Denis Pugh

John Jacobs: The father of modern day golf who changed the way I teach

It’s around this time of year when the celebrities dust off their dinner jackets and head to some glitzy awards bash to pay tribute to the outstanding individuals in the world of entertainment. Like the next man, I admire talent and have a soft spot for inspirational performances or figureheads. But even the Oscars cannot sustain my interest the same way a golf tournament can. That’s probably why I got hooked on golf from such an early age and shunned the cinema for a trip to the driving range.

I grew up in the 60s when Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were going toe-to-toe and swapping Majors like stock-traders. I aspired to be just like them and saw them as the greatest of performers. They were the Steve Mcqueen and Paul Newman of their profession.

My ideology of the perfect role model changed when the European Tour was established in 1971 and one of golf’s unsung heroes changed the game for the better.

The late, great John Jacobs only served as the Tour’s tournament director-general for four years, and yet he left a mark the size of Nicklaus’ trophy cabinet. He made no secret of the fact he used his coaching contacts to convince some of the game’s biggest players to compete on the Continent just a couple of months into his tenure. He ended up attracting new sponsors and somehow managed to double the prize money on offer. In doing so, he laid the foundations for the 48 tournaments that appear on the calendar today, including seven in Great Britain and Ireland.

We all have a lot to thank John for. I personally owe a great deal of gratitude to a man I called my friend. He did it all: He was a player, a two-time Ryder Cup captain and an innovator. But above all else, he was a coach. And a bloody good one at that! He is a big reason why I decided to pursue the path I did, and the reason I decided to stick at it.

What really stood out was how he treated all his pupils like a friend. He established trust – the holy grail for every coach – and managed to blur the lines between instructing his pupils and encouraging them. He could eliminate hundreds of unhelpful thoughts so the pupil could focus on one, concise swing thought. I always wanted to know how he did it; but like a magician, he would never reveal his secrets. He would just smile and say he had a way with words. His powers of persuasion meant he was just as successful in the boardroom or TV studio, as he was on the course or driving range.

It was no surprise when he was commissioned to write the PGA’S first training manual and became the first teaching pro to raise awareness about the importance of impact. He even ended up becoming a rival of mine as I sought to uncover the truth about what influences ball-flight conditions. John based his theories on personal experience, rather than science or facts. He concluded good ball-striking boiled down to two factors – club face and path alignment. We ended up having a heated debate in the clubhouse at Wentworth 25 years ago and it was there that I witnessed his genius first-hand. I was convinced I could disprove his theory and thought I had walked away with a moral victory when he told me to think about three factors, rather than two, by considering angle of attack.

What really stood out, though, was when he said that “those three factors won’t matter a jot if the contact point and the clubhead speed are not taken into account”. It was an off-the-cuff remark, but one which showed how his theories were way ahead of their time. Back then, we didn’t have launch monitors and only now do we know that almost everything he said was, in fact, correct. He was a true visionary.

I was lucky enough to spend many days in his company to discuss all things golf in a far more cordial manner. Naturally I’d take on the role of avid listener and lap up every second. He loved to debate golf theories and if you were losing the debate (as was often the case), he would offer you encouragement to keep the discussion going. He employed the same tactic when coaching and he was always wary about making someone feel inferior.

I probably learned more from him than any other figurehead in golf. His coaching mantra was to always focus on impact, and to not be overly concerned about the looks or style of the swing. Asked if a practice swing was good, he would always reply: “I don’t know. There was no ball to tell me.” It’s a simple philosophy and one we can all learn from. So much focus is placed on aesthetics that we tend to forget golf can be played in a million different ways. John was focused on results, but making golf simple and fun was just as important. That’s why he became a household name and why I and many others would queue up for his advice, books and clinics. Quite simply, he was the perfect mentor for me and so many coaches, players and entrepreneurs in the game. It’s one of the many reasons why I miss him greatly and why golf should forever feel indebted to the real father of modern-day golf.

Denis Pugh is a Sky Sports pundit, PGA Master Professional and coach to Ross Fisher and Francesco Molinari. Follow him on Twitter (@Dpugh54)

‘The advent of modern launch monitors has demonstrated that almost everything Jacobs said was, infact, correct’