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
the most respected amateur in the
country. AT Merton the year before
he had hit the two longest shots
OF the tournament. estimated at 800
! little wizard, plainly expecting all his
10 and II foot puts to drop and dis
gusted when they did not.
Ana today, regarded as the greatest
media! player Of his generation, he is
grateful and happy If the Ssfooters dis
appear, while 12-foot putt that sinks in
round seems to him like something off
a Christmas tree
or for the Red Cross.
AT this stage. too, Bobby and Perry
Adair went crusading for the Red
Cross war chest. They were far un-
der the age Of draft or enlistment
George Adair. they toured the coun-
try in 1917. and 1913. playing exhi-
bition matches. They helped to raise
many thousands of dollars. In 1918
the boys were accompanied in many
Miss Alexa Stirling. then national
woman champion. and Miss Elaine
Rosenthal 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-
plished a feat which his father to
this day regards IS his most notable
achievement in that department
The occasion was the pro amateur
matches in the east, put on by the
Professional Golfers Association for
the Red Cross-an event that netted
h. grA l. H.
On successive days Bobby defeated
feated Freddie Mcleod up at ST.
wanoy and defeated Emmett French
l up at Garden City. sinking a Is
foot putt on the home green for the
match.
Bobby was the only amateur. as
I recall il. to win all his matches
with the professionals. and he and
acquired by the amateurs, though
Jerry Travers. and John Anderson
also were in the lists. each winning
a, single point. Bob and Perry to-
gethT accounted for six of the eight
points won by the amateur contin-
gent.
At His Top Then in Putting.
Bobby continued 10 play Red Cross
matches with various amateurs and
professionals. along with CHICK
Wood and others until the school
bell rang again
The national amateur champion
ship was. not played in 1917 or 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
with the best of the amateurs and
the professionals. Certainly Bobby
never has putted SO well since
tied down into the smocthest and
steadiest yet displayed in America
some say in all the world.
told him in Atlanta in 1915, when
Chick Evans and Warren K. Wood were
playi1~ a couple of friendly matches
with Lob and Perry at East Lake and
Druid Hills and Bob was rather step
BOBBY" said Chick. 4 hope YOU
never find out how hard putting really
is
Chick had found out So did Bobby,
not so long after.
sta nds out beyond the rest in the
method of Bobby. it is his modification
Of what is termed the push shot with
a straight-faced iron, No. /. or
z NO. ..
anyway" says Jones. Il mean. hit it
sduarely in the back as the. club is
starting upward in the swing. I Knock
down almost every shot with an iron,
sometimes taking good slice of turf
Just beyond the spot where the ball lay.
It's q 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.
II 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. I am conscious of hitting
the bali 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 100 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