Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-07-15
(Ths Associated Pre- $50

Atlanta, Ga, July 14.--(P)-Bobby
Jones. open golf champion of America
and Great Britain, and amateur cham
pion of America all at the same time
is a difficult boy to interview. But
that is not at all because he is the first
official golfing champion of the world.
1t is because he is one of the most
modest boys in the world 1t required
a good deal of convincing to gain his
first, and very likely his last formal
interview on golf. I told him the great
est of press associations believed that
many people wanted to hear from him.
in his own words, how he played golf
the master styllst-and how he won
championships. Bobby at last blushed
and gave in.
"All right" he said, where do We
stsrt?"
Where you started golf" l suggest
ed How did you get your game?"
Luck" he answered succinctly.
"Fhe biggest piece of golfng luck
ever had was when the Atlanta Ath-
letic Club got Stewart Maiden for its
professional. / was five years old then
and lived opposite the gate of the East
Lake golf course. Next year, dad
moved our family into little cottage
on the club property alongside what is
now the first fairway. ] had taken
up golf in a way with a sawed off
cleek, one of the East Lake players
had given me. Stewart never gave me
any lessons, I just followed him
around and watched him. ! wanted to
play golf, and he was the best PLAYER
about the club, and | initiated his
style. Like a monkey, I suppose. The
luck was in the fact that Stewart had
the finest and soundest style | have
ever seen. Naturally I did not know
this at the time. But I grew up swing
ing like him. In the last 10 years I've
changed good deal in some ways.
Ny build is not like Stewards, you
know"
The subject of style characteris-
tics came up. Bobby now being uni
rersally regarded as the class of
fashion and the mold of form in
golf. Bobby did not want to talk
about this phase. | insisted
Well, Judging by the pictures
see of myself" he admitted, Il keep
my feet closer together in the full
shots than almost anybody else in
the world and keep my hands lower
and close to my Knockers in address
sing the ball My arms do not seem
to get far away from my body in
the back swing and / suppose this
is what they mean by saying my
style is compact. My stance is very
slightly open for all shots except
the putt; that is the left foot is a
bit farther back from the line of
shot than the right. ! don't regard
this as important. Sometimes ! play
shots with my toes level and l know
fine players who employ very open
stance and others with a square
stance-the toes level and still 9TH
ers with a closed stance, the right
foot being drawn back. The main
point in my stance. as | understand
it. is to play the ball opposite the
left heel in all normal full wood
shots. and in most normal full shots
for distance. Two or three years
ago l was getting into lot Of trou
bic, pulling and smothering. by
carelessly letting the ball stray to-
ward the line of the right heel
play many pitch shots and irons
when a low fight with much back
spin is needed about between my
feet or even toward the line of the
right heel. But to get a normal,
welI- behaved shot with full swing,
l have found that the place for the
ball, for me, is opposite the left
heel. Mind YOU, l don't say that is
right for everybody. But it certain
~ Stewards method. for practically
all shots. and he even plays the ball
as far ahead as opposite the left
instep. l think the idea is to keep
the weight we'll back of the stroke.
When it gets in front, anything can
happen and usually does
I asked about hands, arms and
grip.
Il never think about my hands.
The regular overlapping or Warden
grip seems to take care of that
phase pretty well. | think that grip
is best If your hands are reasonably
big and strong. The little finger of
the right overlaps the forefinger of
the left. the left thumb being bur-
led under the right palm; a very
compact grip which tends to keep
the hands from working against
each other save in the proper way.
There's another thing" said Bob
by. Il never try to force club any
more. Rather than hit hard with
mashie l take No. 4 iron. It seems
can keep the feel of the left hand
that way"
About the nerve strain in tourna-
ment play:
There are two kinds of golf" said
Bobby seriously. There is golf-and
tournament golf. They are not at all
alike, inside. I'm more nervous be-
fore medal competitions than mat
ches. In a match you have a single
human opponent who may make
some mistakes. In medal play, You
are up against old man par, who
never gets down in one putt and
fol
OF an open championship always
causes me the most suffering. It's
worse than the last, oddly enough.
on see, in starting, | don't know
how I'm going to be hitting my shots.
the first few holes. The start at
Scioto was torture, because | had
played wretchedly in practice and
was uncertain If 1 could hit the ball
decently. / do not think nervousness
hurts my game. The more nervous
| am the better l play, usually. II
suppose it means being keyed up.
Some of the sloppiest rounds I have
played. [ was not nervous at all. AS
to the strain, l don't seem to be con-
scious of it during round. After
ward-well ! know something has
been done to me. l sort of collapsed
at Columbus after getting back to the
hotel. | was all in.
This was after shooting the last
II holes of the final round. two
strokes better than par Apparently
the killing strain did not affect his
game detrimentally.
rive another idea" said Bobby !
suddenly. I think this habit of grim
straight through the Il,
entire round Is mistake for me-
If 1 walk along like an In
DIAN, concentrating desperately on
the next shot with an eighth of a
mile to walk before reaching the ball,
feel sort of tagged out in my head