(RELEASE) — The USGA (United States Golf Association) Golf Museum and Library has opened the Bob Jones Room in the Murray Golf House at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta. The permanent exhibit celebrates the nine-time USGA champion’s character, competitive career and contributions to the game and features artifacts, library materials, photographs and footage from the association’s world-leading collection.
The permanent exhibit, curated by USGA senior historian Victoria Nenno, takes visitors through Jones’ introduction to golf, his triumphs and challenges as one of the nation’s rising sports stars and his historic completion of the Grand Slam. It also explores Jones’ charitable endeavors and academic pursuits, as well as his struggle with syringomyelia and corresponding demonstration of strength despite physical suffering.
The USGA’s Bob Jones Award and the diverse contributions of its recipients, several of whom are from Georgia, are a centerpiece of the exhibit, reinforcing Jones’ enduring legacy as a role model of integrity, sportsmanship and service.
Exhibit highlights include:
- Jones family photographs donated to the USGA Museum and Library by his daughter, Clara Black
- Ephemera from Jones’ academic and professional pursuits outside of golf, including his commencement program from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a page from his Harvard University 1924 class album, his Georgia State Bar certificate, and a bookplate from Jones’ personal library
- Ticket and final-round scorecard from the 1930 U.S. Amateur at Merion Cricket Club, where Jones completed the Grand Slam
- Spaulding Crescent mashie used by Jones, ca. 1930
- Correspondence between Jones and fans from the 1960s and 1970s
- Materials and correspondence from the Texas State Library Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
“We are thrilled that artifacts and library materials from our collection will allow visitors to more deeply connect with Mr. Jones, and we’re honored by the trust that the Jones family has placed in the USGA to ensure that his legacy will continue to reach future generations,” said Hilary Cronheim, director of the USGA Golf Museum and Library. “Jones’ story is especially relevant to the groups that call the Murray Golf House and Bobby Jones Golf Course home. We hope his character, career and contributions to the game will inspire juniors, adaptive golfers, administrators, teaching professionals and all those facing seemingly insurmountable challenges that anything is possible.”
The Bob Jones Room was completed as part of a 10-year renovation of the adjacent Bobby Jones Golf Course. The Murray Golf House serves as the clubhouse for the golf course, as well as the headquarters of the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) and the Georgia Section of the PGA of America. It is also home to the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.
The Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation, led by a dedicated group of volunteers, transformed the course into a facility designed to make a difference through golf. Their vision of serving the game’s diverse communities, with a special focus on junior and adaptive golfers, is demonstrated in every detail, from the course’s unique design features to its initiatives that emphasize inclusion. The course opened in 1932 as the first public golf course in Atlanta and now serves as a home for adaptive golf programs, clinics and tournaments in partnership with the GSGA and the Shepherd Center rehabilitation hospital.
As the leading institution for the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of golf history, the USGA Golf Museum and Library maintains one of the world’s most significant collections related to Jones. Jones-related artifacts on permanent display in Liberty Corner, N.J. include his famous putter Calamity Jane, the complete collection of his national championship medals, ephemera from his personal life and competitive career, as well as artifacts related to Augusta National Golf Club. The Library collection also contains the world’s foremost collection of correspondence between Jones and others throughout his life.
To learn more, visit usga.org and www.bobbyjonesgc.com.
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