Lesson from Bobby Jones

Haskins talked about a session he observed between Stewart Maiden and Bobby Jones when Jones stormed off the 18th green after a miserable round: 

He came in the clubhouse and called for Maiden to meet him at the practice tee. As I watched him giving Jones a lesson, knowing that Jones was furious with himself and everything around him, I learned a valuable lesson. For 30 minutes, Stewart said absolutely nothing. Jones, still mad and upset, kept asking why he didn’t say anything. After about 20 or 30 shots, Jones realized that his temper was what ruined his golf game and that Maiden was not going to say anything. As Maiden headed back to the clubhouse, his only words were. “Bobby, your swing looks great. I will see you tomorrow.”

Haskins concluded that many pros offered too much advice - solicited and unsolicited. They did not keep things simple, ignoring the school of thought that “less is more” and did not follow the adage that “the best swing is the one done with the least mechanics.”

The favorite club in Haskins’ bag was a 4-iron. He broke his left arm falling out of a tree as a child and also suffered wounds in the war, so he had trouble fully extending his left arm. That limited movement meant his swing never varied, so he hit 4-irons perfectly - a skill he often displayed. On the range at the country club in Columbus one day, Haskins showed off his prowess with a 4-iron for his pupils, including Jack Key Jr. “He was standing on the range hitting balls toward a caddie,” Key remembers. “He asked us whether he should try to put the ball in the caddie’s left pocket or right pocket. And he darn near did it.”

Excerpt from book:

Mr. Haskins of Hoylake

by Richard Hyatt