Mr Masters (Part two)

The Slam
It was in 1930 that Jones made his most indelible mark on the game, achieving the unthinkable by winning the Open, US Open, British Amateur and US Amateur. The first and only Grand Slam, Jones's phenomenal feat is likely to be the one sports record that remains intact as long as the game is played.

Confiding in no-one, Jones made plans to win all four Majors as soon as 1929 had come to an end. Later, when asked if he had started the year expecting to win all four, Jones responded: "I felt reluctant to admit that I considered myself capable of such an accomplishment. Actually, I did make plans for that golfing year with precisely this end in view."

Most winters, Jones hung up his clubs. But in 1930, he worked hard to stay in shape by regularly playing a game called 'Doug' - a cross between paddle tennis and badminton. His training worked a treat, as Jones went on to cement his place in golfing folklore.

He won the British Amateur at St Andrews and triumphed at Hoylake in the Open. Following parades in New York and Atlanta, he won the US Open at Interlachen and completed his unbelievable winning streak by winning the US Amateur at Merion.

Many predicted Jones would keep winning Majors for fun, but instead he shocked the sporting world by retiring from competitive golf in order follow in his father's footsteps and set up a law firm. The fact that, as a career amateur, he had never accepted a dime in prize money, probably swayed Jones into deciding the time was right to give up golf and concentrate on supporting his wife and three children.

Augusta National and the Masters
Despite his sudden departure from the game, Jones still adored golf. So much so, he decided to build his own club. He wanted a place where his friends could gather, drink, laugh, play golf and do so privately. He didn't speak publicly of his plans until his consortium bought a piece of land in his native Augusta, but he began to contemplate all the variables he would need to build a club: an architect, a site and some cash.

Jones first met Dr Alister Mackenzie in 1930 after a tournament in California and immediately respected his opinions, especially his ideal that he would not build a golf course on what he deemed 'improper' land, meaning land that was obviously unsuitable for golf.

After meeting Mackenzie, Jones came across Fruitlands ­ an area of land close to Augusta Country Club which he had seen while playing the former. When he visited the site for the first time Jones was accompanied by Cliff Roberts, a Wall Street whizzkid connected in all the right financial circles, and Augusta mayor Tom Barrett.

The trio walked around the large manor house to an area that is now the putting green. Jones looked out over the slopes of the nursery and said: "And to think this ground has been lying here all these years waiting for someone to come along and lay a golf course on it."

Years later he would write: "The long lane of magnolias through which we approached was beautiful. The old manor house with its cupola and wall of masonry two feet thick was charming. The rare trees and shrubs of the old nursery were enchanting. But when I walked out on the grass terrace under the big trees behind the house and looked over the property, the experience was unforgettable."

Jones had fallen in love with Fruitlands and before long was plotting a championship course alongside Mackenzie. Augusta National eventually opened in 1933, with the first tournament taking place in 1934. The First Annual Invitational Tournament soon became known as The Masters and the rest, as they say, is history.

Jones is president in perpetuity of Augusta National, although he passed away 36 years ago. The personality of the club was shaped by Jones and everything about the club and the Masters is still done in keeping with his legacy.

A dignified end
Bobby Jones was so much more than simply a great golfer. He was a sportsman, innovator, academic, writer, family man, competitor, teacher, designer and above all, a gentleman. His playing record alone is legendary and those who knew him were astounded by his talent, but also touched by his humility.

Great American sports writer Grantland Rice once said: "Bobby Jones is not one in a million persons. I should say he is one in ten million or perhaps one in 50 million."

Jones was strong and courteous, competitive and polite. He also exuded charisma -­ a smile and a subtle glance and he would have galleries swooning. He was the kind of golfer who had many of his opponents beaten before they had even stepped up to the first tee.

Tragically, what might have been a storybook life was, in the end, marred by one of the rarest nerve disorders known to modern medicine. In 1948, X-rays showed an abnormal bone growth on three of Jones' vertebra. Doctors attributed his increased pain, back spasms, weakness and atrophy to these growths.

Eight years and two surgeries later, doctors at Columbia Medical Center in New York diagnosed Jones with syringomyelia, a congenital disorder which disconnects the motor nerves in the body from the brain. The condition does not by itself cause death, but the body wastes away until a side effect, such as heart failure or pneumonia, kills the patient.

Jones lived from 1948 until 1971 as a slave to this debilitating disease, although the public believed he suffered from arthritis. Jones' reaction to his illness summed up his courage, mental strength and dignity. "You've got to play the ball as it lies."