The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-07-30
Errors Of Commission Must Be
Pointed Out and Corrected
at Once. = 70
BY HARRY VARDON.

BY HARRY VARDON.
1t has been suggested that I should
explain how teach golf; Just what pro-
cedure adopt when q stranger arrives
with a request for his faults to be
pointed out to him or a knowledge of
proper playing methods impaired to mis-
hitherto untutored mind. It has bcen
further proposed that I should say why
1t is that an experienced professional
claims to be able to point out errors Of
commission which are indlstinsuishable
to the average golfer. Tho latter mat
ter Is capable Of an easy explanation
It Ii part Of the stock-in-trade OF the
professional to know causes Just a. fully
as his pupil rea!t<os effects. He has 10
be a kind of physician Of the links 30
that he can diagnoso . case and APP
preciate exactly where the root OF the
trouble lies. Thus. his studies tell him
that, In the instance Of q person WHO
tops the ball time after time land top
ping Is the commonest Of all faults
amongst beginners). the discounted
player il nearly sure 10 be committing
one of three errors:
ie "a ~ strengthening the body dur
ing the down swing. and therefore lift
ing the arms from the ball. or (2) hug
ying tho arms up toward the chest a.
he hits. for fear Of striking the ground.
or ca swayins to the right during the
up-swing and failing t. recover while
bringing The club down.
Must Watch His Pupil.
The professional needs to watch
his pupil for only q short while in
order to light upon tho source OF the
mischief and then his work consists
Of inducing the player to change his
methods in the particular department
In which the trouble Is originating.
So It Is In regard to practically
every form Of golfing Ill. Where the
chronic slice Is concerned. II 10 prob
able that the player 10 either grip
ping wrongly or. at the top OF the
swing. beginning to turn at the hips
ward journey. OF he may be sway
Ing during the swing, but that 10 .
fundamental fault from which any
sort OF discontinue may arise.
mistake OF Incorporating tho body turn
Every devotse OF the game ought to
know that the proper way to order
the . ~ =, when is s welding g9lf
club rises. SO that the body. instead
Of falling away from the ball toward
tho right, as frequently II does in the
case OF an inefficient player. turns on
Just as It is screwed up. SO should
the body be unscrewed, but II 10 an
almost sure means of slicing to be-
gin unscrewing II before starting to
Instrument viii cut across the ball
at the impact and SO provoke q slice.
The FIRST act at the top Of the swing
should be to recover the club from
behind the head; It occupies the veri-
unwinding of the body starts. But
unless the player does start the club
first. he generally slices.
Pro Keeps Sharp Lookout.
This Is a little point for which the
professional keeps a sharp lookout. and
when such a fault Ia detected. the best
cure I know IL to stand about a yard
to the right Of the performer and q
trtfie behind the line which he Is &C.
cupying. and tell him at the beginning
OF the down swing to aim the club
head at oneself instead OF at the ball.
Taking up such a position as that in
dieated. l have often said to slicer:
Try and hit me as you come down.
III see that you don't-but try
II Is clear that II he will aim in the
direction In which one IL standing-that
10, on his right and a little behind his
screwing his hips. because II he did the
latter first the clubhead would be
thrown forward (the cause Of slicinR)
BY the very fact Of his body turning 80
far around at the beginning OF the down
swing. Once he Is past this brief initial
stage of recovering the cInb from be.
hind the head, he can swing for all ne
is worth with a favorable chance of hit
ting the ball straight: the hit really be-
gins after that little act Of recovery and
starting the hit before getting the club
into the best possible position for the
operation that causes trouble.
There is nothing new under the sun az
regards faults on the links. There are
a few unusual ways Of doing a thing
covered by the exercise Of patience.
Ex-Champion Went on.
Ono Of the most interesting cases I
remember was that Of an ex-champion
who went completely off his mashis, a
club with which he had been won't TO DO
particularly deadly work. rhree OF US
were called in to engage in computation.
and. after close examination. we FOUND
the cause Of the lapse
The player In question was taking tho
SiTS Up a hnna,, entirely With the len
noHu w .UthuHiB tne WTlSt Outwar09,
the result Of this bend Of the wrist was
that the arm was securing little freedom
and not rising sufficiently far. When
he started to come down, the hand was
back almost Immediately in Its original
position. and, consequently, II dragged
the socket Of the club on to the bali In
stead of bringing the face Of the impie-
ment round smoothly for a clean shot.
That is another example of the kind OF
thing for which q professional has to
look. ~
When a player comes to mo for . ,.,.
son i begin by asking him TO hit three
dozen shots in his own way. During
this Stase. do not interfere with him
In the least degree. II 10 necessary firat
to find out what mistakes he Is perpe-
trating.
7 DO not take him round the course.
where other golfers are likely to create
distraction. II Is a much better plan to
select a quite corner of the links where
there will be no intruders. o nv home
green at Totteridge, near London, there
Is a spot which might have been de-
signed by nature for this purpose: a
high fence shuts out the view from
curious eyes and yet there Is ample
space for the player to hit any shot that
he fancies. Here the pupil can practice
in seciusion.
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