The legend of Bobby Jones and his accomplishment in 1930; winning all four major tournaments of his generation in the same year is unquestionably one of the greatest achievements in sports history. This biographical book follows the life of Bobby Jones on the lead up to 1930 and culminates with his final win at Merion in September with the U.S. Amateur.

Frost begins by spending time uncovering Jones’ background and introduction to golf at East Lake CC in Atlanta, his progress as a junior and moves into his trials and tribulations along the way, including his withdrawal from the 1921 Open at St Andrews where Bobby imploded on the short hole 11th in a greenside bunker. Of course, it was not all plain sailing for Bobby who had to educate himself on the challenges of links golf, adapt his playing style and refine his attitude towards the game to enable him to win consistently against the best players of his day. The book also talks a lot about his competitors of the day, and you get a strong sense for the characters like Walter Hagan and the rivalry that existed back then.

The book benefits greatly from the writings of O.B Keeler who, recognising Jones’ unique talent and his ability on the course, essentially chose to follow him around the globe writing of his fortunes and adventures. The relationship between the two is an interesting subject throughout the book, particularly when you think of the sacrifices both made in travelling transatlantic to play over the in the UK regularly. Consisting of long crossings by sea, the travels took their toll on Bobby who often won fatigued and struggling with his personal health as he did for much of his life time.

The separation in status for Amateur and Professionals of the day is an interesting subject, particularly considering Bobby Jones’ fame and notoriety despite retaining Amateur status throughout and continuing to have a successful professional life in law outside of the game.

Whilst the book covers much of Jones’ life, the aspects of his life after 1930 is somewhat brief, and readers would be advised to look elsewhere for books detailing his later life and the design of courses like Augusta where he collaborated with Dr Alister Mackenzie after a memorable round in Cypress Point during his playing career.

Mark Frost is one of the greatest story tellers in sport, having also written about the achievements of Francis Ouimet (The Greatest Game Ever Played 2002) and an epic tale of ‘The Match’ (2007) staged at Cypress Point involving Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson. His year at The Old Course, Hoylake, Interlachen and Merion will always feature in the history books, and for anyone passionate about the history of the game would be well served to invest in this book. Despite being on a longer side, it’s a fantastic piece of non-fiction writing! The rest of Mark Frost’s back catalogue is now on order!

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