The Learning Tree

It is often said that there's nothing new in golf, yet the quest
for knowledge in this most unconquerable of games has never
ceased. While the most influential instruction has always come
from the indelible techniques (and, to a lesser extent, the
writings) of golf's greatest players, from Harry Vardon to Ben
Hogan to Jack Nicklaus, it has been the teaching professionals
who have best understood the methods of the masters and known
how to convey the information so that beginners as well as
experts can benefit. As the early teachers--Scottish pros
primarily, men such as Alex Smith, who came to the U.S. to
spread the gospel of golf to Americans like Walter Hagen, and
Stewart Maiden, who was Bobby Jones's instructor--wrestled with
the ever-shifting blend of art, athleticism and science that
makes the swing so mysterious, their acolytes appropriated the
best ideas, refining some and developing better theories
themselves. And so it went, from generation to generation. As a
result, there is a discernible lineage of the best thoughts on
the subject, and those centuries-old concepts live on in the
minds of players today.

--Jaime Diaz

ALEX SMITH
Walter Hagen
Jerome Travers
Glenna Collett Vare

STEWART MAIDEN
Bobby Jones
Alexa Stirling

LUCIOUS BATEMAN
Tony Lema
Dick Lotz

WALTER KELLER
Amy Alcott

BILL STRAUSBAUGH
JIM FLICK
Susie Maxwell Berning
Tom Lehman
Hollis Stacy

PERCY BOOMER
BILL MELHORN
SAM BYRD
JIMMY BALLARD
Jim Colbert
Curtis Strange
Hal Sutton

TONEY PENNA
BOB TOSKI
Judy Rankin
PETER KOSTIS
Mark Calcavecchia
Ken Green
DEAN REINMUTH
Phil Mickelson

HARVEY PENICK
Ben Crenshaw
Tom Kite
Sandra Palmer
Betsy Rawls
Kathy Whitworth
DAVIS LOVE JR.
Beth Daniel
David Graham
Davis Love III
CHUCK COOK
Payne Stewart

HOMER KELLEY
BEN DOYLE
Bobby Clampett
MAC O'GRADY
Seve Ballesteros
Gary McCord
MIKE HOLDER
Bob Tway
Scott Verplank
Willie Wood

ALEX MORRISON
HENRY PICARD
Ben Hogan
Sam Snead
JACK GROUT
Jack Nicklaus
WALKER INMAN
RICK SMITH
Lee Janzen
Rocco Mediate
Gary Nicklaus

PHIL RITSON
DAVID LEADBETTER
Ian Baker-Finch
Nick Faldo
Nick Price
Dennis Watson
DENIS PUGH
Frank Nobilo
ROBERT BAKER
Ernie Els
GARY SMITH
Corey Pavin

JACK BURKE SR.
Jimmy Demaret
Craig Wood
HARRY COOPER
JACK BURKE JR.
Miller Barber
Don January
John Mahaffey
CLAUDE HARMON SR.
Dave Marr
Dick Mayer
Mike Souchak
BUTCH HARMON
Darren Clarke
Greg Norman
Tiger Woods
CRAIG HARMON
Jeff Sluman
DICK HARMON
Lanny Wadkins
BILLY HARMON
Jay Haas

ERNEST JONES
Virginia Van Wie
ANGEL DE LA TORRE
MANUEL DE LA TORRE
Tommy Aaron
Carol Mann
HARRY OBITZ
BOB BRUE

GEORGE JACOBUS
BYRON NELSON
Tom Watson
KEN VENTURI
John Cook
JIM McLEAN
Brad Faxon
Liselotte Neumann
MIKE McGETRICK
Juli Inkster
Meg Mallon

TOMMY ARMOUR
Johnny Goodman
Lawson Little
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
JOHN REDMAN
Paul Azinger
BOB FORD

JOHN JACOBS
Jose Maria Olazabal
JIM HARDY
Peter Jacobsen
HANK HANEY
Mark O'Meara

ED OLDFIELD
Betsy King
Jan Stephenson

JOHN GEERTSON SR.
Johnny Miller
Mike Reid
JOHN GEERTSON JR.

NORMAN VON NIDA
Bruce Crampton
Bruce Devlin

LES BOLSTEAD
Patty Berg

COLOR ILLUSTRATION: ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN S. CUNEO