What happens when Jack “The Golden Bear” Nicklaus challenges rising star Tiger Woods to a private game of golf in 1997?
Author Colin Koenig explores this premise in his new book, Major Wager: The Pure Round of Golf Jack Challenged Tiger To.
The two men walk onto a golf course very early on a hot and humid morning in the late 1990s. They have not told anyone that they are playing this round, not even their families. They are there alone. No cameras, no crowds, no fans. Just two men playing a round of golf. But it becomes so much more.
Nicklaus wonders if Tiger has what it takes to break his record of 18 major wins. The boy is good, but young. Tiger is excited to play a golf prodigy and is curious what the round will be like.
With witty dialogue and insights into the characters’ thoughts, Koenig brings these two men to life on the page: “Jack would rather defeat young Mr. Woods by playing well on his own than trust Tiger to screw him up. Golf It was no different than any other sport in this regard: the best defense is a good offense.”
Stripped of their entourage, carrying their own golf clubs and alone, suddenly it’s just two guys playing golf: “Jack and Tiger decided to sit for a moment on the provided split-back wooden bench on the tee. Nicklaus reads a cigarette. Tiger bounced his ball, up and down, up and down, on his driver’s clubface.”
Koenig carries this 18-hole round of golf throughout the book. Answer questions most golf fans would like to know:
What would they talk about?
What happens inside their heads while they play?
Can two great professionals really keep this match a secret?
I enjoyed the premise of this book and the insight into what Koenig thinks the characters are thinking as they play. It brings a really human element to two people that we’ve all seen only in public. I think this book could use a round of editing, to correct some of the typos that distracted me. I would also like to see a Foreword by the author, explaining how the idea for this story came about and what golf research he had to do.
Overall, I think this story would be a great read for golf fans and other sports enthusiasts wondering what would happen if two great men squared off on their chosen course.