The Augusta National Golf Club in eastern Georgia is an American icon
shrouded in intrigue. It is every bit as exclusive as its prestigious Masters Tournament.
Behind the wondrous scenes and memorable tournament play, however, resides a secretive
and clannish club with a gentlemen-only membership of three hundred. Their shared legacy
is an institution cofounded by the unlikely partnership of Bobby Jones, unparalleled amateur
golfer, and Clifford Roberts, a tight-lipped Wall Street investment broker.

Mixing a deep respect for golf's traditions with a scrutinizing curiosity, Eubanks explores the
significant role Roberts played in Augusta member-to-be Dwight Eisenhower's ascension to
the presidency; Roberts' suicide and the club's subsequent loss of the pistol he used; the
exclusion of African-American Charlie Sifford from the Masters field; Augusta's impetuous
relationship with CBS; and the Tiger Woods-Fuzzy Zoeller brouhaha of 1997. Eubanks also
recalls moments of Masters glorythe simultaneous rise of Arnold Palmer and the Masters in
the late '50s and early '60s, and the 1997 coronation of Tiger Woods, the first Masters winner of
African-American heritage. Augusta is required reading for any golf fan.

Tom Parker, recipient of the Golden Voice award, records a remarkable variety of books while pursuing his love of theater by directing two or three professional stage productions a year in the Washington, D.C., area.