Setting Golf’s Biggest Stage
Jones retained his amateur status throughout his career and stepped away from the game after the Grand Slam, but he wasn’t done adding to his legacy. Inspired by the Old Course at St. Andrews, he and Alister MacKenzie designed Augusta National Golf Club, which opened in 1933. The inaugural tournament took place a year later.
The scenic views and memorable moments that have occurred there can be traced back to MacKenzie and Jones’ philosophy that the course should be approachable for all players, yet provide the best golfers with room to be creative. When construction began in 1932, MacKenzie told the American Golfer that if the course were to become “the world’s wonder inland course,” it would be due to Jones’ contributions.
Also a practicing lawyer, Jones expanded access to the game of golf through the release of instructional videos for Warner Bros. in the early 1930s, and, putting his Tech degree to work, he collaborated with Spalding to design the first set of matched golf clubs. With Jones’ accomplishments as an elite golfer, U.S. veteran, lawyer, and businessman, he was perceived as a symbol of the New South, according to Eric Steagall, a doctoral student in Georgia Tech’s School of History and Sociology.
To this day, the United States Golf Association’s Bob Jones Award — the organization’s highest honor — is given annually to an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character, and respect for the game exhibited by Jones.