The Battle for Augusta National: Hootie, Martha, and the Masters of the Universe

Great Book....relives and recounts one of the most intriguing political, cutural and sports controversies of our day....a very human accounting of Martha, Hootie and all those poor, somewhat innocent souls, caught up in their battle, a battle of The Hallowed Ways vs. the New Age. Fascinating book, especially the parts about the New York Times' (Howell Raines') agenda journalism and how the National as it is called took on Raines and the Times and "won." Has all the PR overtones of a Presidential campaign, only in the world of sport. Good book, even if the reader isn't a particulary big golf fan. Even a political junkie would enjoy this one...Give Mr. Shipnuck a birdie on this effort.

I absolutely loved Alan Shipnuck's last book, "Bud, Sweat & Tees". I have been wondering what he would write next, and have to say I was surprised that he chose such a serious topic. But even without Rich Beem's crazy ways or his caddie's potty mouth and harem of strippers, Shipnuck brought the same sense of humor and light touch the Augusta controversy. The result is a very interesting, readable book.

Having experienced this story practically at ground zero, in Atlanta, I bought this book almost out of obligation. I'm glad that I did. Even though I followed the story closely I had no idea of the impact of the membership controversy. Alan Shipnuck does a masterful job tracing how a short private letter from Washington feminist Martha Burk to Augusta chairman Hootie Johnson turned into what he calls "the biggest media event in golf history." THere's tons of new information here you won't find anywhere else, whether it's interviews with an impressive number of Augusta National members or behind-the-scenes looks into the newsrooms of the country's most powerful newspapers or connecting the dots on the corporate connections of the clubs powerful CEOs. Being in Atlanta I was particularly interested in the author's examination of the small-town Souther politics that forced Burk to hold her protest in THe Pit, a grassy field a mile from the club. The book very skillfully illustrates how the influence of the club affected the decision-making of the mayor, the city council, the local sherrif, and even a federal judge. There is a lot of insight here and a lot of analysis, which helped me to better understand a story I didn't realize was so complicated.

Like a lot of Americans I have become more interested in the role of the media. "The Battle for Augusta National" by Alan Shipnuck is one of the best treatments I have seen on the topic. The stuff about the history of Augusta was well done and I enjoyed the author's amusing sidenotes on everyone from Tiger Woods to Jack Welch, but it is the author's stories about the media that make this a must-read. I became interested in this book when I read a story on Slate that talked about Shipnuck's exclusive interview with Howell Raines of the New York Times. How Raines and the Times covered Augusta was a big story, but Shipnuck is the only reporter to interview Raines, and his analysis belongs in a journalism textbook. Reading the detailed recreations of the decision-making at the Times I could feel myself reading faster and turning the page faster because I was dying to find out what happens next. It was like an Agathie Christie book! There are so many other revelations about the hypocrisy of the media in this book. Did you know that USA Today had a reporter writing about Augusta, even though his dad is a member? Or that the two femle reporters who have made this story such a big deal both have bosses that are members at all-male country clubs? I don't want to spoil all the surprises, but read this book if you want a better understanding about how the media works. I have to warn you it's not very pretty.

This book was a real page-turner, full of fascinating subplots and interesting people. Shipnuck did an excellent job providing context and insight on a controversy that has many shades of gray. There are also a surprising number of laugh-out-loud moments here. Shipnuck has a good ear for the absurd. His dinner with the One Man Klansman is hysterical, and there are too many other funny little moments to mention. This is the kind of book you can read in a couple of days, and I mean that as a compliment!