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.
Anna Rawson, Carly Booth and Anna Whitely.
The accents alone are worth it.
That, plus I am not into dudes like some of you guys.
If you can get a hold of a DVD of The Greatest Game Ever Played, at the end of the movie is a bonus clip of Francis Quimet being interviewed in 1963 (50th anniversary of his win) at the Brookline Country Club. They go out on the course and he describes a little of what happened. Pretty cool.
This wouldn't mean much to most people, but the guy who interviews him is Fred Cusack the long time play by play announcer for the Boston Bruins.
PA-PLAYA
One of the problems about books is you don't really get to see/know that person. All you get is a love in by the author. Jones was an elitist, Hagan was as bad as Woods as far as women are concerned. Sneed was a great golfer, yet not a very nice person and the same could be said about Hogan. Palmer, my favorite golfer ever,was just as bad as Woods as well.
And how did you learn these things about these players? You obviously read about them, because no modern-day reporter has the cajones to say anything negative.
You learn more about these players through reading about them, versus watching an episode of Feherty (which I do like, btw) or following them on social media (which I do not).
And not all of these authors paint players in a glowing light. Quite frankly - many of the books I've read over the years portray them as just as fallible as the neighbor living down the street.
No love detected by me, but just an accurate portrait of who they were and how they competed, and as much bad as there is good. Then again - I'm very selective about the authors of the books I do read.
Some of us aren't fans of the feel-good nice stories presented by the modern-day Tim Rosaforte's of the golf world, who's afraid to be critical of someone because he needs weekly access to them for interviews.
Most of what I know is from players who played with many of these guys.
