Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-29

Jones' Secret.
T%HERE Is, after all, no mysterious
secret connected with Bobby
Jones mastery of the golf world
almost Of the game itself.
There are others who have swing
Just about as sound. There are others
who have about the same determination
and the same ability to concentrate
But there is no other who has COM
bination OF all these essential clements
There they are-the fundamentals OF
the true swing which SO few have tne
determination to keep fighting 1t out
the ability, to keep urbroken concen-
tration on the Job. And to this one
might add the physical power needed
to get distance as well as direction
distance without any tug OF extra
This combination happened to meet
In one man for the first time IN the
history of golf. There are those who
will tell you several golfers have, or
have had, q slightly sounder swing.
Possibly, but the mental side OF golf,
which Is the side of concentration, Is
q terrific factor and probably the win
ming one in Bobby's case. When he
lapses now and then it Is because no
one can maintain unbroken concentra-
ton all day long without getting mem
tally tagged and there must be periods
of rest.
The Test Of Consistency.
D OBBY JONES can keep his swing
ID nearly always the same, under pres
sure or on easy days, in the wind
~. ~, f1aa 1Vr1 TITS fiYnda u1aYfQlC are
too sound, his balance too nearly perfect,
to be affected by adverse conditions or
a close struggle.
Leading or trailing, windy or wind
less, there it is-just about the same,
because it Is built upon the correct plan
along essential lines and because 1t Is
directed by a mental current that rarely
wavers or shifts its course.
There also Is tribe more OF the
artist in Jones swing q certain smooth,
even flow that Is almost impossible to
initiate, for In the imitation there must
be some form Of conscious effort. There
is none apparent in Jones.
It might be recalled that, In add1-
ton to this mixture of form and genius,
1t took IS years of competition under
the heaviest possible IRE to bring
Bobby's game to the peak of 1890. And
few have the start at the age of IS
the Atlanta lawyer had. After is years
of competition, championship compett-
ton, most golfers have lost some of the
spring Of youth, the keenness of younger
years. But at the age of % Bobby
Jones Is at his physical crest. Twenty
eight Is the best of all ages for an
athlete when It comes to performance.
It is then experience and elasticity
walk together.
Another Angle.
TT generally was believed in advance
i that this Merton pageant should be
the easiest OF all his 1880 tests. But
in golf 1t Is often the easy road that
leads to disaster. Jones found it i'm
possible to get keyed up where he must
have known he could start most of
those he had to meet at least or
up in an 10-hole test. He found It
dtfncult to force himself to a pace he
did not need for winning finish. He
put on two spurts against Jess SweetSer,
knowing this veteran always Is dam
gerous when he RECEIVERS the touch Of
the old days.
There were those who thought Jones
looked bored. Naturally this was not
The case with an all-tiIne record lust
ahead, but he was tired, and there was
nothing 10 VERY about, so he refused
70 worry. He saw no need TO whip HIM
self to fast pace down the stretch
ahead.
It was for this reason that he let
his Commemorative faculties slip oftener
than usual. And there Is no golf swing,
and there neVer viii be enc. proof