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By James M. Lane, USGTF Contributing Writer
 Bobby
Jones, Walter Hagen
Although both the first golf magazines and the Professional
Golf Associations appeared early in the 20th century, barnstorming professionals and Bobby
Jones would continue to dominate golf instruction right up to the Great Depression. Huge
crowds flocked to see Jones and Walter Hagen on both sides of the Atlantic, learning such
secrets as Hagen’ straight-line putting: drawing the clubface back from the ball in a straight
line rather than a slight arc popular at this time. His innovation was important in
the 1920’s and allowed him to win many tournaments - but it is even important today with
the increased emphasis on fast difficult putting surfaces.
Golfers from 1932 to 1956
The modern sand wedge and bunker techniques
were also a by-product of the era - this popular innovation the
work of several golfers, most notably Gene Sarazan. But the Great
Depression had a devastating effect on touring professionals, and
the age of coast-to-coast exhibition tours came to a close. The
years between 1932 and 1956 are not celebrated in golf instruction
lore, but that isn’t to say that the instructors of the era weren’t
any good. In fact, club-level and local instruction were better
in this era than at any time during golf’s history, as aging tour
pros such as Tommy Armour retired to club jobs while young pros
like Tom Harmon decided not to join the nascent PGA tour, owing
to it’s low purses and often appalling conditions.
The Beginning of Modern Techniques and Equipment
Ernest T. Jones
was at his studio on Fifth Avenue in New York City, preaching the
virtues of "swing the clubhead" at five dollars a lesson
to all comers. In addition, the best northern pros would travel
to Florida in the winter and pick up new teaching styles and techniques
in winter teaching meetings, or on the winter tournament circuit.
Finally, modern golf range equipment began to appear, eliminating
the need for a ball-shagging caddie, and sparked a boom in driving-range
construction. College-based instructional programs were also adopted
by many major universities during these years, attracting future
stars such as Arnold Palmer.
1950's and 1960's Golf Boom
In the mid-1950’s a new golf boom began,
and with tournament purses soaring and golf acquiring a certain
cache, younger amateurs and club pros abandoned careers in insurance,
or on the practice tee, for glory on the professional tour. Prize
money and endorsement income made millionaires out of Arnold Palmer
and Jack Nicklaus, and with thousands of dollars now resting on
the success of this putt in the Masters or that five-iron in the
Open, leading professionals began to openly seek the advice of golf
gurus such as Gardner Dickinson, Bob Toski, Harvey Penick, and Jack
Grout.
Golfer's Magazines and Books
At the same time, Palmer, Nicklaus, and Gary Player parlayed
their tournament success into an empire of instructional publications
- magazine articles, television tips, and ghost written, handsomely
illustrated books. National magazines such as Golf and Golf Digest
capitalized on the newfound popularity of the game to achieve relatively
mass circulations and a national forum of cutting-edge instructional
techniques. Golf instructors too, found that golf magazines, and
their increasingly visible work with touring professionals, brought
them more business than they could handle on a local level. So,
although golf schools had been in existence since just after the
war, in 1968 the first national golf schools would evolve.
Next: Part III
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