A Feel for the Game: A Master's Memoir

With two Masters Championships, nineteen career PGA victories, three NCAA Championships, and millions in earnings, Ben Crenshaw is without question one of the most successful golfers of the century. But Crenshaw's claim to fame goes beyond his individual performances. As captain of the 1999 Ryder Cup team, Crenshaw confronted the largest deficit in tournament history—and the skepticism of commentators who suggested that he was the wrong man to manage the team in today's dog-eat-dog, mindgame world of match-play golf. Twenty-four hours later, Crenshaw proved all the critics wrong. In a hard-fought competition that kept viewers glued to their televisions, he brilliantly motivated a team of diverse personalities and, in the most thrilling match in Ryder Cup history, brought the Cup back to American soil. And he did it his way—with grace, honor, dedication, and an encyclopedic knowledge of how the game should be played.

A Feel for the Game is Crenshaw's warm tribute to golf and its traditions. He describes his early years learning the game from famed golf guru Harvey Penick, and takes readers through his career as an outstanding amateur to his glorious years on the PGA Tour, culminating in the climactic Ryder Cup victory. He introduces the players and teachers who have inspired him, from Penick and Bobby Jones to Jackie Burke, Tom Kite, and Payne Stewart. His reminiscences, his fascinating glimpses into golf history, and his unparalleled understanding of the nuances of play make this an engaging personal portrait of a man and a game that were made for each other.