Evening star., 1923-11-25

ing the train at a station outside of
town.
This was the beginning Of what
might be called the match play era of
Bobby Jones career. when his tre-
mendously bold and slashing style and
his superb putting made him perhaps
the most respected amateur in the
country. At Merton the year before
OF the tournament, estimated at 800
yards. And on the greens he was a
little wizard. plainly. expecting all his
10 ana II foot puts to drop and dis
gusted when they did not.
And today. regarded as the greatest
medal player Of his generation, he is
grateful and happy IL the 3sfooters dis
appear, while l2-foot putt that sinks in
round seems to him like something off
Christmas tree
on for the Red Cross.
At this stage, too. Bobby and Perry
Adair went crusading for the Red
Cross war chest. They were far url-
der the age OF draft or enlistment,
but. accompanied by perry's father,
George Adair, they toured the coun-
try in 1917; and 1913. playing exhi-
many thousands of dollars In 1918
the boys were accompanied In many
matches by another Atlanta golfer.
Miss Alexa Stirling. then national
RosenthaI as the fourth member.
they played numerous interesting
matches for the Red Cross
But in 1917. at the crest of his
match, play era. Bobby Jones accom-
this day regards as his most notable
achievement in that department
The occasion was the pro-amateur
matches in the east. put on by, the
the Red Cross-an event that netted
the Red Cross $4,000. by the way
On successive days Bobby defeated
Cyril Walker up at Baltusrol. de-
wanoy. and defeated Emmett French
l up at Garden City. sinking Is
foot putt on the home green fer the
match.
I recall it. to win ali his matches
with the professionals. and he and
Perry Adair won three points at
foursome play-the only points thus
acquired by the amateurs, though
Jerry Travers. and John Anderson
a single point. Bob and Perry to-
getheT accounted for six Of the eight
points won by the amateur contin-
gent.
At His Top Then in Putting.
Bobby continued TO play Red Cross
matches with various amateurs and
Evans, Kenneth Edwards, Warren K
Wood and others until the school
bell rang again.
ship was not played in 1917 or in
1918, and there are those who in
cline to the belief that this was bad
luck for Bobby. who in those years.
with really remarkable putting in
conjunction with bold and power
full game from the tee and through.
the green. was winning an almost in
credible proportion of his matches
l.. -
the professionals. Certainly Bobby
never has putted SO we'll since,
though his general method has set,
tied down into the smoothest and
steadiest yet displayed in America
I remember something Chick Evans
told him in Atlanta in 1916, when
Chick Evans and Warren K. Wood were
playi1 a couple of friendly matches
with lob and Perry at East Lake and
ping ahead of the great Chick.
Bobby" said Chick, I hope YOU
never find out how hard putting really
is
Chick had found out So did Bobby,
If any one shot or type of shots
stands out beyond the rest in the
method of Bobby. it is his modification
straight-faced iron. a No. /, or
II rarely hit an iron shot clean
anyway" says Jones. II mean hit It
sduarely In the back as the. club is
starting upward in the swing. knock
down almost every shot with an iron,
sometimes taking a good slice OF turf
just beyond the spot where the ball lay.
It's Reverse English.
This means the ball is struck be-
fore the club has reached the lowest
point of the swing. 1t imparts a strong
backspin to the bail-like the reverse
English in billiards. This keeps the
fight straight and low. with extreme
carry, and steps the ball quickly after
it reaches the turf
81 play the shot with a restricted
swing, not taking the club back as far
as the horizontal, and hitting with very
firm wrists. The club finishes point
ing nearly straight toward the sky,
and not around my neck, as in a. driv-
ing stroke. ! am conscious of hitting
the ball down. in this stroke, and the
punch goes into the ball and not into
the finish. called by sonle people the
follow-through.'
1t was this shot that won him the
championship at Inwood. played with a
No. ! iron from the short rough, the
ball lying close to the earth, which was
very hard. To reach. the pin, the ball
had to travel 1870 yards in the air. land
beyond the lagoon across the very front
of the green, and stop with almost no
roll. 1t was the only type of shot that
could have been successful.