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The Grand Slam: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf Audiobook
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(4.03) - 210 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In the wake of the stock-market crash and the dawn of the Great Depression, a ray of light emerged from the world of sports. In the summer of 1930, Bobby Jones, a twenty-eight-year-old amateur golfer, mounted a campaign against the record books. In four months, this natural, self-taught player conquered the British Amateur Championship, the British Open, the US Open, and finally, the US Amateur Championship—an achievement so extraordinary that writers dubbed it the Grand Slam. No one has ever repeated it.
A natural, self-taught player, the intensely private Jones had longed to retreat from fame's glaring spotlight throughout his entire career. While the press referred to him as "a golfing machine," the strain of competition exacted a ferocious toll on his physical and emotional well-being. During the season of the Slam he constantly battled exhaustion, nearly lost his life twice, and came perilously close to a total collapse.
By the time he completed his unprecedented feat, Jones made the shocking announcement that he was retiring from the game. His abrupt disappearance from the public eye into a closely guarded private life helped create the mythological image of this hero from the Golden Age of sports that endures to this day.
Mark Frost uses a wealth of original research to provide an unprecedented, intimate portrait of golf great Bobby Jones. In the tradition of The Greatest Game Ever Played, The Grand Slam blends social history with sports biography, captivating the imagination and engaging the listener—it is a biography not to be missed.
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"Mark Frost is a really great writer. He takes a topic that I didn't know anything (or didn't care anything) about and made it genuinely interesting. I found this story completely engaging and readable. I strongly recommend both this book and "The Greatest Game Ever Played", even if you hate golf."
— ebnewberry (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Frost understands pace and structure, and he has a gift for dramatizing historic golf matches and making them seem suspenseful all over again…He has a feel for golf history.”
— New York Times -
“Frost identifies what makes Jones continually interesting and startlingly contemporary.”
— Sports Illustrated -
“With clear, crisp prose Frost does a great job of bringing Jones’ assault on the Grand Slam back to life.”
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution -
“If you thought you knew the story of Bobby Jones and the Grand Slam, then think again.”
— Scottish Golf Magazine -
“Before Arnold, Jack and Tiger, there was Bobby…the only individual to have been recognized with two ticker tape parades down Broadway’s Canyon of Heroes. Frost has written a swift, surefooted account of Jones’ remarkable life and career.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Frost does a fine job of recounting the tenor of the times…Highly recommended for all sports collections.”
— Library Journal -
“An excellent book of golf history.”
— Booklist
Awards
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
The Grand Slam Listener Reviews
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" a good read. i liked it, but not as much as Ben Hogan. "
— J.C., 12/31/2013 -
" The story of Bobby Jones and his Great Slam in 1930. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the way Mark Frost weaves the story of Bobby Jones, the history of golf, and the history of the US at the time. I recommend this book to lovers of golf and history. "
— Katharine, 11/24/2013 -
" Frost's best golf book, a great modern day account of a 1930s sports achievement that is slowly fading away into obscurity. "
— Gordon, 9/14/2013 -
" Very interesting back story about the early days of the emergence of golf in America. Also, I was surprised to learn of the yardages the early players hit with their hickory clubs. "
— Rob, 5/20/2013 -
" A sportsman we can all aspire to become. Good social history of the times "
— Robert, 3/25/2013 -
" There are a lot of books about Bobby Jones, what makes this book exceptional is tha accompanying History segments. Mark Frost does a great job explaining the political and social landscapes, sometimes better than he explains the golf course landscapes. "
— Lucas, 2/8/2013 -
" Another great Mark Frost book "
— Andrew, 6/19/2012 -
" Bobby Jones is my hero. "
— Michael, 1/15/2012 -
" I got side-tracked and took a long time to finish this book. Nevertheless it is an outstanding read. It is more than a story of a great golfer. The writer tells a great deal about history around the great golfer. Everything is in context beyond just Bobby Jones. "
— Ed, 10/8/2011 -
" Biography of Bobby Jones. A must read. "
— Glenn, 5/8/2011 -
" Loved this book, mostly because it's all about a hero of mine. Also gives a great recount of the United States and the rest of the world in which Jones grew up. "
— Hayden, 2/2/2011 -
" If you're a golf fan, a must read about arguably the best player of the game...ever! What a truly remarkable man Bobby Jones was. "
— Kevin, 11/19/2010 -
" I knew little to nothing about Bobby Jones before reading this book. I really enjoyed Grand Slam and learning about the life of Bobby Jones who I now realize may have been the most dominant American athlete in his/her sport. The book is interesting, easy to read, and I would recommend it. "
— Patrick, 11/11/2010 -
" A sportsman we can all aspire to become. Good social history of the times "
— Robert, 8/23/2010 -
" Another great Mark Frost book "
— Andy, 4/26/2010 -
" If you're a golf fan, a must read about arguably the best player of the game...ever! What a truly remarkable man Bobby Jones was. "
— Kevin, 2/6/2010 -
" There are a lot of books about Bobby Jones, what makes this book exceptional is tha accompanying History segments. Mark Frost does a great job explaining the political and social landscapes, sometimes better than he explains the golf course landscapes. "
— Lucas, 1/6/2010 -
" I knew little to nothing about Bobby Jones before reading this book. I really enjoyed Grand Slam and learning about the life of Bobby Jones who I now realize may have been the most dominant American athlete in his/her sport. The book is interesting, easy to read, and I would recommend it. "
— Patrick, 6/27/2009 -
" Bobby Jones is my hero. "
— Michael, 6/1/2009 -
" Loved this book, mostly because it's all about a hero of mine. Also gives a great recount of the United States and the rest of the world in which Jones grew up. "
— Hayden, 7/21/2008 -
" a good read. i liked it, but not as much as Ben Hogan. "
— J.C., 5/27/2008
About Mark Frost
Mark Frost received a Writers Guild Award and an Emmy nomination for the acclaimed television series Hill Street Blues and was cocreator and executive producer of the legendary television series Twin Peaks. In 2005 he wrote and produced The Greatest Game Ever Played, a major motion picture based on his book of the same name. An avid golfer, Frost lives in Los Angeles and upstate New York with his wife and son.
About Grover Gardner
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.