Bobby Jones on Golf [Paperback]

Bobby Jones (Author), Robert Tyre Jones (Author, Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Bobby Jones | Publication Date: April 1997

A player who never turned pro but held one or more major titles every year of his 15-season competitive career, Bobby Jones was the most famous amateur golfer ever to play the game. In the 20 years since his death, America has witnessed an explosion of enthusiasm for golf. Now comes a reissue of Jones' classic instructional, out of print and unavailable for two decades. Line drawings.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Here's the bad news: "Golf," suggests the great Bobby Jones, the largest shadow ever cast on a fairway, "is the one game which becomes more and more difficult the longer one plays it." Here's the good news: If his classic instructional can't change the diagnosis, it may at least ease the pain. Written by the master himself--no ghost ever stepped between Jones and his ball--as a series of twice-weekly newspaper columns between 1927 and 1935, the collection of tips and ideas moves from the simple ("Nobody ever swung a golf club too slowly") to the complex ("The art of appraising slope and speed--that is, of reading a green, can be derived only from experience"), the physical to the mental, the obvious to the arcane, and is penned with an elegance as smooth and fluid as Jones' liquid swing. Some of it, especially to golf's newcomers, will seem out of date--the game has changed much through the years--but that's OK; this is a book to savor as much as learn from. It's biggest drawback is its lack of illustrations, but the recent uncovering of a cache of unpublished photographs and tips--available in Jones' Classic Instruction--repairs that divot. Indeed, taken together, Jones' On Golf and Classic Instruction should cure several Royal and Ancient disorders. --Jeff Silverman --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

By the best amateur golfer ever to play the game, this is essential instructional reading for the millions who have taken up golf during the 20 years this marvelous, timeless book has been out of print and unavailable.

B & W line drawings. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press; Revised edition (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188694721X
• ISBN-13: 978-1886947214
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,024,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Holy Grail of Golf Books, March 16, 2001

By 

Bradford Van Slooten (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bobby Jones on Golf (Paperback)

One of my biggest regrets in life is that I never got to see Bobby Jones play tournament golf. He retired from the game early, too early for a man of his immense talent; and a few years before I traveled across the country to see tournament play.

I can only go by his unmatched amateur record and old grainy 16-millimeter film stock to grasp the greatness of Bobby Jones. Jones had a great swing...Very controlled, impeccable balance/ coordination, unbelievable tempo and rhythm. Pure ballstriking. Pure golf.

In his book, "Bobby Jones on Golf", Jones really gets to the spirit of the game. This is a great book on the idiosyncrasies, nuances, technicalities, and philosophies of the game of golf. If you read carefully and take his advice seriously, I believe you will become a better player. I can't guarantee this, but there is no reason why a beginner can't shoot in the 80's within the first year of playing. If you do the reading and practice the fundamentals; after 3 years of playing on a regular basis (at least 3 to 4 times a week) you should be shooting in the 70's.

This book is a very easy and compelling read. I think you will really enjoy Jone's prose. It's Jone's prose that makes this an enjoyable reading experience. It's by no means flowery or pretentious, but understated and distinguished. Much like reading a Jane Austen novel; it feels like Jones is actually speaking directly to you. And this is the best way to learn about something very complicated; to have the narrator / author personalize his language by using parables, analogies, and personal stories to make it easier for the reader to understand the complicated material.

Another important note: There are hardly any illustrations and no photographs in this book. There doesn't need to be either because Jones does such a great job in his explantions that his words paint pictures. I was glad that he didn't have to resort to any photos; it would have distracted from his impeccable teachings.

I highly recommend this book whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player. Not only will you learn from a golfing master, but you will have a new appreciation for the greatest game on earth. Along with this book, I also recommend the reading of Ben Hogan's, "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf", Mickey Wright's "Swing the Wright Way", and Harvey Penick's, "The Little Red Book".

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bobby Jones on Golf, June 14, 2000

By 

Miguel Fernandez (New Smyrna Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bobby Jones on Golf (Paperback)

"A golf swing is graceful, not because it is made so, but because it is correct." Only Bobby Jones offers nearly poetic writing while tackling the ever so complex act of striking a golf ball, and playing the game.

Mr. Jones' book is without a doubt the best about playing the game of golf. Ben Hogan's Modern Fundamentals is a close second. The difference? Mr. Jones discusses the game. Mr. Hogan discusses the swing.

Beginners and high-handicappers should chuck all their golf magazines and golf-tip books. These only bring about tension and poor results. Bobby Jones on Golf will raise any interested reader's game to a level that goes beyond how many knuckels should be visible or the position of the pinky toe; all this while using the english language as well as he used his mashie.

A must read if you want to be a competitive golfer.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like the man himself, elegant and compelling., March 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Bobby Jones on Golf (Paperback)

In the old films, Bobby Jones made the game look easy. He does the same in this book. There are no mysteries or unknowables, just fundamentals that all good players must execute. The wisdom of the advice is so self-evident but, ah, the application remains difficult. For any who suggest that times have passed Mr. Jones by, remember that he hit 300 yard drives with hickory shafts and vastly inferior golf balls. The book is a gem with every page full of sound advice that will help any golfer.