Michael Bamberger (1) (1960–)

For someone with little golf knowledge, this book was at times tedious. That being said, I still learned a lot about many different players, feuds, has beens, legends, caddies and more. It was like taking a peak into a boys club and discovering they're gossiping just as much as the women! At times it felt a little gossipy, who was flirty with women, who had the most sex appeal, who refused to let go of a grudge, who didn't take care of his ex-wife, who didn't like Tiger Woods (a lot more people than I thought). Sports author, Michael Bamberger made a list of the 18 greatest golf legends and set out to drive around and interview them all. The front nine were living legends (Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Mickey Wright, etc.) and the back nine were "secret" legends (caddies, writers, aficionados, no pros). He road-trips along with his good friend Mike Donald (a golf pro and one of the living legends on his list) and they hobnob with the old golf crowd. Lies, legends, humor, and memories are shared and pieced together throughout the book. Interesting read, but not my favorite golf book.… (meer)

This is a very simple and moderately entertaining book, written by a Sports Illustrated columnist about various stars and people behind the scenes of the PGA Tour. The concept was to identify nine “big names” like Palmer, Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Ken Venturi, etc. and nine lesser known journeymen, caddies, tournament organizers, tour wives. You get the picture.

While it wasn’t terribly well organized, there were a number of very enlightening and interesting stories related in the book. I must say that the author seemed to have a morbid fascination concerning the 1958 Masters and the possible rules infraction concerning Arnold Palmer and Ken Venturi. He must have come back to revisit the issue half a dozen times throughout the book. I’m also not sure why he elected to title the book “Men in Green”, as the book really has nothing to do with the Masters. I guess insinuating a connection with the Masters and putting a picture of Nicklaus and Palmer on the cover helps to sell the book.… (meer)