The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-19

other
- In the first place
JOHN @. ANDERSON. II might be well
to note that Oui-
NETS style has changed somewhat and
/ changed for the better. since he was
! abroad last spring. Those who saw him
win inc open championship at Brookline
| went away with the feeling that there was
I sun more power to be revealed and oppor-
/ tun.t's for useful DEVELOPMENT I'm his
game and II IS only proper 10 say that
IN many Instances Ouimet has improved
/ Inc most important bit OF information
we get from the amateur champion him
seIf' who says that when he first PLAYED
over the courses on the other side and
watched the good golfers he was taken
~ once with their line iron play. which
ala not resemble his own method Tho
back swing was not so long and therefore
was more under control lie did not set
AT once about the changing Of his style,
LOT that would have been a serious matter
AT that stage, and IL was not until he had
returned TO this country that ne dis
covered he had unconsciously had he
queathed to him by the golfers on the
o'n'F sue bit shorter iron swing which
improved and steadled his game
In this connection l might note that
the same fauIt OF oVerswnEing with irons
mas been noticeable in the game Of one OF
New 1orks best OF the younger PLAYERS.
Maxwell r. Marston Ouimet in comment
ing on his play said hut recently Il wound
Ike to tell Max that ne ought TO shorten
mat back swing OF hts with the iron FOR
ne Is doing the same sort Of thing which
l ala last year. But I don't want 10 he
considered as presum!ng"
am mentioning this fact because IL
mas not been much over week since
Marston was out on the links under tha
excellent tutelage OF George Low. Win thr
strong determination TO shorten IN an
thRt back swing and so round out his
game. Marston will find that his go'f
pay VIII Increase In power when he ge,s
out on the links next year
Almost everybody has his own ,no,r.,
OF driving, ana Mr.. Oumet is no exrep-
ton. Gradually dur.ng the past two or
three years his left foot has been ed y,ur,
forward. until now { can be asserted W! tn
out rear OF contradiction that he plays
or Ms LETT foot. The latter is probably
two or three inches IN front OF the right
root when the backward swing Is accom-
plished THIS swing has a swish and a
sweep In one. The hands are thrown
falrly high, but not .ceably so when tho
cruz head IL carried back There Is q
slight twisting at the hips, which is some
what after the manner OF Harry Vardon,
thus enabling Oulmet, along with a
prominent raising of the left foot in the
backward swing, to get a far carry back
The moment OF impact finds Mr.. Oul-
nets right shoulder freely coming down
and forward. and then the carry through
is powerful, the arms and wrists working
In perfect harmony. The whole motion
Is so free from artihciality that 1t strikes
the spectator ~ once that II Is the natu-
raj outcome for Ouimet TO get n long
and straight ball. Some OF this feeling
may be due TO the exhibition of youthful
strength and the Elasticity of the anna
teur champions muscles, which are
plainly evident, but the fact remains that
the man in the gallery can lind no Nnk
on which to lay his hand which would
cause him to doubt the arrival of another
splendid drive
Personally / think that Ouimct will
modify his stance n tr!fe when he gets
n few years more OF young manhood golf
and stand nearer the ball. But as he
himself says, when he finds that his
muscles are tightening up then will be
the time for him to SGT about changing
his style on the tee.
When we come to Mr. Travers curl
Gus thing Is seen. There are supposed
to be two styles in golf so far as the
art OF driving is concerned, the Nat
swing and the upright swing. Harry
Vardon In an upright swinger, ]. II. Tay-
Tor nearly the only great golfer who
swings fiat Golfers when they start in
play one or the other. although II is not
an altogether uncommon thing Tor n
golfer to change from one style to tn"
other. But in the case OF Travers we hnd
that he starts with turn over OF IN"
hands toward the right when bringing
the wooden club head back, thus making
the beginning of his swing that OF nat
swlnger. Then, when three-quarters of
the way up he elevates his right arm and
shifts his Hat swing into an upright
swing. This produces n style thoroughly
individual. but with fundamental fauIt
which has caused havoc on more than
la NM
one style will bring certain amount Of
perfection. but It will not pay in the long
run.
Both Mr.. Oumet and Mr.. Travers ara
masters Of iron shot play, yet with Styles
somewhat different. TraVers plays
fairly low ball when striving for distance
with a trajectory which promises long
run Oumet on the other hand hits a
hall which rises slowly and when y Janus
seldom skips along In rabbit fashlon
Trayers gets his body into his shot IN Il
rip-tearlng fashion, II the distance to be
covered be far, and few indeed are the
/ golfers who down wind or facing gale
can compete either In distance or direction
with him When 7 see him play long
iron shot | am reminded more OF tht
manner in which James Braid plays II
than any other golfer not in the manner
OF drawing the club back. but near and
nj the moment of impact The thud ana
evident purpose Of the shot carry the
same kind OF conviction.
Ills said OF Braid that when he takes
cleek shot the ground around Tor many
wards trembles SO In some degree does
Travers descend on the unsuspcctlng
rubber core. The amount of turf which
he takes is not considerable, but Travers
rarely II ever plays without taking Bit
usually just after hitting the ball
In the short iron shots Travers has
the happy faculty OF playing low hit
ball which has enough of back spin TO
keep the ball within close proximity 10
the spot where II lands, This IL, to my
mind the one shot where Travers excels
the other players in the game | am
thinking now not of the short mashe
shots but OF distance approaching 100
yards Travcrs and his jlggcr In wind
. ana rain and fair weather can he de-
pended on to come nearer the hole IN
+ given number of shots than any other
| player In this shot Travers does not
| wholly eliminate the noticeable bending
- h. NJ surr