Favorites to watch:
Jack, Phil, and Tiger. Great to watch the talent on display whether or not I was rooting for them.
Favorites to root for:
Freddie (cool attitude, smooth swing)
Phil (always afraid he'll blow it, lol)
Spieth (local kid, nice guy)
Tiger, Stricker, and Monty
, he was annoying as hell, but that swing was something to watch!
Phil Mickelson- makes the game more exciting to watch.
Arnold Palmer- before my time , but all I’ve read or heard about him, make you realize that character is king.
Jordan Spieth- I like his grit. Does not overwhelm the others, but gets it done.
Current players would be Rory, Sergio and Els. The young American guys appear to be country club brats. Can anyone like Reed, Perez or Sabatini?
Palmer, Feherty, Mickelson, Trevino
Sorenstam, Lopez, Thompson, Zaharias
Hogan
Palmer
Nicklaus
MidwayJ I'll admit, it was fun, he's kinda one of the original "pouter" kinda guys I remember. Smooth languid swing. Shame he didn't win a majot, had a good chance at the us open that one year, coming down 18 he needed burd.to win, par for playoff and he blocked a 7 or 8 iron in and could not get up and down. He was the man on the euro tour and a tough competitor in the Ryder cup
I have a question here, this is your favorite player not the best player ever. How can a player be your favorite player if you never lived during his playing days? For me to have a favorite player I have to see the player. I have no idea how some of the players were before the late 1950's.
Favorite players in my lifetime are Arnie, Lee and Tiger. Women would be Annika, Nancy Lopez and Michelle Wie. Dottie Pepper would be next in line.
Players I have seen, but did not like were Jack, Gary Player, Vijay Singh.
Numerous books and biographies detailing the personal lives and playing careers of yesteryear’s players are bountiful.
Some of us actually read and gain insight and appreciation of those who helped pave the way to what the professional game has become today.
PA-PLAYA I would put Jones on my list, just from reading and movie about him, and also Francis Ouimet from the movie The Greatest Game Ever Played. Heck, even Nicklaus was at.the end of his career when I was a teenager, saw him in person at the GMO in Milwaukee, would have no problem putting him on my list either.
I'll go in a different direction.
Porky Oliver (love the name), Paul Harney (from Massachusetts) and John McDermott (tragic story of a two time U.S. Open winner in the early 1900's who shortly after was committed to a mental hospital where he spent pretty much the rest of his life).
In the early 1960's at the U.S. Open John McDermott was allowed to attend with the supervison of his sister. He wandered off and an employee in the Pro Shop saw him acting strangely and was about to get him thrown out.
The story goes Arnold Palmer saw this and recognized McDermott. Went over and intervened. Palmer said, "this man is a two time U.S. Open champion and he is my guest today." Great story.
I've read numerous books on Jones, Hagen, Hogan, Nelson, Snead, Palmer, and Nicklaus...
After reading those books, I came away feeling like I knew those players better than I know the players that I've followed over the years during my lifetime of following the game.
If you're a fan of the game, and in particular - if you're a fan of the rich history of the professional side of the game - some of these books go much further than the current-day 2-minute post-round interview, or whatever they might decide to post on social media.
Granted - some authors are better than others... but after awhile you figure out who the really good writers are, those who not only capture the essence of who those players were (both inside and outside the ropes) but can also capsulize the entirety of their subjects in a thorough manner.
I find it frustrating that a lot of so-called "fans" of the game today aren't remotely interested in reading about the many characters who played the game back in the day, outside of googling their names on the internet to get the condensed, convenient CliffsNotes version that only requires 3 minutes of their attention spans. But... to each their own.
Lots of history, lots of interesting stories, for those who are genuinely fans of the history of the game.
All that you mentioned, plus Curt Sampson and Dan Jenkins. 'The Lost Masters' by Sampson was fabulous, which details the 1968 Masters and the times that surrounded that tournament, and of course - Roberto Di Vicenzo signing for an incorrect score on Master's Sunday, which cost him the tournament. Then his storytelling of the 1991 Ryder Cup, 'War by the Shore' was also very good. 'Eternal Summer' by Sampson highlighted the stories of Hogan, Palmer and Nicklaus in the 1960's... 'Arnie and Jack' is another great read by Ian O'Connor.
Loved 'Moe and Me' by Rubenstein, about Moe Norman. Also... 'When War Played Through: Golf During WW II' by John Strege was excellent. And 'Miracle at Merion' by David Barrett was a great read.
There are a lot of great books out there, lots of good authors. I'm leaving several out... 'Golf in the Kingdom' by Michael Murphy is one of my all-time favs.
Only three? Tough to limit it to three but I'll go with Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Ernie Els.
PA-PLAYA
This may be blasphemy to some, but I never cared for "Golf in the KIngdom," but I've read all the rest, except for "War by the Shore." I'll have to look into that one. Have you read Sampson's "The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta?" I often get that one out this time of year and brush up on Augusta lore.
My favorite of all time though is Herbert Warren Wind's "Story of American Golf," the best comprehensive history of the game and all the great players I've ever read.
