Sometimes as our temper gets
the best of us, it causes the the worst of us to appear. I
had a run in with my temper this past Monday and must apologize
to my opponents for my behavior. When I find that when my
frustrations sour my game I tend to read about the "great"
golfers of our time and how they even fall prey to temper
tantrums. Then find inspiration in their climb out of the
rubble.
Such as Bobby Jones, who
notoriously overcame his trappings of anger. Below is a
brief excerpt from bobbyjones.com that should lift even the most
battered spirits.
The young Jones would
first have to conquer himself before turning his efforts on the
golfing world.
Bobby Jones made his first visit to Great Britain in 1921 at the
age of 19. He traveled as part of an informal team of Americans
who would compete against their British counterparts in what
would become the Walker Cup matches the following year. The trip
also gave the Americans a chance to participate in the two
British major tournaments' the Amateur and Open Championships.
After losing in the fourth
round of the British Amateur at Royal Liverpool, Jones came to
St. Andrews where he initially disliked the Old Course. Despite
not playing particularly well, Jones led all amateurs after the
first two rounds. But, in the third round he covered the first
nine holes in a dismal 46 shots. At the par four 10th, he took a
double bogey six. Then, on the par three 11th hole, he hit his
ball into Strath bunker and eventually picked it up without
completing the hole. Although he completed the round, Jones’
actions meant that he had withdrawn from the tournament and he
forever viewed the event as his “most inglorious failure” in
golf. The British press was openly critical of Jones’ conduct at
St. Andrews, yet this seemingly bitter disappointment would
ultimately prove to be a significant turning point for a young
Bobby Jones on his way to becoming the greatest champion golf
had ever seen.
O.B. Keeler, an Atlanta newspaperman and close personal friend,
traveled with Jones to tournaments and covered his career from
start to finish. He would later describe Jones’ career in two
parts, “The Seven Lean Years and The Seven Fat Years.” From 1916
until 1923 Jones failed to win a major championship, losing 10
straight before recording his first win. Following his
disappointing showing at St. Andrews, while traveling to the
1921 U.S. Open later that year, Jones confided in Keeler, “I
wonder if I’ll ever win a championship?” Keeler responded,
“Bobby, if you ever get it through your head that whenever you
step out on the first tee of any competition, you are the best
golfer in it, then you’ll win this championship and a lot of
others."
In 1927, Jones returned to
St. Andrews to defend his Open title and in the process erased
the bitter disappointment he had suffered six years earlier.
Declaring that the trophy would remain in St. Andrews if he
should win, Jones endeared himself to the people of St. Andrews,
forming a kindred spirit with the birthplace of golf that would
flourish for all time. |
