Ipswich Public Library

A difficult par, Robert Trent Jones Sr. and the making of modern golf, James R. Hansen

eng

individual biography

illustrations

index present

non fiction

A difficult par

861069067

James R. Hansen

Robert Trent Jones Sr. and the making of modern golf

In a career that spanned 70 years (1930-2000), Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed or remodeled more than 400 golf courses in 43 US states and 28 other countries, with more than three dozen of them hosting championship tournaments. Here, biographer James R. Hansen recounts how Jones, an English immigrant boy, arrived just as golf was emerging as a popular pastime in America. He excelled as a young golfer, and Cornell University allowed him to tailor his own curriculum for golf course design. His guiding principle was to make every hole "a difficult par but an easy bogey." He understood that for pros, the courses had to test the limits of their skills, so he made sure that golf at its highest levels was a game that would stimulate the mind as well as engage the muscles. At the same time, he understood that in order to prosper, the courses had to be fun for amateurs as well. As gifted as he was at design, Jones was equally skilled as a salesman, promoter, and entrepreneur, who overcame the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II to establish the most honored brand in golf courses, while passing his talents to his two sons. Author Hansen examines Jones's legacy in all its complexity and influence, including the ways Jones's career intersected with those of golf greats. He also portrays how Jones's revolutionary designs fundamentally changed the character of the sport.--From publisher description