John Jacobs, the legendary English golf teacher, died on January 13 of bladder cancer. Jacobs was a player of modest success, but after his playing career became one of the greatest teachers of his time.
His formula for the golf swing, "Two turns and a swish," was explained in his book, Practical Golf. This exemplified Jacobs's approach to golf instruction, which was to make things as simple as possible.
Jacobs's method of teaching was to watch the ball, and not the golfer. Ball flight told him everything he needed to know to correct the flaws in that particular swing. This method is the basis for his other well-known golf book, Golf Doctor.
As a player, Jacobs won two professional tournaments, the Dunlop South African Professional Match Play Masters in 1957, beating Gary Player 2&1 in the final, and the Dutch Open, also in 1957. He played on the British Ryder Cup team in 1955. He played in the Open Championship fourteen times, finishing twelfth in 1955.
He was instrumental in founding the European Tour and was its Director-General from 1971 to 1975.
Jacobs as an instructor was equally sought out by the best players in the world and by rank beginners. No matter who it was, his greatest pleasure was to see them improve.
Watch him teach at the PGA coaching summit. The video is over an hour long, and worth every minute of your time.
The influence Jacobs had on the art of teaching was enormous. Butch Harmon said, "John Jacobs wrote the book on coaching. There is not a teacher out here who does not owe him something."
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