I was lucky to meet John Imlay. It was a special day two years ago in North Berwick just the two of us chatting. He sadly passed away last week and I thought it would be appropriate to post an excerpt from the article I wrote about him in Golf Illustrated. He said it sounded like his mother had written it. With the respect I held for him, I took this as a compliment. He will be missed.
Building Bridges
John Imlay is on a mission. As well as championing the Bobby Jones name,
he is also passionate about building bridges over some of Scotland’s great links courses.
(AN EXCERPT)
Like all great men, Imlay has an eye on enjoying his
retirement especially as he has recently recovered from two knee replacement
operations and is looking forward to walking between shots towards the end of
the year. His other focus is securing his legacy, and, perhaps as importantly, that
of another legend.
During the 1970s, a former law partner of Bobby Jones FM
‘Buster’ Bird devised a plan to honour his business partner and asked Imlay to help
develop the idea. “He said Bob would never want a statue or anything that would
glorify him, so instead Buster wanted to create a scholarship between St Andrews University
and Emory University
in Atlanta
where Bob got his law degree. He wanted me to promote it but didn’t want all the
usual clowns and balloons - he wanted dignity.”
That was the beginning of the Robert T Jones Memorial Trust Scholarship which was established five
years after the great man’s death in 1971. It now supports four students
from each university on an annual reciprocal placement in order to “perpetuate his memory in the hearts and
minds of young people by creating a permanent memorial to his sense of values
and character”. Golf skills, or knowledge, are not part of the criteria.
Before Buster died, he told his business partner Jean Branch
and Imlay that the Jones flame would dim with his passing and he wanted Branch,
and then Imlay, to keep the flame alive. That responsibility has now passed to
Imlay who is stoking the fire through the scholarship and other initiatives
including the non-profit-making organisation Friends of Bobby Jones. His latest
endeavour is to create an annual celebratory dinner to commemorate Jones’
birthday on March 17 and launch the new golfing season.
Despite his custodial role, Imlay only met Jones once but it
was a meeting that would have a profound affect on the young salesman. During a
courtroom hearing involving a corporate dispute, Imlay reacted rashly to
provocation from an opposing lawyer. “He ran in saying I was a no-good, lazy
salesman slob so I took a swing at him – I was a bit of a hothead back then and
this was Southern justice,” says Imlay.
The judge called a three-hour recess to calm things down and
Imlay’s lawyer, a certain Jean Branch, took his client to see his senior
partner – Bobby T Jones. “He was all knarled up and didn’t weigh any more than
110 pounds, but he still had his mind,” Imlay recalls. “He said until he was
19, his temper always won. Until he was able to control his temper he never had
a victory in a major tournament, but once he controlled it, he started to win.”
The 30-minute conversation changed Imlay’s life. “’John, I
want you to go in there and nice them to death’,” he says describing the advice
he received from the Dixie Whizkid. “I always remembered that quote - it
changed my life. I went into the courtroom and niced them to death and won the
case. It worked, and I have used it ever since.”
It was a seminal moment and one that would define Imlay’s
approach to life and business. It served him well. He amassed a considerable
fortune built up on a reputation for astute marketing and his down-to-earth
approach. More importantly, he has come out the other end with the distinction
of being universally liked and respected. From former captains at Muirfield to
the caddies of North Berwick, Imlay has the
ability to put people at ease.
With guidance from some of golf’s great names, it seems Imlay
was destined to build bridges wherever he went.
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