Golf Secrets of the Master

“One might as well attempt to describe the smoothness of the wind as to paint a clear picture of his complete swing,” wrote Grantland Rice of Bobby Jones. Although he played the game three–quarters of a century ago, Bobby Jones’ golf swing remains the ultimate standard even today. While players are often known for a particular aspect of their game, a player who excels at every shot, with every club, is a rarity indeed. Jones was that type of player, dominating the game with a graceful combination of power, accuracy and touch that can only be looked upon with absolute admiration.

One of the most admired traits of Jones’ swing was his uncanny ability to vary the distance on his shots with relative ease. “Bob had an absolutely beautiful golf swing,” golfing peer Charlie– Seaver once said. “He was confident that he could do what he was trying to do with a golf ball and would extend the distance if he tried to.” Jones was known to add distance to his drives by merely lengthening his backswing. But, no matter how far the club went back, it always came through with the same fluid motion. Jones was able to maintain his balance throughout the swing despite a stance that Ben Crenshaw has stated was narrower than any champion’s before him. It was this stance that allowed for a free hip rotation, producing tremendous power from a swing that was characterized by complete relaxation.

Jones played the ball far up in his stance, feeling that he could stay behind the ball throughout his swing if he played it off his left instep. He also used an overlapping grip that he learned at age eleven watching the great British champion Harry Vardon play an exhibition match at East Lake. Jones later refined the grip when he was paired with Vardon in the 1920 U.S. Open at Inverness.