Bobby Jones: Education, Golfing Legacy, and Enduring Influence
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. (March 17, 1902 - December 18, 1971) remains an iconic figure in the history of golf. An American amateur golfer and a lawyer by profession, Jones left an indelible mark on the sport through his achievements, sportsmanship, and contributions to the game's development. He co-founded the Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament and set a high standard of integrity and character for golfers worldwide.
Early Life and Education
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1902, Bobby Jones was the son of Robert Purmedus and Clara Thomas Jones. Named for his grandfather, Jones faced health challenges early in life. He was unable to eat solid food until the age of five. It is said that golf was prescribed as a way for him to grow stronger. His family's move to East Lake Country Club proved pivotal, where he learned the game by imitating the swing of Stewart Maiden, the club professional who encouraged him to "hit it hard." Jones would later say of East Lake’s pro, “Stewart had the finest and soundest style I have ever seen.
Jones received his early education at Woodbury School and Tech High School in Atlanta. His academic achievements were as impressive as his golfing prowess. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1922, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He then pursued English Literature at Harvard University, graduating in 1924. Demonstrating his commitment to intellectual pursuits, Jones also attended Emory University Law School, passing the Georgia bar in 1928 after only three semesters.
Golfing Career: A Dominance of the Amateur Era
Jones's golfing journey began at the age of five, playing with cut-down clubs on a makeshift course in his front yard. At age six, he won his first tournament. By age thirteen, he had already captured the club championships of both East Lake and Druid Hills Country Club. His early success foreshadowed a remarkable career that would solidify his place in golf history.
Early Successes and Temperament
At fourteen, Jones played in his first national championship, the United States Amateur, reaching the quarterfinal. In 1916, then the Georgia Amateur tournament champion, Jones played in his first national championship, the United States Amateur, in which he was a quarterfinalist. Legendary sports writer Grantland Rice once said that the young Jones had “the face of an angel and the temper of a timber wolf.” For the first eight years of his competitive life, Jones would frequently have tantrums and throw clubs on the golf course.
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His first national title came in 1923, when he won the United States Open at the age of twenty-one, defeating Bobby Cruickshank in a playoff. Starting in that year, Jones held one or more major titles every year for eight years, for a total of thirteen.
The Grand Slam and Retirement
Jones climaxed his career in amateur golf in 1930 by winning in a single year the Grand Slam, the four major American and British open and amateur championships, an achievement still unmatched. In 1930 at age twenty-eight, Jones won all four major golfing championships, thus completing the first Grand Slam in history. To this day, he is the only golfer to have won the pre-Masters Grand Slam within one calendar year. The New York Times described Bobby Jones’ completion of the Grand Slam as “The most triumphant journey that any man ever traveled in sport.”
His remarkable achievements in 1930 included victories at the British Amateur, British Open, U.S. Open, and U.S. Amateur. This feat remains unparalleled in golf history.On November 18, 1930, Jones announced his retirement from tournament golf with a letter to the United States Golf Association, surrendering at the same time his amateur status so that he could earn money from the fame he had won on the golf course. Not mentioned by Jones in the letter was the fact that tournament golf was taking its toll on him. Although his demeanor before tournament galleries was outwardly calm, inside he was extremely nervous. He would be sick to the point of vomiting on occasion and would lose as much as eighteen pounds during a tournament. Explaining his decision to retire at the age of 28, Jones said, "Championship golf is something like a cage. First, you are expected to get into it and then you are expected to stay there.
Character and Sportsmanship
During his lifetime, Jones was well known for respecting the rules and acting with conviction, both on and off the course. Jones's character and sportsmanship were as notable as his golfing skills. In 1925, during the U.S. Open, Jones called a penalty on himself for accidentally moving his own ball. When praised for his actions, he responded: “You might as well praise a man for not robbing a bank.” This incident exemplifies his unwavering commitment to integrity and fair play. Jones was consistently considerate of both his opponents and the onlookers. That attitude, that spirit of sportsmanship, was what endeared him to golf fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
St Andrews
In 1921, at the age of 19, Jones competed in the British Open in St Andrews, Scotland. Frustrated by his performance after a string of bad shots, he picked up his ball on the 11th hole and tore up his scorecard, disqualifying himself from the tournament. After his show of temper at age 19 on the Old Course in 1921, Jones later endeared himself to the people of St Andrews with his modest demeanor and masterful playing that propelled him to victory in the 1927 British Open.
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After winning the 1927 British Open, Jones was presented with the trophy, the Claret Jug. In his acceptance speech, he said he wanted it to stay at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews instead of taking the trophy home to Atlanta. When Jones returned to St Andrews in May 1930 to compete in the British Amateur - the first tournament of the Grand Slam - he was given an exuberant welcome. After he sank his winning putt, “Hats filled the air,” wrote Mark Frost in The Grand Slam. “The crowd swallowed him, a full mile from the clubhouse….For a brief moment they lifted their hero up on their shoulders.
In 1958 he was awarded The Freedom of the City of St Andrews, Scotland, the first American since Benjamin Franklin to be so honored. In his acceptance speech for the honor, Jones explained, “I could take out of my life everything except my experiences at St Andrews, and I’d still have a rich full life.” As Jones departed Younger Hall with his honor, the assembly spontaneously serenaded him off to the traditional tune of Will Ye No Come Back Again? in a famously moving tribute.
Contributions to Golf
After retiring from competitive golf, Jones continued to contribute to the sport in significant ways.
Augusta National and The Masters
In July, 1931, Jones and Clifford Roberts, a New York City investment broker, announced plans to build the Augusta National Golf Club at Augusta, Georgia. Jones co-designed the Augusta National course with Alister MacKenzie. The club opened in the spring of 1933, and in 1934, he co-founded The Masters Tournament. The Masters evolved into one of golf's four major championships. Jones played in the first dozen Masters, through 1948, but only in the first as a contender.
The tournament, jointly run by Jones and Clifford Roberts, made many important innovations that became the norm elsewhere, such as gallery ropes to control the flow of the large crowds, many scoreboards around the course, the use of red / green numbers on those scoreboards to denote under / over par scores, an international field of top players, high-caliber television coverage, and week-long admission passes for patrons, which became extremely hard to obtain. The tournament also sought and welcomed feedback from players, fans, and writers, leading to continual improvement over the years.
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Instructional Films and Writings
After retirement, Jones made a series of instructional films seen by an estimated twenty-five million people. In 1931 he made a series of golf instructional films for Warner Bros. in which stars like W.C. Fields, James Cagney, and Loretta Young appeared. The films were popular, and Jones gave up his amateur status while earning lucrative contract money for this venture. These films were put into storage and were unavailable for decades, but a surviving print was located sixty years later and put into video format for preservation by Ely Callaway, a distant cousin of Jones's.
He also designed the first set of iron golf clubs to be numbered and sold as a matched set for A. G. Spalding and Brothers. Jones wrote newspaper and magazine articles and narrated an instructional series for radio. Jones assisted A.G. Spalding & Co. in designing the first set of matched golf clubs, which appeared in 1932 bearing Jones' name and sold steadily for over 40 years.
Jones authored several books on golf including Down the Fairway with Oscar Bane "O.B." Keeler (1927), The Rights and Wrongs of Golf (1933), Golf Is My Game (1959), Bobby Jones on Golf (1966), and Bobby Jones on the Basic Golf Swing (1968) with illustrator Anthony Ravielli.
Later Life and Illness
At the age of forty-six, an exploratory operation revealed that Jones was suffering from a rare disease that resulted in progressive paralysis. In 1948, Jones was diagnosed with syringomyelia, a fluid-filled cavity in the spinal cord that causes crippling pain, then paralysis; he was eventually restricted to a wheelchair. Alistair Cooke recalls an incident of Jones’ later years when an old friend asked him about his physical distress; "Well now, let's not talk about it. We play the ball, you know, as it lies."
In the years that followed the diagnosis of Syringomyelia, Jones would eventually start using a golf cart for transportation at the Masters Tournament and did so until his death in 1971. His use of a golf cart contributed to the increased acceptance of the use of golf carts by golfers.
Jones died in Atlanta on December 18, 1971, three days after converting to Catholicism. After passing in 1971, Jones was buried at Oakland Cemetery, just a few miles west of East Lake.
Legacy and Honors
Jones's legacy extends far beyond his golfing achievements. He is remembered for his integrity, sportsmanship, and contributions to the sport.
- World Golf Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1974.
- Freeman of the City of St Andrews: Awarded in 1958, the first American since Benjamin Franklin to receive this honor.
- Robert T. Jones, Jr. Program: An exchange program between Emory University and the University of St Andrews, fostering academic excellence and international understanding. The Robert T. Jones, Jr. Program strives to honor the legacy of the internationally renowned golfer and Emory alumnus by upholding the historical partnership between Emory University and the University of St Andrews where four scholars from each university participate in a one-year postbaccalaureate exchange. Scholars must exhibit qualities that Bobby Jones was known for - exemplary character, integrity, and citizenship.
- Bobby Jones Scholarship: A scholarship exchange bearing the Jones name exists between the University of St Andrews and Emory University, Queen's University, The University of Western Ontario and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. At Emory, four students are sent to St Andrews for an all-expenses-paid year of study and travel. In return, Emory accepts four students from St Andrews each year. The program, the Robert T.
- The Bobby Jones Museum: The Bobby Jones Museum is located at East Lake Golf Club.
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