While I'm not sure that the 1913 Open was the greatest game ever played, I do know that The Greatest Game Ever Played was the best sports book I read in 2003. I heartily recommend it to any golf fan and those who love to read about the underdog rising to the top.

Before discussing the Open, let me comment that this book has a format that most will find unusual. There is extensive background on the origins of golf, the backgrounds of the players, the development of golf in the United States and the social history of the time, as well a lengthy section on aftermaths of the players and individuals involved. You will learn about unexpected subjects, such as how tuberculosis was treated before there were antibiotics.

The story-telling style is in the best tradition of fictional dramatizations. Some of the dialogue is invented. The author indicates that "in employing dialogue to bring these scenes to life, I used source material for direct attribution whenever possible. In its occasional absence I attempted to infer intent from prose or reportage . . . . In rare exceptions, with a dramatist's license, and in the utter want of an eyewitness, I took the liberty of elaborating on those perceptions beyond what I could absolutely verify." It's impossible to know which dialogue material is a quotation and what is invented, so don't take the dialogue too literally. It's like watching a made-for-television movie about the Open. One of the strengths of the dramatization is to capture the psychology of the event in what read to me like realistic terms.

During the matches, there's a tremendous amount of detail about the shots that were taken. I was impressed by the amount of research that went into capturing the drama of the occasion.

If you don't know the story, Harry Varden was the greatest star of his day. He was touring the United States with Ted Ray to earn money and to establish British superiority over the Americans by winning the Open. Before he was done, he would win six British Open championships despite having lost many years due to World War I and his illness with tuberculosis . . . and its permanent effects on his putting. Varden was Ouimet's idol, in fact. Their backgrounds were very similar in coming up as caddies from poor, working class families. Golf had been a game for the privileged rich until a small class of professionals rose up. Ouimet's victory was exceptional in that he played as an amateur and because he was so inexperienced. His victory had large ramifications for the sport in encouraging its further development in the United States and in attracting future stars to the game like Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones.

The venue for the competition was The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Ouimet lived across from the 17th hole and learned to play on three holes that he and his brother built in their backyard. Ouimet got his first golf club by trading used balls he found on the course. Golf fans will be delighted to know that the 17th hole has been important in three major tournaments at TCC, the most recent being the long putt that Justin Leonard made there to win the Ryder Cup in 1999.

To me, one of the most delightful parts of the story involved tiny 10-year-old Eddie Lowery caddying for Ouimet after the first day of qualifying. Eddie was no taller than the bag and had to dodge the truant officer to get to the course. He had injured his foot before the Open and the wound bled through his bandage every day. Anyone who has ever had a young caddy will be reminded of the pleasures of working with a youngster and how that joy adds to the fun of playing.

Mr. Frost is an exceptional story teller, and I hope that he will write other historical dramatizations in the future.

As I finished the book, I realized that I should be sure to look for well researched versions of historical subjects to test my understanding of those events. Otherwise, my beliefs will often be wrong . . . and I will miss out on the drama of the real story.


Soars Like a Well-Struck Drive   February 22, 2005
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Imagine at this year's (2005) U.S. Open at Pinehurst, an unknown amateur from North Carolina who grew up nearby the resort and caddied at Pinehurst No. 2 won his local Open qualifier, somehow gets himself into a playoff with Tiger Woods and Vijay Sihgn, and actually wins it all. This may give you the slightest inkling about what Francis Ouimet accomplished against Harry Vardon and Ted Ray at the 1913 U.S. Open. Mark Frost's recounting of this remarkable event (along with the lives of its two most compelling participants, Ouimet and Vardon) ranks among the most vivid and compelling writing ever encountered in golf (or for that matter, all of sports).

The early chapters of the book focus on the dire circumstances that almost inadvertently introduced Vardon and Ouimet to the game. Family financial crisis forced the young Vardon to seek a caddying position at a local golf course in Jersey (the British island, not the U.S. state), at which time through trial and error he developed the principles of the modern golf swing (including the overlapping positioning of the hands on the club that has come to be know as the "Vardon" grip). Vardon's steely resolve and determination not only drove him to the top of the golfing world, but also aided him in his successful battle against tuberculosus.

Ouimet's financial straits were not much better than those of Vardon, but as a very young boy growing up across the street from The Country Club in Brookline, MA he was transfixed by golf; enough so that he and his brother built a make-shift three hole course in the woods in their back yard. Like Vardon, circumstances force him into caddying - but the young Ouimet had the by-then successful Vardon as an inspiration for his own fluid swing.

The events leading up to and surrounding the historic 1913 U.S. Open are captured brilliantly by Frost, including Vardon's tours of America, Ouiment's sudden emergence as a force in amateur golf (along with his reluctance to accept an invitation to the U.S. Open because of his worry of getting time off from work), and the unfortunate jingoistic rooting of some of the Open gallery (foreshadowing some of the rude behavior displayed at the same course at the 1999 Ryder Cup). Frost also creates wonderfully vivid images of key golf figures of the time, including the rougish Walter Hagen (who nearly stole the show in 1913), Johnny McDermott (the high-strung defending U.S. Open champ who succumbs to his own bravado), and the marvelous golf writer Bernard Darwin, who sees Ouimet's potential in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur quarterfinal match with defending champion Jerry Travers (in which Francis plays admirably but loses, 3 and 2) and despite his British ancestry finds himself rooting for Ouimet during the climatic playoff.

Best of all, Frost's dramatic writing style leaves the reader on the edge of his seat - even though most golf afficianados are familiar with this story, I think even they will find themselves agonizing over each missed crucial putt and cheering every magnificent shot made by both of the protagonists. Whether you care deeply for the game of golf or are looking for an entertaining read, "The Greatest Game Ever Played" will resonate within for a long time.


In the same class as Hillenbrand's "Seabiscuit"   March 9, 2003
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

If you're interested in the history of the game in America, this is a must read by a VERY capable writer. He sets a great tone and his prose is engaging. Frost does a whale of a job transporting the reader back in time and when the protagonists reach the climactic playoff, you will not want to put this book down. Forget "Bagger Vance"; Francis Ouimet was the real deal.

This was a wonderful read and a great antidote to the blather one hears during the typical televised golf event. If you're a golfer looking for a good read, this title will not disappoint.


Would Make a Great Movie   July 16, 2003
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

I'm not a big fan of golf, so the fact that I enjoyed this book attests to how good it is.

The author, Mark Frost, who worked on "Hill Street Blues" and "Twin Peaks," does such a great job of establishing the background and personalities for all the major participants at the 1913 U.S. Open tournament that the reader really cares what happens to them, both in the tournament and later in their lives.

The reader also gets excellent incite into what golf was like from the late-1800s to early-1900s and how society viewed it and its participants.

As my title suggests, the book, to me, plays out a great movie, complete with interesting characters and a dramatic, "Rocky"-like ending.


Non-golfer loves golf book.   December 8, 2002
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

In Dandelion Wine Ray Bradbury taught us that the best time machine is storytelling. In this wonderful book, Mark Frost transported me to 1913 to witness the birth of golf in the United States. The heart of the book is the battle between the Tiger Woods of the day, Harry Vardon of England, and the American kid who would become the first homegorwn champ, Francis Ouimet. For a non-golfer like me, it was a revelation to feel present at a great golf game as psychologically tense as Fischer vs. Spassky, as hard fought as Ali vs. Frazier, and as crowd thrilling as Bird vs. Magic. A truly great read. To paraphrase the old potato chip commercial, I dare you to read just one - (page that is).