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Good read: Titanic Thompson, The Man Who Bet on Everything

By West Valentine

LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 13: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) A racegoer holds his winnings on day two 'Ladies Day' of The Randox Health Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse on April 13, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 13: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) A racegoer holds his winnings on day two 'Ladies Day' of The Randox Health Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse on April 13, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images) /
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Looking for a good golf book? I just finished Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet on Everything. It’s a must-read for golfers and gamblers, alike.

While not a new title, this 2010 book by Kevin Cook was a fun ride through 20th-century golf, gangsters, and gambling.

Titanic Thompson is a mythical figure in American lore. Like Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett, some folks might not even be sure he actually existed. Like those two iconic figures, most believe the legendary tales surrounding Thompson must have been embellished over time. The truth may surprise you.

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Titanic Thompson is like the Forrest Gump of 20th century American golf and gambling. He knew all the icons, he gambled on and off the course with them, and he usually won.

Though he may sound like the Forrest Gump of golf and gambling, Thompson killed at least five men himself and was wrapped up in the murder of Arnold Rothstein – the man who fixed the 1919 World Series and birthed modern organized crime. Titanic wasn’t a gangster, but he was no angel, either.

On the golf course, Thompson hoodwinked everyone from Al Capone to Harvey Penick (is there a wider disparity of characters than that?). He took a young Ben Hogan on the road to hustle golf. It should be noted that Hogan called Thompson the greatest shotmaker he’d ever seen.

Titanic also arranged the three-day match between an unknown Assistant Pro in El Paso named Lee Trevino and budding PGA star Ray Floyd that is considered the greatest golf gambling match of all-time.

Thompson was also the inspiration for virtually every gag in Tin Cup. He gambled rounds playing with one club, playing with garden tools and pool cues, and never passed up even the most ridiculous proposition bet.

That famous 7-iron scene when Don Johnson’s character hits it down the road to beat Roy in a “Who can hit it longer” contest? Titanic did that in the dead of winter in Chicago with a driver he said he could hit 500 yards. He did – across a frozen Lake Michigan.

He could also break par from either side, left or right-handed

So why don’t more golfers know about a player widely considered one of the best American players to ever swing a stick? Money.

At a time when the top earners on the fledgling PGA Tour were making around $6,000 a year, Titanic Thompson was making that on a quick nine-hole match with an over-confident industrialist, gangster, politician, or any golf hustler who could come up with the cash.

Without getting into too many more details about Titanic and his exploits, there is a moral to the story. Eventually, your luck runs out. Whether it’s cards, golf, or throwing a peanut over a 6-story building (yeah, Titanic did that, but not how you think he did), the odds catch up with you.

Next. Best Golfer from each state: Ohio Golf and Jack Nicklaus. dark

Regardless, Titanic Thompson is a character everyone who plays golf needs to know. If nothing else, it’s an easy read that will give you plenty of storytelling fodder for your next foursome.

Remember, next time someone you don’t know wants to bet on the golf course, you’re probably the mark, not the shark.

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