The foundation of teaching

Martin Hall has become one of golf’s greatest coaches yet he insists there is only one master – John Jacobs.

“His teachings are the foundation of golf coaching – not just for me, but every coach in the business,” Hall explained. “Other ideas and philosophies may go on top, but at the bottom of that pyramid is what John Jacobs taught us all.

“From my own point of view, what I have learned from John over the years is the rock on which everything else is built. He has been a gigantic influence on my life. And even the word ‘gigantic’ is too small. No one man has influenced the game more than John Jacobs.” 

Hall, Director of Instruction at The Club at Ibis, Florida as well Golf Channel Host and PGA Master Professional, can still remember when Jacobs opened his mind to the wonders of the swing – watching the legendary coach on Yorkshire Television way back in the 70s.

“I remember seeing that programme on our black and white TV and being fascinated,” he recalled. “Then I found a slim paperback teaching manual in a local book shop that accompanied the series. That was the start of it all for me.”

Over the years, Hall met Jacobs on numerous occasions and he would spend hours talking to Jacobs’ close friend and famous golf writer Ken Bowden over a glass of wine. The pair would discuss Jacobs’ wisdom and what made him so special. The two men became good friends. But he recalled another occasion when he was just a face in the crowd.

He said: “John was giving a master class. There must have been 150 professionals watching. But I made sure I was right at the front of the group, hoping that if he needed someone to step out and help with a demonstration, I would get picked – and I did!”

In his extensive library of golf teaching manuals – which stretches to around 3,000 – the PGA of America National Teacher of the Year in 2008 has read pretty much every single thought and concept on the swing from Bob Toski and Jim Flick to Harvey Penick, Ben Doyle, Chuck Cook and Hank Haney. Yet for Hall, all roads lead back to Jacobs.

He said: “At the moment, the new vogue in teaching in America is to stop worrying about creating the perfect swing and focus on what the ball is doing. Yes really. And this is supposed to be new – something John was saying 50 years ago or more.

“That’s why he is the foundation of everything. Thinking may change, new ideas may come along, but John’s fundamentals are at the basis of my coaching.”

But his universal appeal went way beyond simply having one of the finest golf minds. “John was a showman. And I mean that as an enormous compliment. He could captivate an audience. His advice was simple. He never waffled. He was concise and he would term everything in language that any golfer could understand.

“He did what every good coach should do – he would entertain, educate and motivate. I think he studied Bobby Jones’s books when he was young, but he was also a very fine golfer in his own right, he had a great swing of his own. And John had such certainty. It is a vital quality as a coach. It instils confidence in students.”

And no matter where he was in the world, or how busy, Jacobs always had time. Like the day he was rushing around, getting his Ryder Cup team prepared for tee-off in the 1981 showdown and Hall and a friend he had taken to the opening day bumped in to the GB and Europe skipper.

Hall said: “He still had a few minutes to talk. With all that going on, he still had time. That’s the way he was with everyone. He is a role model for every professional. And in this era, with all the technology around and the knowledge – he was the man who had all the wisdom.”