Golf Stories · Chapter
The Heel of Achilles explained
The Oldest Member recounts the story of Vincent Jopp, a superman financier who takes up golf and achieves scratch in a single morning through sheer will and confidence.
What happens
The Oldest Member recounts the story of Vincent Jopp, a superman financier who takes up golf and achieves scratch in a single morning through sheer will and confidence. He dominates the game, winning medal after medal, and reaches the final of the American Amateur Championship. However, his fiancée Amelia Merridew, who had set winning the championship as a condition for marriage in hopes of avoiding it, reveals she loves another and begs the narrator to distract Jopp during the final. The narrator refuses, citing duty and a bet on Jopp.
Themes in this chapter
Obsession and Devotion
Vincent Jopp's obsessive approach to golf as an exact science, driven by his overwhelming confidence and methodical nature, contrasts with the emotional turmoil of Amelia Merridew, who is desperate to avoid marrying him.
Humor and Absurdity
The absurdity of a man achieving scratch golf on his first morning through sheer will, and the comedic tension of a fiancée begging for a 'Boo!' to disrupt his concentration, highlight the chapter's humorous tone.
Self-Improvement and Confidence
Jopp's unshakeable self-confidence and ability to master golf through pure reason and memorization exemplify the theme of self-improvement, while his opponents are undone by nerves and distraction.
Characters to notice
- Vincent Jopp
The American multimillionaire who takes up golf with Pure Reason, becomes a scratch player on his first day, and reaches the final of the American Amateur Championship.
- The Sage
The Oldest Member who narrates the story of Vincent Jopp to a young man disillusioned by betting on golf.
- Mr. McHoots
The golf professional whose hints Vincent Jopp memorizes before playing.
- Amelia Merridew
The woman provisionally engaged to Vincent Jopp, who set winning the Amateur Championship as a condition for marriage in hopes of avoiding it, as she loves another.
Key passages
“Golf is in its essence a simple game. You laugh in a sharp, bitter, barking manner when I say this, but nevertheless it is true.”
Golf is fundamentally simple, though players often make it complicated due to self-consciousness.
The narrator reflects on the paradox of golf's simplicity versus the anxiety it induces in players.
“If I set out to drive my ball straight, I shall drive it straight.”
Vincent Jopp believes that sheer willpower guarantees perfect execution in golf.
Illustrates Jopp's superhuman confidence and rational approach to the game.
“It would take more than a single 'boo' to put Vincent Jopp off his stroke.”
A mere shout would not disturb Jopp's concentration, given his iron will.
The narrator explains why Amelia's plea to distract Jopp is futile.