During golf's greatest week, author Nathan Edmonson details his Augusta mystery book

Author Nathan Edmondson spoke with Terry Meiners about his fictional book THE MASTER: a novel of golf & death. 

Edmondson, who grew up in Augusta, tells an intriguing imaginary tale of a dead caddie found on Amen Corner on the Sunday of Masters Week, and the enthralling detective story that follows.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We'll all be whispering in reverend tones. Actually, starting tomorrow,
it's family Day at Augusta National where they play the
par three course and bring the kids out as caddies.
It's all a good time at the Masters. And then
the real play begins on Thursday. We'll talk about tea
times a little bit later on the hour. For now,

(00:22):
we'll dive into a book called The Master, a novel
of golf and death. The author is Nathan Edmondson, who
apparently grew up around Augusta, Georgia. And Nathan, welcome, Thank
you for having me. Is that your hometown, Augusta?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
It is, yep. Grew up there until I was seventeen. Parents, sir,
are still walking distance from the course.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
That's fantastic. I was in your airport one time and
I seem to recall a statue of not a golfer,
but of James Brown. Did I just imagine that?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
No, he's one of the patron saints of that town.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
He was a wild man when he was around, that's
for sure. But the stories that have come off of
Augusta National, of course for the Masters every year are
just compelling, stunning and amazing. So you tell us how
you came to come up with a story that's tied
to the golf course in this murder mystery.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Sure, I spent a good deal of time growing up
out there. Every year we had the privilege of that access,
and it was sitting in the stands over the aiming corner,
probably a couple of years in a row that the
idea percolated a bit. I have written spy thrillers and

(01:46):
worked in that genre. A detective story was a little different. Obviously.
It has a little bit of a spy twist, not
to give anything away, but much like the tournament itself
and the club itself, while it is local, as you know,
an international an international edge to it to draws internationally,
and the story does the same thing as it progresses,

(02:08):
but you know, it's just born of walking the course
and kind of a what if what if thought.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
I noticed that you use the word the master without
the S on the end, so you didn't run in
any copyright issues. The flag illustration on the cover is
yellowish with some red tint over in the corner, as
though that indicates blood, but it doesn't violate any of
the copywriter intellectual property rights of Augusta National what's very

(02:35):
smart of you.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, as far as far as the attorneys, we we consulted.
The title also is, you know, The Master a novel
of golf and death. It is a an entity that
is fiercely protective of its its legacy and its image.
And one of the things that I endeavored to do
in the book was be respectful of that. Yeah, and

(02:56):
in every way it is a celebration of the game
as much as it is a crime thriller.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
There's no doubt about it. It's about a young golfer
his first trip to play in the Masters, young South
African virtue. Wos always listed Johnny Lombard, but as Caddy
then is dead and then this is what the mystery
is surrounding about. And it's interesting in here you talk
about people detective I guess, pulling up the names of

(03:24):
South African golfers and you use the real ones like
Brandon Grace and Louis Us Taizan and Charles Schwartzel Ernie
Els and so forth. That's just kind of funny to
see their names in there. I'll bet that'll get a kick.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Out of this. Yeah. Indeed, actually send a copy over
to Larry Mays who's a friend of my godparents. Actually
it was fun. There's a number of real golfers, including
the couple of speaking roles, all fictionalized, of course, disclaimer
not about that in the beginning, but yeah, the bars,

(03:56):
the restaurants they sit in, and obviously the course itself
is all it's all real characters, real locations.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, the place is amazing. I mean, clearly it's it's
one of the most beautiful spots because it's so manicured
any place you can find in America. But just to
walk those hallowed hills is just astounding. And to get
to experience the thrill of hearing a crowd roar far
away and then other people sigh near you because somebody

(04:24):
has missed a shot or dunked it into rays Creek
or whatever it happens to be. That's the drama that's
going on all around the course in real time. Your
job in this book is to create all kinds of
drama that had nothing to do really with golf, but
the setting.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
That's correct in Johnny Lombard that one of the lead
characters he is competing while dealing with that that tumult
of this drama external to the course that the detective
is trying to unravel. So you've one described it beautifully

(05:01):
and uh to the course and the tournament, not the
So it's the book that you you But I also
think you pointed out something that is inherently remarkable about
the tournament, which is everything is subdued. You know, people
check their behavior. They you hear the size as much

(05:24):
as you hear you know, you talk about the roar
at the Masters, it's not like the roar any at
any other sporting event. You know, it is all relative
and it is very controlled. And because of that, because
you know, the atmosphere is is subdued in that way,
every swing, you know, you can hear the tension is real. Uh,

(05:49):
you know, you can think of it like a still
pond and so little pebble drops, you know, ripple across
and stuff. It's just it's a very unique sporting event
for those reasons, combined with the beauty of the setting,
kind of the surreal nature of the setting.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Certainly, I like the way your character, Johnny Lombard, he's
trying to deal with the pressure of being in the Masters,
and then of course this death is a part of
what's going on in his brain. Well, the most important
thing for all the golfers is to have inner peace
and focus on what they're doing because of the intense
nature of this particular tournament. Doesn't matter how great you are.

(06:28):
Think about Rory last year. That look on his face
when he made that walk off of eighteen, finally getting
his fourth major, I mean, finally getting the fourth in
the crown of all the majors. To get that done,
to get that green jacket, and that look of relief
on his face, that's what the pressure is really about.

(06:49):
Everybody wants that one moment because they earned their way
to get there. Your character has earned his way, but
his life's in complete turmoil.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yes. Indeed, a doctor Brett McCay, he generously gave a
quote to the book, is a clinical sports psychologist who
coaches a number of Green jacket winners and competitors. You know,
he mentioned to me, it's not just the geography of
the course that makes as the quote goes, amateurs out

(07:19):
of pros and pros out of amateurs. It is unique geography,
unique grass. But there's also because the legacy players bring something.
They bring their own you know, walls, their own complexity,
they bring their own barriers, mental barriers, psychological barriers to
the tournament just because of the gravity of it, and
so they really are competing with themselves and you see,

(07:43):
or at least it was my intention to explore that
through Johnny's character, because that that is something that's really highlighted.
It's not completely unique in sports, but I think it's
epitomized at the Masters, no.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
Doubt about it. Well, your story is really cool. Well
I really enjoyed it, and it brings in all sorts
of international intrigue, and so it was well done, well conceived.
Congratulations on this book, The Master, a novel of golf
and death, something for you to read as you prep
for the Masters or in those early morning hours waiting

(08:18):
for play to resume. That's another thing, right when we're
all waiting for play to resume, and it's like, what's
going to happen today? You know, on Friday, who makes
the cut or who's the trunk slammer, Saturday moving Day
and obviously Sunday payoff day. It's all great drama this week.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
Absolutely all right.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
We'll send people can find your book anywhere. I guess
they just go to their favorite online dealer.

Speaker 2 (08:43):
Sure, Barnes and Noble. Amazon should be able to pick
it up Herhead to Ridia Book's website.

Speaker 1 (08:49):
Okay, Nathan Edmondson The Master, a novel of golf and death.
Enjoy it, folks. It's the greatest golf week of the year,
and there's a great mystery to go along with it.
Thank you, Nathan, Thank you so much. Right back on
news radio eight forty w ight JS