Augusta: Home of the Masters Tournament » (REPRINT)

Founded in 1933, the Augusta National Golf Club is the perfect course. Co-designed by legends Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie, Augusta boasts gorgeous fairways and perfectly manicured greens, set against a breathtaking backdrop of azaleas and pines. Every April, the invitation-only Masters Tournament is watched by millions of avid viewers around the globe. But the exclusive club, with a membership comprising some of the world's most powerful and influential men, is also notorious for a legacy of secrets and controversy.

Journalist and novelist Steve Eubanks used all of his investigative and storytelling talents to get to the heart of Augusta's turbulent history, including its 44-year rule under the iron fist of Cliff Roberts and his suicide on the club's grounds; the Masters' impetuous yet long-standing relationship with CBS; allegations of racism; and the club's countless, rigid rules (members can even be expelled for wearing their green Augusta blazers outside the club).

With 45 inspiring photographs, Eubanks's balanced account also captures the historic moments that evoke deep affection for Augusta, from Dwight Eisenhower teeing off in the days before the Masters was televised to Jack Nicklaus's emotional victory at age 46, 23 years after he won his first green jacket. With a new chapter on Tiger Woods's 1997 triumph and published just in time for the 1998 Masters, Augusta is essential reading for anyone who wants the complete story of American golf's most hallowed ground.

Library Journal

If there were a Mecca for golf in America, players would undoubtedly turn toward Augusta, GA, to worship. Beginning as a Depression-era project, the Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters tournament it hosts have become preeminent in U.S. golf. The history of this club is steeped in Southern tradition and political influence. Eubanks, a former PGA member, provides an insider's knowledge of club incidents, including the recruitment of General Eisenhower into the Republican Party, the shooting of an African American youngster who was fishing in the wrong spot, the suicide of one of the club's founders, the apparent racism that brought on the wrath of the Atlanta City Council, and the ascendancy of Tiger Woods. Narrator Tom Parker provides an entertaining account of this intriguing American phenomenon. Recommended for golf fans.--Ray Vignovich, West Des Moines P.L., IA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.