The Washington times., 1915-06-27
Times Expert Tells of Old
Cleek With Which He
Won His First Cham
pionship and Makes
Plain Good Point of a
Limited Hit.
BY HARRY VARDON,
British Golf Champion.

Slc VI tuo klOIicS VI SOlI Is tHdC,
in its chief characteristics, it is al
most primeval. 1t has less of the
element Of artificiality than any
other game.
The player is not confined to a
field Of prescribed dimensions; he
goes ever onward and in any direc-
ton in which he may hit the ball
save where respect for somebody
else's property enjoins that a GER
tain area Of land be considered "out
Of bounds" He pursues the pastime
in a setting Of nature in the heart
Of the countryside or amidst the
rolling dunes by the sea, and he Is
entitled to use, as many implements
as he may deem necessary for his
purpose.
1t is under this last mentioned
head that I would write today, and
the subject cannot fail to be of in
terest to anybody who has observed
the modern tendency in both Britain
and America to increase the extent
Of the golfng equipment. Certainly
I would not suggest to anybody that
he should grudge himself the acqui-
sition of a new club. Often it is the
finest inspiration in the world.
10 / won my first championship land the
first IL incomparably the hardest to win.
as have remarked before) largely by
means OF an old cleek which I picked
up In Ben Sayers' shop, at North Ber-
wick. on the eve Of the replay with J.
II. Taylor, and which something pos
sessed me to have shortened. 80 that
1t might be used as q putter. I had al
%9s sYsh W hSpe of sesans the
the most popular professional events In
England, when, in 1912. I changed my
mid-iron q few days before the final
stages. and. with the help Of club Of
ger than any other I had previously
employed. an ambition was realized
Last year. an eleyenth-hour fancy for
an exceptionally light driver put mo
right on to my long game. which had
paved the way to success In the open
championship at Prestwick. These
facts are mentioned by way OF showing
that l am all for obedience to inspira-
may be that provokes the sedden liking
for a new club. or an old one that
has lain discarded and forgotten.
The Disadvantage Of Numbers.
But while the liberty Of the subject is
that In this connection many players
take undue advantage Of It. wholly to
their own disadvantage. They seem to
InL tkot L. "a IN, ,bar +.
that II they put into the bag two driv-
ers. two brassies, irons OF every de-
gree Of loft for every length Of iron
shot that can be conceived. and a nice
little assortment Of pptters. they are a
great deal better off than with a small
er supply
Apart altogether from the fact that
it Is the man and not the club that
controls the stroke. ! am sure that
nothing but embrrassment results from
the carrying Of vast collection of In
many as you like so that when one Of
the number becomes peevish Qt is
strange how clubs seems to have their
fits OF perversity) 1t may be put aside
ton substituted for It: but am sure It
Is not good to take round a huge va
riety Of implements.
When YOU have q set OF irons so grad
uated that there 10 certain ona for
every ten yards extra that you need in
be In doubt every now and again as to
the best club to select from about three
candidates that present themselves to
the mind. And this decision 10 generally
fatal. The present day scheme of max
ing nearly every iron shot a full sho,
and regulating its length by the loft and
weight of the club Is not good for ones
golf
The Clubs Vardon Carries.
am often asked how many clubs
carry and what they are like. 1t may
not be out OF place to go into tina,
matter here.
/ Last season. when ! was so fortunate
as to play better than for ten or fifteen
| years past and to win nice lot OF
tournaments, carried fewer imple-
ments than at any other time In my life
the fret remark that my caddie made al
the open championship meeting al
Prestwick was:
Where are your clubs7 Are they al
here?"
They numbered eleven. and In a bag ]
| suppose they appeared rather lear
array Indeed my faithful henchmar
insisted on putting In large umbrella
by wav of making the concern looh
prosperous.
had three wooden elubs-a driver and
two brassies. OF the latter. one wal
for good lies. and the other. which had
| stiffer shaft and more left on the
face. was for bad lies. ! must have
been fortunate: this reserve for rough
work never had to be put into action.
OF iron clubs, I had a cleek, two driv
ing irons. a "mongrel" (Which was
cross between a mid-iron and a jigEer)
a mashie. and a niblick. Two putters-
my own particular fancy. which II
called the "Brown-Vardon" for running
completed the outfit. And never re
member any occasion on which l. haC
less doubt as TO the best club to tax,
In a situation. for the simple reason
that seldom had an alternative.
When the mashie did not appeal q
me took the ''mongrel' and used /
for either long running-up shots
pitches. or low-hying shots. such a
one would ordinarily accomplish witt