The Grand Slam: Bobby Jones, America and the Story of Golf Paperback - 2006

In the wake of the stock market crash of 1929, as the shadows of depression lengthened into every corner of American life, one ray of light emerged from the world of sports: Bobby Jones. THE GRAND SLAM covers the life of this amateur golfer who mounted his final campaign against the record books, and produced a legacy of excellence that has yet to be matched: In a period of four months, Bobby Jones won the British Amateur Championship, the British Open, the United States Open and the United States Amateur Championship - and created The Grand Slam.A natural, self-taught player, Jones found true inspiration in the 1913 US Open victory of Francis Ouimet. Jones made his debut at the U.S. Amateur Championship three years later, at the age of fourteen, but it wasn't until 1923, that he would he harness his immense talent and eclipse Francis - and every other player in the world, pro or amateur - winning thirteen major championships in the next seven years, and the now-famous 1930 Grand Slam.What the world didn't know was that throughout his playing career the intensely private Jones constantly battled exhaustion, nearly lost his life twice and came perilously close to a total collapse. By the time he completed his unprecedented feat, Jones was the most famous man not only in golf, but in the history of American sports. In 1931, after his most successful season ever, at the age of 28, Jones retired from professional play. His abrupt disappearance from the public eye into a closely guarded private life helped create the mythological image of this hero from the Golden Age of sports which endures to this day.Supported by host of historical icons including Walter Hagen, Harry Vardon, Ted Ray, Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth, and presidents- Wilson, Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, THE GRAND SLAM is the next installment of the fascinating story that began with THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED.

ON SEPTEMBER 20, 1913, America welcomed a new hero into its sporting pantheon and for the first time the broad middle of the country embraced with curiosity and enthusiasm the exotic game he'd mastered.