Jones at Merion in 1930

[TEPaul]

There's a very interesting photographic (aerial) depiction (Curtiss Flying Co.) of the individual holes of Merion taken around the 1930 Amateur at Merion (where Jones won the Grand Slam) which also exactly tracks all the shots Jones hit, where they went and what he used to hit them.

The interesting thing is Jones got a few of his drives out there over 300 yds (how firm and fast was it?). But the real difference from today seems to be the length of the irons he hit--far far shorter than today. For instance he hit a 3 iron into #9, listed as 170 yds (and it's down hill too). He did hit a 2 iron to #17 though (also downhill) but listed at 215 yds. But on #18 both of them drove it over 300yds.

It's a bit hard to read what I'm looking at and it appears to be a composite of a number of the rounds Jones played at Merion that week.

[Slag Bandoon]

Sir Thomas,  Is this on the web somewhere?  Or a postable picture?

[John Conley]

Tom:

Interlachen has (had?) placemats with a similar theme.  It detailed his 68 shots in Round 3.  Several drives traveled about 280 yards.  To offer some speculation for how hard the ground must have been, let's look at Hole 17.

#17, to this day, is the longest par 3 ever played in the U.S. Open at nearly 270 yards.  (268?)  The tee was near the present shelter to the right of the 16th green.  Bobby Jones, along with much of the field, failed to reach the green in any of his four rounds.  Balls landing short of the green bounded right.  Some even made it all the way to the lake about 40 yards from the green.  

As I chronicled in more detail on this board about 2 years ago, with a huge assist to Dan King who had a media report to add detailing the account, Jones even received a VERY controversial ruling from W's great-Grandfather who at some point was also President of the U.S.G.A.  The ruling evidently gave great leeway on a drop to Jones, then a favorite son of the USGA.

[John Conley]

In a related note, Marion Jones stopped working with her controversial coach.

[ChipOat]

Tom Paul:

No watering system + 1.62" ball + Jones' talent = 300 yard drives.

Beau Jack (75 year member - did you know him?) is on record that Merion played longer in the 1950 Open for Hogan et al than the '30 Am for Jones due to the first 2 reasons above.

Ball didn't fly so far in those days (par 3 club selection) but they didn't call William Haskell's creation "the Bounding Billy" for nothing.

I've tried to interest you in a "Golden Age maintenance meld was for 1.62" and no H2O" thread for awhile now but you've never taken the bait.  Is now the time?

[Jeff Mingay]

I've heard other stories, too, about tee shots travelling in excess of 280 yards in the Haskell days, prior to fairway irrigation. An older member of my home club said they used to hit tee shots at the par 4 11th, which featured an excessively wide fairway in the days prior to comprehensive fairway irrigation, pick up there bags, start walking, look up and their golf balls would still be bounding down the fairway!

It seems that one the principle differences in the game, relative to comparing long driving in those days and the (excessively) long driving of today's top players, is that because the fairways were more consistently firm and ran fast, Jones and his contemporaries really had to consider what "The Bounding Billy" was going to do when it met with the ground. They'd curve the ball, or send on very specific lines in order to ensure they missed bunkers and placed themselves in advantages positions from which to approach the day's hole location - because the same was true on approach to the greens. They really had to take the influence of the ground into consideration.

Those same, drier conditions that force golfers to be shotmakers are rarely in effect these days. The top players hit high shots off the tee that don't really move much once they met with the softer fairways. And high shots into the greens that tend to stop rather abruptly, in comparison. And thus, the challenge is much less stern in this regard.

I contend that more consistently firm and fast-running conditions would negate (at least in part) the negative effects a longer ball will have on existing golf courses. When they sincerely have to take into account what the ball is going to do when it meets with the turf, golfers will have to be more thoughtfull, and in many instances, "throttle back" off the tee.

[TEPaul]

The USGA has just released some startling technical info that they've been analyzing since 1920 that could explain why Jones et al hit their drives so far in those olden days. Finally all the data is in although exact determination is still pending.

They say for reasons to be determined Jones's persimmon driver actually produced over 107% COR (legal limit now .83-.86?, they can't remember which number they've decided on at this point!).

They are also considering claiming that because of this startling fact they've actually been rolling back the distance the "I" portion of "I&B" has produced for many decades now.

They're also thinking of mentioning that they'll take Chip Oat's phone call to see if they're was anything to his idea that the extraordinary 1.62 ball that Jones used was distance enhancing and if so they will then claim they've also been rolling back the distance the ball travels (with their 1.68) for many decades now.

A source of mine inside the USGA says that they're pleased as punch up at Far Hills that there actually does appear to be more ways than one to skin a cat!