"Capt Halcombe, who had served in the Royal Flying Corps in the Great War, and his wife were members at Lindrick Golf Club where my father was the professional and where I spent my childhood. Capt Halcombe had a Tiger Moth and his wife a Moth Minor. I was so very lucky to occasionally fly with Capt Halcombe in his Tiger Moth which was housed at Netherthorpe, a grass field very adjacent to the golf course.
At the outbreak of WW2 he started a gliding school at Netherthorpe for members of the Air Training Corps in which we schoolboys were delighted to participate. The primary trainer-glider was towed across the aerodrome by a winch and the pupil, keeping joystick hard forward, learned both rudder and aileron control. This operation was known as ground slide, from where we quickly advanced to low hops and high hops and eventually completed the course as qualified glider pilots. Since I lived very locally, I stayed on as an instructor until I joined the RAF in 1943, having undergone surgery in order to pass the aircrew medical. This delayed my entry into the RAF by a year and possibly saved my life. When I eventually joined up, the Air Force was very short of flight engineers for the bomber fleet, which I became after attending the No 1 School of Technical Training at RAF St Athan in South Wales. I finished my training the week the war ended!
I am still fascinated by aeroplanes, particularly all those wonderful machines of WW2 which are gloriously exhibited from time to time near my home in the south at Boscombe Down.
I have always felt that golf is somewhat akin to flying in that the pre-swing checks are every bit as important as those carried out by pilots before they take off. For the ball to take off correctly, the club face, swing path and angle of attack, have all to be under control at impact. To achieve this requires the correct grip, aim, stance and body posture at address.
My great hero, friend and colleague, Laddie Lucas, epitomised this thinking which is probably why he was such a fine player all his life. His brother-in-law, Sir Douglas Bader, another of my heroes played golf wonderfully in spite of the loss of both of his legs. His address position catered for this, allowing him to apply the clubhead correctly to the ball while at the same time maintaining his balance.
In a few days I shall be flying to the USA on Concorde for the Ryder Cup, when another memorable occasion will no doubt unfold. [Undoubtedly right, the Battle of Brooklyn was about to ensue! Ed.] Hopefully Europe will retain the Trophy which we have held for the past 4 years.
With best wishes and happy landings to all those who serve in Her Majesty's Royal Air Force, of which I have such happy memories of more than half a century ago."

As reported to the RAFGA Magazine in Winter 1999 by John Jacobs, former RAF Air Engineer and professional golfer.

John Jacobs OBE made his one appearance in the Ryder Cup in 1955. He served as Tournament Director-General of the European Tour from 1971 to 1975 and, in 1979 and 1981, he was the non-playing captain of the European Ryder Cup team. John was also a leading golf coach, who worked with many top players and established his own golf academies. He wrote several books including Practical Golf and Golf Doctor. His influence has been acknowledged by later coaches such as Butch Harmon, who stated, "John Jacobs wrote the book on coaching. There is not a teacher out here who does not owe him something."