These videos have been encoded from a series of VHS tapes which are edited versions of a number of instructional films created by Warner Bros. in the 1930s. The encoded versions linked to these pages are intended solely for the personal use of the webmaster and a few select friends and are not intended for commercial purposes of any sort. If you have accidentally stumbled on them, and find them interesting, congratulations. If you would like your own copy of the VHS series, you can buy your own VHS tapes at any of the usual sources. 

The originals films were created when Jones was in his early 30s, and shortly after he had won the "Grand Slam". This remarkable feat consisted of winning the four major tournaments of the day: the Amateur and Open of both the US and UK -- all in one year. A few months after his last Grand Slam win he retired from competitive golf at the age of 28. Here is an excerpt from a very interesting website devoted to Robert Tyre Jones.

from http://www.bobbyjones.com:

"In 1930, Jones accomplished the unthinkable by winning the U.S. and British Open and Amateur Championships all in the same year. This tremendous feat, later dubbed the Grand Slam -- a term borrowed from the card game bridge -- has never been accomplished before or since. Fourteen years later, the Associated Press would call Jones' accomplishment the all-time achievement in sports history.

Most of those who followed the game of golf assumed Jones would turn professional and continue to win championships for years to come. Having already dominated both professionals and amateurs, there seemed to be no limit to the number of tournaments Jones would win. But, just over a month after winning the Grand Slam, Bobby Jones shocked the world by retiring from golf at the age of 28.

Amazingly, Jones amassed his incredible record while playing no more frequently than the average weekend golfer-about 80 rounds per year. He typically spent no more than three months out of the year traveling to, and playing in, tournaments. Consequently, he played almost exclusively in national championships, viewing mere tournaments as a sideline used only as a tune-up for the majors after a long lay-off. Although Jones would never again play in a national championship, he continued to leave his indelible mark on the game through other endeavors.

In retirement, Jones continued to demonstrate his wide range of talents and interests. Having already contributed immeasurably to the game as a player, he proved himself to be equally impressive as a teacher, writer and golf course designer. In 1931, Jones began working on 12 short, educational golf films for Warner Brothers entitled "How I Play Golf." Hollywood stars like W.C. Fields clamored to participate in the project. O.B. Keeler wrote the scripts, which generally consisted of a loose story line with instruction from Jones mixed in somewhere along the way. Entertaining and insightful, the films are still considered classics today."

As any serious golfer should know, it was also Jones who designed and built Augusta National, and whose brainchild was the Master's tournament held there annually since 1937. He also worked with the Spalding company to design the first mass produced set of steel shafted irons, which was also the first set to use numbers to indicate the lofts rather than the old Scottish names (like "mashie" and "niblick" which you hear him use a lot in the videos.)

My 30 second Swing Analysis  by Rick Hendershot

When instructors, analysts, and swing theorists talk about the early days of golf -- the hickory days before steel shafts and the modern ball -- they almost always refer to the golf swing of those days as being very "wristy". Of course we can still see remnants of this "wristy" swing in the chipping and putting techniques used by the likes of Palmer, Player and the early Nicklaus in the 60s and early 70s. And Jones certainly demonstrates his "wristiness" in the segment on the "short game". 

But his full swing is not nearly as old-fashioned looking as the "wristy" moniker would lead one to believe. In fact, I think the fluidity, grace, and power of his full swing actually call into question some of the more important dogmas of modern teachers.

The most important of these dogmas is the modern preoccupation with creating tension (or "torque")  between upper and lower body -- the "coil" as it is so often called. I call it the "coil-like-a-spring" theory. The theory is that on the backswing one should rotate the shoulders up to 90 degrees while restraining the rotation of the hips to somewhere around 45 degrees. As the theory goes, the resulting tension between the big rotation of the shoulders and the not-so-big rotation of the hips is like the winding of a spring. This torque is waiting to be released on the downswing.

Being a fairly new golfer, I first encountered this theory in Nick Faldo's book "A Swing for Life". Faldo was under the influence of David Leadbetter at that time, so it's probably safe to assume it came from Leadbetter. More recently I've heard Jim McLean use this terminology (www.golfspan.com). And it's fair to say, I think, that this has become orthodox thinking among "conventional" teachers.

In these videos, Jones swings like he's never heard of the coil-like-a-spring theory. Not because he doesn't rotate. He does. In fact he rotates more than modern-era golfers. But rather because he doesn't talk at all about creating tension between upper and lower body. In fact, he gives the lie to the tension theory. There is absolutely no evidence that he is trying to restrain his hip rotation. He very clearly says somewhere (I believe it's in the Q&A segment) that all golfers should try for "full rotation".

Jones also demonstrates the questionable status of two other dogmas related to backswing rotation. The first is that one should never take his backswing past "parallel-at-the-top". This is supposed to result in dire consequences such as duck hooks. But Jones demonstrates how a "full" backswing (well past parallel) can work well enough to win the "Grand Slam". In fact, as I've mentioned, he encourages it.

The second related dogma has to do with keeping the front foot on the ground during the backswing. This is supposed to increase the stability of the swing, help eliminate swaying, sliding, or lifting, and help out in the coil-like-a-spring department by restraining lower body rotation. But again, Jones makes no attempt whatsoever to keep his front foot planted. In fact graceful, relatively non-stressful movement of the front leg (and foot) are integral parts of his backswing, and an important trigger for helping to make the transition to the downswing. (He also describes this somewhere in the tapes.)

Perhaps the graceful, non-stressful nature of these movements is why Nicklaus says, in his introduction, that amateur golfers would be better to emulate Jones' swing than that of most tour pros.

Makes sense to me.

***The encoded versions linked to these pages are intended solely for the personal use of the webmaster and a few select friends and are not intended for commercial purposes of any sort.

You will need the Flash Player to view them. Most computers already have the Flash Payer installed. If yours does not work, go to Macromedia's Website for an update. Current update page is HERE.

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Bobby Jones Q&A

Bobby Jones answers questions

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BJ Long Game

Bobby Jones demonstrates the long clubs and full swing.

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BJ "Sybervision"

Transform your swing by simply watching, through the miracle of "SyberVision Visual Modelling".

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BJ Short Game

Bobby Jones describes some of his short game techniques

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