or separated by many pages (e.g. Nicklaus takes golf advice from no one/Nicklaus was always good at taking advice or Nicklaus hates the limelight/Nicklaus loves the limelight) might have been interesting to explore. But Shaw doesn't seem to even notice. It's like he's got a pile of quotes and shoves them all into the pot indiscriminately.

On top of all this Shaw is, simply, a terrible writer. A minor irritant is that he seems not to be a 'word person', committing such sins as confusing 'regiment' with 'regimen.' The big problem is that he strains too hard to write like a good writer. Instead of making it look easy Mark Shaw makes it look hard.

A sand wedge becomes "the club Gene Sarazen invented." Wait - let me pick a page at random for another example. Here we are, p. 233: "Somehow, through pure resolve and fighting spirit, Nicklaus dislodged his ball from its nasty spot and sped it towards the green." Did his publisher lay off all its editors?

On a more general level, if this book has anything new of any significance I couldn't find it. And I couldn't find the point of the odd way he organized the book, as Shaw mysteriously returns to bits and pieces of Nicklaus' outstanding 1972 season. Plain old chronology still hits the spot.

Unless and until a professional biographer, with plenty of time to read what he has written comes along, if you want to know about Nicklaus you should read his own books, starting with the 1968 "Golf - The Greatest Game of All." When Nicklaus refused to cooperate with this project was he just lucky?

This is one of the finest biographies I have ever read.
Mark Shaw has done a superb job in describing the greatest golfer who ever lived. Filled with little known information and exciting anecdotes, the book chronicles the life and times of Nicklaus as never before. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document, covering the life and work of Jack (William) Nicklaus, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thomson Gale. The length of the entry is 2113 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Reviews (1)

Don't miss it.
If you're interested in Jack Nicklaus, and in the way his life and family are interwoven with his golf career, you can't miss this book. One of the great sporting lives in history, a picture of the whole person, an uncommonly intelligent and balanced person who happened to become the greatest player of all time. Even the requisite chapters on instruction (standard among golf biographies) are terrific, reflecting Nicklaus' focus on a few fundamentals, his uncomplicated approach to the game. What you see in this book is an attitude, a mentality, that ought to be a standard for any great athlete, and one that reflects the nature of golf and golf competition at its best--and more than that, an aspiration to greatness that never got out of perspective, never overwhelmed Nicklaus' commitment to his own family and friends. The book was written when his pre-senior-tour career was not even a third finished yet, but it's an early look into the mind of perhaps the most focused, and yet balanced and unassuming, great athlete ever. ... Read more