The best of the new books about golf

AMEN: How Adam Scott won the US Masters and broke the curse of Augusta National, by Will Swinton and Brent Read

For a taste of what it meant to Australia for Adam Scott to win the Masters, this book by two Aussie journalists captures the mood. With two dramatic putts in regulation and a playoff with Angel Cabrera, Scott erased Australia’s history of heartbreak. The book details Australia’s checkered past chasing the green jacket and Scott’s rise from prodigy to champion. It includes wonderful details such as Greg Norman texting his mates with an ironic note after Cabrera hit a perfect approach to the 72nd hole to force the playoff: “The golf gods can’t be this cruel to Australia.” In the end, Augusta relented and let an Aussie in, and an excited nation couldn’t wait for a book about it.

FORE!: The Best of John Hopkins on Golf, by John Hopkins

For more than three decades, Hopkins has been an authority on golf for The Times newspaper of London. The 2013 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism recipient has covered the seminal moments of golf, ranging from Tiger Woods’ Masters win in 1997 to Tom Watson’s near miss at the British Open in 2009. Hopkins’ book brilliantly delivers his columns through the years and is a must-read for golf fans.

THE MAGNIFICENT MASTERS: Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Tom Weiskopf and the 1975 Cliffhanger at Augusta, by Gil Capps

Capps brings back to life the historic Masters Tournament from 39 years ago, with the arrival of the first black golfer (Lee Elder) and the thrilling climax of Jack Nicklaus winning his fifth green jacket. Capps, an Emmy Award-winning associate producer on NBC Sports golf broadcasts and managing editor at The Golf Channel, gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the heavyweights of the game in addition to the Masters. This extensively researched book is one for all golf fans.

FALDO/NORMAN, THE 1996 MASTERS: A Duel That Defines an Era, by Andy Ferule

A veteran golf writer who worked as a correspondent for The Independent and the Independent on Sunday, Farrell gives a blow-by-blow description of Greg Norman’s near miss in Augusta. While Norman melted down, Nick Faldo charged to claim his third, and last, green jacket. Farrell gives a behind-the-scenes look at the rivals in their final battle at the Masters before the Tiger Woods era began in full fashion the next year. Farrell’s solid entry about one of the Masters’ most dramatic moments is one for the ages.

ARNIE, SEVE, AND A FLECK OF GOLF HISTORY: Heroes, Underdogs, Courses, and Championships, by Bill Fields

The longtime Golf World writer takes us inside the game with a collection of some of his best work from the past 20 years. Due to be released June 1, the book puts the spotlight on Masters champions Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead along with lesser-known players such as Billy Joe Patton and Bert Yancey, who both had close calls at Augusta National. Fields is known for seeking out the most interesting stories in his career, and this collection does just that. Two-time Masters winner Ben Crenshaw wrote the foreword.

THE WINNING WAY IN GOLF AND LIFE, by Morris Pickens

The renowned sports psychologist brings a Christian approach to dealing with life on and off the course in his book. Major champions Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Davis Love III reveal insight into how Pickens has helped transform their golf games in addition to their personal lives. The book focuses on the four R’s – Refocus, Routine, React and Relax – and helps guide everyone from the weekend golfer to the top pros. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, wrote the foreword.