New Britain herald., 1926-07-14

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 Atlanta, Ga, July 14 tPl-Bobby Jones, open golf champion of America and Great Britain. and amateur champion 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 golftng champion of the world. It is because he is one of the most modest boys in the world. IL re- quired good deal of convincing to gain his first, and very likely his last, formal interview on golf. l told him the greatest of press as sociations believed that many people wanted to hear from him, in his own words, how he played golf The Master -Stylist"-and how he won championships, Bobby at last blushed and gave in.
 "All right" he said. Where do we start 2"
 Where you started golf" I sug- gested. How did you get your game?"
 Luck Started Him Luck" he answered sucClnCtly. | 'The biggest piece of golfng luck ever had was when the Atlanta Athletic club got Stewart Maiden for its professional. 1 was five years old then and lived opposite the gate of the East Lake golf course. Next year, Dad moved our family into a little cottage on the club property, alongside what is now the first fairway. I had taken up golf in a small way with a sawed players had given me. Stewart never gave me any lessons. I just | followed him around and watched him. l wanted to play golf, and he was the best player about the club, and I initiated his style. Like monkey, l suppose. The l 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 swinging like him. In the last ten years, I've changed a good deal in some ways. My build is not like Stewards, you know"
 You're fatter." suggested. Bobby's ears reddened.
 Never mind that. I'm not as fat as I was when l got off the Aquitania ten days ago. lost twelve pounds those three days at Scioto. And I'm not fat anyhow. As l was saying, I don't swing just like Stewart today, but that was the foundation, and I can go out on a golf course any time and swing ex- actly like him. He has sound and orthodox style.
 I asked what he meant by or thodox.
 Tn golf I should say it was a style which would suit fundamcn- ] tally any player unless he was an- atomically freakish. There is nothing odd or unusual about Stew arts methods"
 And yours?"
 start in Childhood Well. at times my methods seem unusually. hard to get along with. Maybe I haven't helped the original style by changing it. Anyway ] cant help believing that is the best way to acquire a sound game-an imitation of a good player in child hood. If you don't get started in childhood, take some lessons. A good professional can work out a style that will suit you, if you will do what he says"
 The subject of style characteris- tics came up, Bobby now being universally regarded as the glass of fashion and the mold Of form in golf. Bobby did not want to talk about this phase. I insisted.
 His Own Pictures
 Well, judging by the pictures l see of myself" he admitted q 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 knickers in addressing the ball. My arms do not seem to get far away from my body in the back swing and I suppose this is what they mean by saying my style is compact. My stance is very slightly open for all shots ex- cept the putt; that is the left foot is bit farther back from the line of shot than the right. I do not regard this as important, Some times I play shots with my toes level. and I know fine players who employ a very open stance and others with q square stance - the toes level and still others with closed stance, the right foot being drawn back. The main point in my stance, as\ l understand it. is to play the bali opposite the left heel in all normal full wood shots, and in most normal full shots for dis tance. Two or three years ago l was getting into a lot of trouble, pulling and smothoring, hy care lcssly letting the ball stray toward inc line of the right heel ] play many pitch shots and irons. when low flight with much bacEspin is needed about between my feet or even toward he line of the right i heel But 10 got a normal well be- i havod shot with full swing, I i haNo found that the place for the ! ball, for me, is opposite the left ! heel Mind you. I don't say that is ! right for everybody, But it certain ly is Stewards method, for practi- caily all shots, and he even plays the bah as far ahead as opposite the left lnstep. l think the idea is 10 keep the weight well back of ihe stroke, when it gets in front, can happen and usually