Generous and warm-hearted

Mickey Walker got to know John Jacobs when she was a professional playing around the world - but needed a little help with her swing.

Another of the game’s legends – Mark McCormack – had pointed the six time winning LPGA player in Jacobs’ direction and like so many other tournament stars before and after, her swing improved dramatically. And in no time at all.

The pupil soon became a lifelong friend. When Walker, who twice captained the Solheim Cup – winning once - was on tour in the US, if she was near one of Jacobs’ coaching centres, the pair would hook up. “John always said, if I needed him to take a look at my swing, to get in touch. That was John all over – so generous with everyone.”

But it was the unexpected invitations that the PGA Master Professional remembers most fondly, saying: “John would call out of the blue and say come over for lunch or a round. Once he said come over for the weekend. Roddy Carr, the Walker Cup player, was there and John said we could play a little golf and we ended up talking golf all the time we were there. It was wonderful.

“On another occasion, I went over with Denis Pugh. We had lunch. Denis was very eager to meet John and learn. John, as ever, was warm and welcoming. His wife Rita made us a lovely lunch – as she always did. It was wonderful. We must have spent four hours just talking golf. Another time he invited me over to play the Buckinghamshire with John O’Leary.

“They were lovely, lovely occasions. And that was John all over. He was always so generous with his time and knowledge. He was always so welcoming to anyone new. And he always kept in touch.

“He touched so many people’s lives because he was so kind and generous with his help and support. A lot of people can be guarded these days. They worry they are giving secrets away. John was never like that. He loved sharing knowledge, understanding – his love of the game.

“When I went to his 80^th birthday party, it was a wonderful occasion. A real mix. He had all his friends from fishing which was his other passion. The golfing people who were there, well it was like a who’s who of the business. People warmed to him. He had the ability to make everyone feel special. He was such a warm, friendly and kind person. Just a lovely, lovely man.”

And Jacobs always knew what to say to Walker to improve her swing. The former head professional at The Warren in Essex, said: “I was never a very technical golfer. But John always improved me. Instantly. Every time. But he did that to everyone he taught. Everyone left playing better.

“His advice was so simple and effective. I don’t think anyone he has taught ever walked away without playing the game better.”

Also paying tribute was Beverly Lewis - a PGA Master Professional, a BBC golf commentator and an author of several instructional books in her own right. She was also the first female PGA Captain.

Lewis was one of the founder members of the Women’s Professional Golfers’ Association in 1978 and during her own playing career she had two wins on the professional tour. She has commentated on the game around the world.

She said: “John’s book “Practical Golf” was the first one I bought when I started to play golf. Little did I realise that I would get to know John many years later and subsequently learn what a special man he is.

“His method of teaching was simple and his love of the game shone through. He had the art of making you feel you could make the changes and play better. He was generous with his time and interest in you and passed on his ideas to all who wanted to learn.

“His enthusiasm for the game was enduring and it enriched a golf event when he was there. He has left a great legacy in all his published works, but also in the friends he made and the highest regard with which he was held.”