The Legendary Caddies of Augusta National
Inside Stories from Golf’s Greatest Stage
Starting in the 1930s, the Black caddies of Augusta National walked the course with the world’s greatest golfers. This book tells their stories, forever entwined with the history of the game.
They used nicknames like Stovepipe, Burnt Biscuits, Skillet, Skinny, and Marble Eye. They worked for presidents of the United States, captains of industry, and the greatest golfers in the world. Their real names were Carl Jackson, Willie Perteet, and Matthew Palmer—and they witnessed every great moment, both private and public, at Augusta National beginning in the1930s—from Gene Sarazen's "shot heard 'round the world" to Jack Nicklaus winning a record five of his six Masters. Read why Nicklaus said he wouldn’t trade caddie Willie “Pete” Peterson “for a million dollars” and what Willie “Cemetery” Perteet really thought of President Eisenhower’s golf game. The Black caddies of Augusta National also endured, in their own ways, the racist social order of the sport and at the same time participated, albeit vicariously, in its many thrills. Ward Clayton documents their stories—history as compelling as the game of golf itself.
Ward Clayton has been in and around the game of golf since growing up blocks from Hillandale Golf Course, a public facility in Durham, North Carolina. He continued to pursue the game as a competitive amateur and newspaper writer. He was the sports editor of the Augusta Chronicle from 1991 to 2000 and was responsible for what Golf World magazine called "the best coverage of a golf tournament of any newspaper in the world." Ward has been the Director of Editorial Services for the PGA Tour, and his work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, The First Call, and elsewhere. He lives, writes, and plays golf in the Jacksonville, Florida, area.
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