Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-04
FEW CLUBS NEEDED
Learning These More Effective
for Beginners.
NEEDS COMPLETE CONTROL
Should Start With Four or Five
Clubs-Add to Collection
Later.
NEEDS COMPLETE CONTROL

NEW YORK, August "A we'll known
student of the game declares that as a
man may be judged by the clothes he
wears, so may the golfer be pretty &C
curately sized up by the number and
variety of clubs he carries or causes to
be carried. 1t is fact that the formid-
able array Of wooden and iron headed
weapons which bristle from the bag are,
in many instances, not warranted, at
least judging from results attained How
often has the care-free caddie been seen
to reel off q score close to the course
record aided only by three grimy-looking
clubs tucked under his arm.
On the other hand, notice some care
fully groomed Apollo draw the club of
his choice from among dozen shining
heads and then foozle with a regularity
only attributable to long practice-in a
bad style. There is little logic in these
things, although on occasions a profess
sional in an important match may feel
safer if he keeps a second driver and a
brassie with him in case of emergencies.
With the average player, however, the
possibility of breaking a club is hardly a
matter for alarm, and at the worst the
brassie can be made an effectual subSti-
tute for the driver 1t often happens that
some we'll known player will develop a
fondness for a particular club, and as
confidence increases he Will use IL on all
possible occasions.
There is a SenSeleSS excuse which not
a few amateurs give for the array OF
wood and steel which their caddie bags
present-that they hope II they are OFF
on one club they may be ION" another.
On occasions this hope may not be with
out foundation.
Take, for instance, when man sud-
denly shifts from light to short, heavy
driver with beneficial results. He prob
ably has made the change in desperation,
and then as he sees himself getting away
series of long, straight tee shots, con-
cludes that life is worth living after all.
This newly acquired accuracy may only
last for a round or two, or until he be
comes accustomed to the feel of the
new club Because of it's greater weight
pressing became q matter of some diff
Guilty for time.
Consequently good results obtained in
this artificial way are neither permanent
nor satisfactory, and, after all, the play
err was meant to guide the club, not the
club to guide the player.
What is necessary is complete control
of the swing, and unnecessary or frequent
changing from one club to another Is
likely to prove a hindrance rather than a
help in the long run. If a person is not
certain in the use of a driver he will not
be apt to help matters by trying to play
two during the same round.
So far as the iron clubs are concerned,
the real test is the golfers power of dis
between them. There are
many who cannot tell to within thirty
yards how far they are going to send any
shot off their iron or mashfe. The diff
ference In length between average shots
off these clubs is itself probably not more
than twenty yards.
AS matter of fact, the player can
scarcely tell whether his iron or mashie
will serve him best for any shot between
so and 40 yards. While greater
all things being equal, is bound
to result from the use of the iron, either
will do the work.
He Is, indeed, fortunate golfer who Is
not bothered more or less by certain
distance. There are times when he feels
that the mashie may fall trihe shy"
while the midiron, he fears. will carry
him too far. 1t is true that it is quite
simple to negotiate this shot with slight
ly harder stroke with the mashie, or by
sparing his iron. The first alternative
savors of pressing, which is always apt
to lead to trouble, while the other. the
Unquestionably, player can always
Judge his distance with greater accuracy
when getting away medium shot with
any club, hence he may well become con-
scious when presented with one OF those
betwixt and between distances that his
judgment is not quite SO delicate as when
a little farther away.
Therefore, returning to the original
theme, the rather paradoXical conclusion
arrived at is that the player who can best
adapt one club to any kind of shot Is the
one most likely to be benefited most from
having a large choice in his bag.
1t is only when a golfer learns to use
his irons with delicacy and judgment that
he learns at the same time how to reap
4 further advantage from using the most
suitable weapon for each stroke. The
beginner would therefore do well to start
with four or Ave clubs rather than make
undue haste to equip himself with COM
plete OUTFIT, because as his game devel-
ops he will probably discover that he pre-
fers a different style OF club from that
which suited him at first.
HIS best plan is to add to his collection
Of irons only when he begins to feel that
the DEVELOPMENT of his game has created
a definite place for the new weapon.
Looking at the matter from different
angle. it is worth mentioning that while
the besinner-"duffer' or dub. as he is
called-does not threaten the
records, his presence at most OF the golf
and country clubs is considered essential.
1t is this new blood that all organizations
must have from time to time In order to
lranv from losing ground