The Making of the Masters, by David Owen, is a look at the beginnings of possibly the most prestigious golf tournament in existence today.

Augusta National Golf Club was founded in the 1930’s by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts during the Great Depression. The club very nearly died before it got off the ground.

Decades later, the club has long since achieved financial security and The Masters, one of golf’s four modern majors, has been elevated to the pinnacle of tournament golf.

This book looks at the beginnings of Augusta National, but really centers on Clifford Roberts. It examines his role in the founding of the club and in the founding of The Masters tournament. It also looks at the man himself: from his humble beginnings, to his often misreported or misunderstood decades as chairman of the club, to his eventual death.

David Owen was given unprecedented access the records and archives of the club. It shows in the level of detail he is able to present on the history of Roberts, the club, and The Masters.

The Good

• The book is quite well written and researched. Owen is a pro, and it shows here. It kept me interested throughout and flowed extremely well.
• As I’ve said in the past, The Masters is like a holiday for me. Learning about the history of the club and the tournament, as well as more about its co-founder Roberts was a real treat.
• A few sections of photographs are included that date back as far as the birth of the club.
• It was interesting to get a closer look at Clifford Roberts, a man whose reputation was that of a dictatorial chairman, but who, in reality, had much more depth.
• There is a good amount of information regarding the original design of the course, done primarily by Alister MacKenzie with collaboration by Roberts and Jones.

The Bad

There are two primary (possible) negatives to this book.

First, the title of the book gives the impression that it focuses on The Masters, but it really centers upon Roberts. The difficult early years of the club are covered, as well as the founding of the tournament. However, this certainly isn’t primarily a history of The Masters itself.

In some ways, you can argue that the foundation of the club and Roberts’ contribution made The Masters what it is today. That’s certainly true, and that’s what the title indicates, but I just wanted to mention that the tournament history isn’t covered extensively, and in fact, isn’t the primary focus of the book.

The second item I want to mention, involves the motivation for the book. I’ve read some other reviews and opinions that make the claim that this book is simply a club-commissioned fluff-piece, meant to polish up the legacy of Clifford Roberts and the image of the club.

Certainly, Owen takes a very reverent view of Roberts. He makes a point to smooth some of the common misconceptions of Roberts, especially in the matter of the long standing accusations of racial bigotry surrounding both the club and Roberts.

The question is, is the book factually accurate? I have no reason to believe it isn’t. Owen is a well-respected author. His slant toward Roberts and toward the club may just rise from a personal desire to put out the truth as he knows it and is reflective of his affection for the club, Roberts, and The Masters. So long as there is factual accuracy, I see no problem with this. The book isn’t billed as a work of investigative journalism and I didn’t expect as much when I picked it up.

I simply mention it here because it may appear to a reader that there is an underlying purpose to the book because of the apparent slant.

Conclusion

Regardless of the criticisms, I thought this was a great book. Reading about The Masters, Augusta National, and Clifford Roberts was a real treat for me. Each spring I look forward to the tournament and as I see the course before me on television, I can’t help but wonder how it all came to be.

I have a much better picture of that now.

I recommend this book for anyone that wants to learn more about this treasured piece of golf history. There is little doubt that Roberts, The Masters, and Augusta National Golf Club have had a profound effect on professional golf. This book gives an inside look behind the curtain, with a level of detail and access that most of us can only dream about.

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Further Reading:

The Making of the Masters (Amazon.com)

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