Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-03-29
GOLF EXPERTS SAY
EVANS WILL HELP
They Hold That Champion will
Aid Cubs Batting,
TO CURE SOME men

. Nh0sy SsS
Leaguers Need More Form In Stick
Work-John Anderson Explains Why
Evans Should Help.
Chick Evans, according to report, is
going to teach members of Charles
Weeghman's Cubs the subtle art Of
clubbing a baseball by initiating them
into the mysteries of the golf stroke.
This has aroused no end of comment,
serious and in jest. Hear the comment
of two experts who should know some
thing Of what they say.
A. w. Tillinghast, prominent golfer,
was asked recently to express his opm-
ion on the feasibility of Weeghman's
plan. He sizes the situation up in this
manner:
whether or not Evans will be able
to help the batting effectiveness of the
Cubs l don't know. But this l can say.
While the Phillies were in training in
Florida in 1915 l visited the camp. I
watched the work of the players and
had several talks with Pat Moran. I
was interested in the batting form Of
the players, and especially did l watch
the batting Of Fred Luderus.
Il noticed for one thing that Luderus
was taking too long a stride in meet
ing the ball-that is, what would have
been considered too long from a gol6ng
standpoint. AS a result he was either
hitting the ball for an exceptionally
long drive or else he was hitting feeble
flies to the infeld. The effect was that
he was dropping his left shoulder, a
fault which in golf is fatal. This
caused him to hit under the ball and
consequently to lift short flies to the
inield.
II talked to Moran and Luderus and
suggested the player shorten his stride
a bit in stepping forward to meet the
ball. He agreed to do So, and the re-
suit was highly beneficial. AS a re-
suit he hit .315 for the 1915 season.
whereas the year before he hit but PAS.
I can't say whether the facts are co
related. but l do know that they are
facts. l take it that Evans will help
the Chicago club materially if lie can
add better than sixty points to the
batting average of any member Of the
club"
Another golf expert who believes
that Evans Will be of great help to the
Cubs is John G. Anderson. Says An
derson:
Have you ever stopped to consider
the likenesses Of the two strokes which
are made by the golfer and the base
ball player: Both have the left Shout
der up; both use the right hip as a le-
yer; both have the same roll of the fore
arms. The slight differences show that
in the distribution of weight the base
ball player Invariably keeps his weight
on the right foot until the ball is met,
when the weight of course shifts to the
left.
In golf the big majority of golfers
have the weight on the right foot, and
in the swing the same change is made.
1T will be noted that in baseball as
in golf the right hand gets in the heavy
artillery work. At college we were
taught in bunting to hold the bat light.
ly between the fingers of the right
hand and to let the left hand turn the
bat to the right or left as the occasion
demanded for direction. In golf. too
we have been taught that the left hand
is a potent direction aid.
Then in the matter of head move
ment there is much the same doctrine
at the crack of the ball, and so does the
golfer turn his head. Tie movement
of the latter does not seem so rapid as
that of the baseball player becaus,
the club head has had such O start thai
it is a few feet forward before the
head is physically able to turn TOWARD
the direction of the balls fight.
Golfers who have watched ball play
ers have noted the change in the pos
ture of many. Instead of standing
with two feet together at the plate
there has come the tendency to hav.
the feet set apart at the start, with /:
fair distribution of weight as the oc
casion demanded. And it has beer
noted, too, that the foot action stance.
of the batters are changed for n RICH
or left field smash. as do the golfer!
when a pull or slice is needed.
This is one of tie facts which will
be made patent, am sure. when Ev
ans does his explaining and teaching
and that it will benefit I have NJ
10llht