Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-29
CHANGE OF BALL
IMPROVES GOLF
OLD SCHOOL PLAYERS ARE
FOUND WRONG
MASTER STROKES MORE FIRE.
oUENT OF LATE YEARS
Experts Find Greater Ease In sIcino
the Ball with the Rubber Core.
Examples of Rare
Strokes


NEW YORK, Aug. 28.-some eight
years ago, about the time the rubber
cored ball was displacing the solid
guilty in popular favor, golfers Of the
old school predicted that the game
would suffer in consequence. They
based their statements on the ground
that the bounding billy" as the new
ball was called. could not be controlled
nearly as well as the solid brand, and
that luck would enter to a greater eX-
tent. Since then, however, events
have proved that fully as much, if not
more, can be accomplished with the
rubber core as with the old-style ball;
also that the game has not suffered in
the least.
An observing person can scarcely at
tend tournament without seeing the
experts bring off master strokes, and
these are by no means confined to the
professional ranks. A case in point was
furnished in a tournament a few years
ago at Atlantic City, when Fred
Herreshoff defeated DR.. Simon Carr of
Philadelphia in the final round for the
chief cup. The match had progressed
a far as the seventh hole-noW the
third-when Herreshoff got bunkered on
his second shot. The ball lay in sand
behind one of those volcaniclike forma-
tions, which loomed up directly in line
with the hole. The pin was about l5O
yards from Herreshoff, whose only
alternative was to play out to the left,
almost at right angles from the line
to the hole, but he played the shot
just right, bringing the club down
sharply with q decided cut. To the
amaZement of the gallery, the ball,
after carrying we'll over toward the
eighth fairway began to describe
graceful curve to the right, so that
when it did finally come to earth 1t
had reached the edge of the green.
The wind at the time favored the
shot, but even So DR., Carr did not
hesitate to pronounce it the greatest
he had ever seen.
Rare Accomplishment
At the time a good many persons
asked how it was possible to impart
such a remarkable slice to the ball.
The fact of the matter is, everyone
who plays golf slices more or less
With some the habit becomes so con-
firmed as to drive the player almost to
distraction while others only get the
slice in occasionally Furthermore, it
rarely comes off when wanted. To be
able to slice a ball at will is an ac-
complishment seldom acquired, though
the thing may be done in several ways.
To the expert having excellent con-
troll of his club it is possible to draw
ones self up in the middle of the swing,
or in other words, initiate a fault
common with slicers. In a way this is
quite a natural thing to do, for many
golfers seek relief from the strained
position taken in bending forward to
address the ball by unconsciously
pulling themselves more erect While
the cubhead is yet in the middle of
its circular sweep.
There Is another way in which the
slice may be brought about, and it is
not due to any failure of the clubhead
to swing along the proper line, but,
rather because the face of the club at
the moment of impact is not at right
angles to the line. In other words, If,
instead of striking the ball squarely,
the face of the weapon is turned at an
obtuse angle. a slice is almost certain
to result In this form of slice, how
ever, the ball goes screWing off to the
right the instant 1t leaves the club,
while. with the stroke where the club
head is drawn sharply across the ball,
the slice is not noticeable until the
globe has travelled a considerable dis
tance.
A slice may also be caused by the
player forcing with his right wrist. The
tendency of man in his natural state
before taking heed and notice of GER
tain scientific principles in golf-ts to
grip hard and hit hard with the right |
hand The hands should work in uni
SON. When the right hand is forcing |
it has a tendency to slip rather under !
the other and turn the club face out |
On the other hand, should the left
hand be allowed to do more than its /
fair share of the work there will be a /
l,A al, Il
Way Out of Difficulty
In the case of Herreshoff bringing !
off his deliberate slice the unusual |
spectacle presented itself wherein the |
player was actually benefited, as 1t en-
abled him to win the hole at a time /
when it appeared to be hopelessly lost |
During a season there are few players, |
those who frequent the |
island links, who will not find them !
selves frequently stymied by tree.
Lofting over is not always feasible, and /
at times impossible, so that there is
nothing left to do but to play to one |
side or the other. That is where the |
man who can slice at will has cause to /
be thankful, for all he has to do is to
aim to the left of the obstruction, and |
if the stroke has been properly made |
no penalty will follow.
In the days of the old Lakewood /
course, before the Country club moved .
further along to it's present location,
many daring shots were attempted by |
the amateurs but one of the boldest |
ever seen must go down to the credit
Of Findlay S. Douglas. Immediately
behind one green stood an old red
barn, and it was no uncommon sight
to see a ball, played a trifle too strong
y, triclIle over the green to a mean
lie uncomfortably close to the founda~
ton. On one occasion after his drive
Douglas found himself in a position
where an iron shot would have been
sufficient to reach this green. To every
Dne's surprise, Douglas took out his
driver, and away flew the ball like Il
outlet. AS most we'll hit balls do, this
one went perfectly straight. 1t landed
Dn the green, reached the barn on tho
first bound, and then rebounded 70
within few feet of the hole. 1t re-
1uired nerve to attempt a shot like
hat, for the least bit of a slice or a
pull would have meant disaster.
Slice Sometimes Useful
On another occasion, at Morris coun-
" during the amateur championship
tournament in 1898, Douglas sliced a
'ull shot round a tree in manner that
made the onlOokers gasp. This master
shot saved him a stroke, and inciden-
ally demonstrated that there are times
when a slice is useful On one occa-
sion we'll known amateur sliced his
1rassey shot so that the ball went
sailing over a fence separating the
'airwav from a road. The ball. how
sver, struck a passerby on the head
md bounded back over the fence to
within a few feet of the hole, where
upon the player rather ambiguously re-
marked that it was the first time he
a