First published 2008
A private letter ignites the biggest media storm in golf history when women's rights activist Martha Burk challenges Augusta National's exclusion of female members. What starts as correspondence quickly escalates into a year-long public battle between Burk and club chairman Hootie Johnson. The dispute consumes headlines and divides public opinion as both sides dig in for a fight that will define their legacies. Shipnuck tracks the controversy from Augusta's boardrooms to protest sites, revealing the secret maneuvers, political machinations, and media manipulation that shaped the conflict. High-profile figures from Tiger Woods to Jesse Jackson get pulled into the fray as the story spirals beyond golf into questions of tradition, equality, and power. The author exposes how Augusta National worked to undermine press coverage, explores the Southern political forces that shaped the battle, and uncovers the mysteries that emerged during the chaos. This account captures a cultural moment when a simple membership question became a national debate about exclusion and change.
Genres: biography, gender-studies, business, current-affairs, activism, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, media-manipulation
Setting: Augusta National
Period: 21st-century
352 pages · Kindle Edition · Simon Schuster