Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-04-07
RIGHT Way TO ADDRESS BALL
Nom Golfer Thinks Maggie is Ora
tuitous Piece of Folly.
HARRY vARDON SAFE MODEL
Cumulative Manner of waggling is
Fascinating in Great Player, but
is Tedious and Perilous
with Novices.

NEW YORK, April 6-The question OF
the correct way Of addressing the golf
ball is attracting considerable attention
In England. The non-golfer declares that
the preliminary movement of the golfer
is a gratuitous piece Of folly. In re-
cent article Mr.. Hutchinson, the amateur
expert, compared the amateurs and pro-
fessionals and stated that the profess
sional was as a rule more skilled than
the amateur in making this preliminary
''waggle' OF direct assistance to the
rhythm and timing Of the stroke. He
added that the momentary pause when
the club rests behind the ball after the
Maggie and before the stroke should
be adapted to the nature Of the shot to
be played, the longer shot demanding the
shorter pause. Spectators become more
firmly persuaded OF the truth Of these re-
marks in watching Toogood. the British
player, In his recent blindfold match,
when he struggled against his natural
instincts in driving.
Most golfers have probably discovered
at some time or other that they can, for
the moment at least, materially affect
their swing by slightly altering their
waggle, even though 1t be an alteration
visible to no other eye, and alteration Oh
which only they themselves are con-
scious. A discreet curbing Of the waggle
may be more effective than a deliberately
slow swinging of the club. while, although
this is much less likely, a little added
ferocity and flourish OF the wrists may
restore to life flaccid and impotent
swing waggles may be seen on any day
and on any course which are almost
hopelessly inimical to any rhythm In
hitting. Chief among these, although not
so often TO be seen as formerly. is the
style of address called in the Badminton
library the disappointment" wherein
the player aims by means Of a series Of
full swings, stopping the club behind the
ball with vicious jerk Just as the on
locker imagines that he is going to hit
1t. After this it is only natural that the
club head should stop almost as It
reaches the ball; that II should go
smoothly through is unthinkable.
Preliminary Fiourishes.
II, however, 1t is possible entirely to
condemn some Of the preliminary
flourishes of bad players. 1t is almost
impossible to deduce from those of the
very best and fixed rule. Some have cut
down the ''waggle" to the irreducible
minimum, appearing. indeed, as IL they
only INDUCED In 1t at all as a concession
to orthodoxy. And OF such is Massey. and
in still more noticeable degree Duncan,
and their brevity Is prima faeie most
commendable quality: but TO initiate
Duncan's address would certainly bring
disaster to the less talented. II is so
quick that with ordinary mortals quick,
jerky swing would inevitably follow; even
Duncan himself, II he ever errs. almost
always does so in the direction of
''snatching' at the ball. At the opposite
pole is Herd, who seems by his sequence
Of flourishes. growing more and more
rapid, to be gradually flashing himself
into fury before finally hurting himself
at the ball. The late F. G.. TAFT had
something of the same appearance of
working himself up for a final effort.
although his was an indefinitely more
gentle and lelsurely manner Of doing so.
This cumulative manner OF waggilng Is
rather fascinating in a great player, but
apt to be both tedious and pcrilous with
ordinary people. A far safer model would
be either Braid or Harry vardon. Both
pass the club but once backward and
forward over the ball, and in both cases
the movement is comparatively leisurely
and is instinct with rhythm. Braid has.
in addition, a little menacing shake of
the club-head in the middle OF his ''wag-
GLE" which conveys In some indescrib-
able way a sense OF timing. Both, more
over, have this great virtue. that they
never add to or substract from the..
normal method so much as the fraction
of a flourish.