The Slam: Bobby Jones and the Price of Glory - Softcover

The most revealing, honest, and moving account of Bobby Jones's glorious Grand Slam in golf—possibly the most dramatic accomplishment in sports in the 20th century—and the high cost he paid to achieve it.

In a game that defies perfection, Bobby Jones in 1930 produced an entire year of flawless play. His conquest of golf's Grand Slam was the best year a golfer had ever had. Coming in an era battered by the stock market crash and the Depression, his thrilling victories in golf's four major tournaments became a beacon of hope and a symbol of grace in a very imperfect world. But no one knew his private anguish. In this splendid narrative, Curt Sampson, one of golf's best writers, brilliantly portrays Jones's fast run to glory—a dark, intricate tale that has never been told until now.

The public Bobby Jones waved to the crowd in tickertape parades and smiled for the newsreel cameras. But behind the façade was a man falling apart. Sampson captures both the magic of his singular feat, and the agonies he endured. Like Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit, this is a sports story that captures the essence of an era—equal parts compelling sports biography, sweeping social history, and stirring human drama.