The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-21
On Locale Golf Links
BY sIILLER BECKETvr.

TO tho struggling amateur golfer.
who. regarding his game as we'll Myth
hopeless. has in desperation ransacked
Tho professionals shop in an ondeavor
10 collect Il new set of clubs likely
to serve him better. Some satisfaction
may be CLEANED from few words OF
advice offered by Edward Ray, open
champion OF Great Britain. Until the
perfect set is got, the champion says
1T must be obvious to all that it will
be necessary to buy and test many
clubs. AS natural result, large
percentage OF the weapons will find
resting place In lockers. though 1t not
infrequently happens that drivers and
irons long since thrown aside in dis
gust are sometimes brought forth and
produce such results as to cause the
owner Ito wonder what in the world
ne has been thinking about all OF the
time.
The happy resurrection of clubs
fallen from grace often happens with
regard to putters. No type Of club Is
SO often tried. discarded and tried
again as putter, which one day seems
possessed OF some magic power and
the next worse than useless.
Although a great dear or this shifting
about lis after all mere fancy, yet 1T is
equally true that no man ever works
his way into tho low handicap class
without having first purchased and
hciency is literally strewn with them
Ihere is likewise n little doubt that
much OF this experimenting Is due to
Ignorance of what Is best for cne's
style OF play.
Often club that first appeals to
the player and then falls to come up
TO expectations has been discarded all
too hastily I'm favor of a new pur-
thase Then again when n favorite
~ broken. IT rarely matters how exact
the duplicate may be, the new men,
Der OF the kit rarely performs it's work
QUITE as satisfactorily as the old al
though III given little time 1t Is like
~ to become an equally willing scr
want
The golfer when selecting a club
should be careful to get ono that suits
ms style. for he, best OF all persons,
is the one to know what amount Of
feer he requires in the shaft II his
swinging be of the SLOW, deliberate
Kind, then a stiff shaft Is useless. IT'S
not sheer weight that produces tho
long ball. rather accurate timing, and
10 bring that about the golfer should
effort
Every golfer knows. or should know.
mat the shaft is the most important
OF the club. and therefore when q pur
chase IL being made care should be
taken 10 sec that IL is right Good
anu The purchaser must not complain
II asked 10 pay an additional half
dollar for club which has a perfecf
smart No matter how good the head
might be. IL Is nseles If the shaft is
por. and tho worthless shaft is that
wIhout ire, a shaft which, pressed on
me ground. stays where IT has been
forced good stick should always
resume the original shape when pres.
sure is put upon II"
In considering scared or socket clubs.
lay prefers the scared, believing that
there Ia less give in tho neck. but the
professional ranks are pretty eyenIv
HiNided on the question. Where an
Hhnteur often makes Il mistake Is in
'hc question OF the grip, in Rays's
"p"il"ii The amateur may possibly
come 10 the conclusion that his
grips are too thin and bring them To
the professional to have them thick-
cned but In doing SO he is displacing a
certain amount OF weight the head of
me club now feels lighter and the bal
tnce OF tho club is partly DESTROYED.
lie soon brings II back, not under
standing the reason. to have n Iittlo
weight added, and when this is done
nc club Is totally different and soon
discarded.
~ is, OF course, n good thing for the
ciub makers that fancy is rife in the
game Tor the trade would soon be at
standstill III II were not. However,
mere is limit to the life OF even a golf
club, and shafts do not keep their
virtues for lengthy period. They lose
their nature and feel dead, and the
owner often wonders why 1t is that
ne does not get the length that nc
used 10 get. iii n. putter almost any
thing can be forgiven.
Touching on the number OF clubs
carried, Ray believes that the fewer
mere are in the bag the better. II
there are two irons. or two rnashies.
Of equal power. II is sure that which,
ever is taken is the wrong one. Raw
ADVISES that there shoDd be one set,
and That Is the one TO Die used alone