TLC: Triumphs and Trials of Golf's Greatest Champions

I grew up around the game of golf. We lived on a farm in a small rural community, but my dad had a membership to the nearest golf course that he used often.  And although we weren't regular golfers ourselves as children, we accompanied him from time to time and our television was often tuned to any type of tournament that was carried by the station.

Trials and Triumphs of Golf's Greatest Champions was like a visit with some long lost friends. Names I haven't heard in years popped up with great regularity, and I recall my dad telling me tidbits about various golfers in my childhood.

"Golf is the closest game to the game of life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots - but you have to play the game where it lies," OB Keeler a famed golf writer states.  This is the first sentence of Trials and Triumphs and captures the tone of the book perfectly.  

Seven different golfers are featured in this book: Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Charlie Sifford, Ken Venturi, and Bruce Edwards.  Each one of them achieved greatness in their sport.  But each one of them struggled as well.  From Babe Didrikson's cancer diagnosis and treatment to Ken Venturi's stutter and Ben Hogan's near fatal car crash, Trials and Triumphs explores the highs and lows of each athlete.

I was fascinated to learn more about each golfer and inspired as well by the way they carried on and persevered.  While this book initially interested me because of it's focus on the sport of golf, these are great stories on amazing athletes that can be enjoyed by anyone.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing me a copy of this book to review.  All opinions expressed are, as always, my own.