American Triumvirate: Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, and the Modern Age of Golf

If you are a fan of any of these 3 golf greats, this is your book! New insights and stories of each gentleman. It shows the similarities and differences of these distinct golfing legends. I liked this book better than Dodson's book on Hogan.

It's been almost 30 years ago now, but I can still remember it clearly. I was at the D.A. Weibring Pro/Am in Quincy, Illinois, where I grew up and was a bit of a golfer myself. I was walking down one of the cart paths at Quincy Country Club, where the tournament was being held. The bulk of the action was elsewhere at the moment and the path was quiet, when I came across and older man sitting alone in a golf cart. I recognized him right away, and for the next 10 minutes or so, until someone came to get him, I had a quiet conversation about golf with Byron Nelson. Before he left, he signed my cap, which I can see from here as I write, sitting on the top of one of my bookshelves, as it has ever since the day I met him.I mention this anecdote, not because it is my only real brush with golfing greatness, but because I thought of it often as I read Mr. Dodson's triple biography of Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Ben Hogan. When you meet someone in life, even for a few minutes, and then encounter them in print, if the person you read about doesn't jibe with your experience then it is difficult to accept and enjoy what you're reading. Fortunately, the good-natured gentleman that Dodson describes as Byron Nelson easily reflected my image of him and made this book a pleasure to read.I knew a bit about golf's great stars before reading this--more about Nelson and Hogan than Snead--but I learned much in this well-researched, well-told biography. I knew little about their respective youths, from their closeness in age to the physical proximity of Nelson and Hogan as young caddies at the same club. Most interesting to me was how professional golf was conducted in those pre- and post-WWII days with the rise and fall of various clubs and tournaments, and the lengths golfers sometimes had to go to to pursue their careers. It is amazing when you consider how big a business golf is today. (For someone whose has been fortunate enough to go to the Masters on one occasion, it is also wonderful to read about the start of the tournament and the development of its traditions.)Dodson has chosen his subjects well. Not only are they joined together historically in their sport with their incredible achievements, but their sharply contrasting personalities and approaches to the game make this book fascinating. Anyone who has an interest in golf and its history would be well advised to read American Triumvirate.

a potted biography that weaves all three of these golfers lives together and gives a great insight into the early years of pro golf, three fantastic and skilled men from a different era brought to life by the author

Another great read on golf history from James dodson

Bought two of these books from Amazon on the strength of a good review, and gave them as birthday presents. Both recipients thoroughly enjoyed the book. A great story, well written.