Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-07-23
GOLF GOSSIP

Here is some really excellent ad
w w. Hairless for the Golfers Maya
zine tChieagol Mr.. Hairless says:
In this age of advancement and va
riety it is not surprising that even
the ancient game of golf should occa-
sionallv receive a shock from some
icOnoclastic person, though, as a
rule, these attacks are successfully
withstood' If there is one doctrine
more sacred than another, it is that
of keep your eye on the BALI; 1t
was, therefore. with feeling akin to
felicity that the Old guard noted the
complete failure of one Toogood. who,
believing himself so good, essayed to
play a match blindfolded.
Keep your eye on the ball" now
occupies more impregnable position
than ever, and if we do not hear quite
so much as we once did of SLOW
back" and don't press" these two
old doctrines are doing very well.
There are some who wonder whether
they would not be even more useful
than they are if revised version
were made of them There is, in
slow back" the ever-present posi-
bility of the player losing all rhythm
in his stroke. The club that is taken
back consciously, slowly. is very like
ly to be merely lifted and not swung
at all. 1t has been proposed that
smooth back would be better than
SLOW back" 1t keeps the idea of
rhythm and swing, il is argued, and
at the same time should be equally
effective against the snatching and
jerking that arc the chief faults of
club being taken back very fast.
AS for don't press" it would be
difficult to think of any other two
words that express so much. Don't
press" is, however. often interpreted
as Don't hit too hard" and to this
Interpretation it seems possible to
take exception.
There is one professional and teach
er who, as often as not, tells his pu-
pills to hit harder and not more gently
when they are driving badly. This
may be a desperate measure, but It'll
may be that the advice not to hit too
soon would be more beneficial than
not to hit too hard For one thing,
it is of the two doctrines much less
likely to be exaggerated by an over
Jealous learner. Nearly everybody
has at some time experienced the feel
ing of hitting too gently. Some have
recovered from bad attack of press
ing by being less violent in their
methods. l. H. |
This remedy has been sufficient for !
a time; until the player who follows
the advice probably has become gent |
Ter and gentler, until at last the club |
had merely strength to reach the ball, |
and the last state was as bad as the
first.
Practically every other one Of 20
or 80 average bad players going on |
the first tee will be seen to mistime |
the shot, getting his hands down to
the ball too soon, his body through |
too quickly. Watch the bad shots of |
a good player and they will nearly |
all be seen to proceed from something |
of the same fault. To hit too late I
at ball is so rare a mistake as to |
be almost virtue, and of all RENE
dies, that of Don't hit too soon,n is |
the least likely to lose its good effect |
through repeated uses. ID
There is an old piece of advice of |
which revised version might be use
full. A player in the normal condi-
ton of driving badly is often told by
a caddie or a friendly critic that he
is taking up the club too straight.
Undoubtedly this is quite true and
sometimes this can be cured by
the club along the ground
in the back swing. This remedy,
however, often produces a laborious
method of hitting which may cause
temporary Improvement. but does not |
restore to driving excellence.