Beautiful book on Bobby Jones released in France
If you are a fan of great golf books, now is a great time to buy! Writer and U.S. specialist Frederic Lecomte-Dieu is releasing three exceptional books that will delight everyone.
Today we'll be talking about the one dedicated to Bobby Jones, the golf legend, the overachiever, the perfectionist, the fiery champion who won the Grand Slam and always remained an amateur!
Of the 53 tournaments he played in between 1923 and 1930, he won almost half. No player came close.
The man who chose to study engineering and law also left behind a masterpiece: Augusta's journey.
Golf Planète met Frédéric Lecomte-Dieu to talk about his beautiful books published by Templar Presse :
You publish a number of fine books devoted to golf and the legends that have shaped its history. The latest is about Bobby Jones. Why this choice?
Frédéric Lecomte-Dieu : Bobby Jones embodies the values of golf. He is also the architect and co-founder of the Augusta National golf club and the Masters.
What moves me is his determination, his ability to achieve his goals. The grand slam in 1930 was fabulous! He was fortunate to have met one of the best teachers in the world, Stewart Maiden - although he didn't take any lessons with him, but just stood there and watched for hours and hours - his wife Mary, who often allowed him to leave Atlanta to win his championships, and his mentor, journalist Oscar B. Keeler. These encounters are important in his life.
He succeeded in his profession as a lawyer too, and made it possible for many people to love golf. The town of St Andrews presented him with the Medal of Freedom, and Jones spoke movingly of friendship and golf. "Golf gives you friends for life. That's one of the treasures of the game.
It would be great if one day in our country we had an amateur who won professional tournaments, once would be quite an adventure. Like Francis Ouimet, one of Jones' close friends, who won the US Open in 1913 against Ted Ray, Hagen and Vardon. Money was never the driving force behind their exploits, but love for the game.
I sometimes see golfers who are totally unaware of a part of the game's history, and that's a shame. But you can make up for everything in life! All you have to do is read, open your eyes...
To have great champions is great, to have great people with this level of human quality is exceptional. I wondered whether the leagues in France shouldn't be teaching beginners, children, the history of this sport we all love. These characters are the key to understanding golf, I'm sure."
This large book, rich in photographic illustrations, reveals some little-known moments from this myth of American golf. Can you share some of the book's highlights with Golf Planète readers?
These are often unseen archives. Having the support of Bobby Jones' grandson, Robert Tyres Jones IV, for this book was a providence. It's an album full of emotion, text and over 220 photos...
This is the most beautiful book in the collection. Templar Presse Editions also did a good job in producing this one.