The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-15
CHAMPION GOLFER
CARELESS OF CLUBS
Ted Rays Kit an Interesting
Collection of Rusty and
Decrepit Implements.
ny KERR n. PETRIE.

Even In this enlightened age II Is not
unusual to find among the followers OF
the royal and ancient anne oe golf those
who cling to the belief that some of the
professionals owe a great deal OF their
success TO the perfectly balanced clubs
which they are able to fashion for
themselves. Any one who feels this
way about II should have made c:ose
inspection Of the implements In the bag
OF Ted Ray. holder OF the American
open championship. who sailed for Eng
land last week In company with Harry
vardon. Allowing that his clubs may
have a. sentimental. or even historic.
value, their intrinsic worth, according
TO a Nassau caddie who looked them
over and appraised them when Ray and
Nardon were PLAYING on that course in
what was virtually the last match Of
their tour In this section. IS about g. 70.
Ray owns one piece OF ordnance that
looks rs II It might have been used by
Noah to draw the fires when the ark
stranded or Mount Ararat. This is
Rays n'blick The head runs more to
length than to depth. and. put under
'he microscope 1t looks as IL at some
lime In the dim and mouldv past 1t has
heen OF the diamond back variety.
Long acquaintance with the grindstone
or buffing wheel has removed the dia-
mord ard also every vestiGe OF the
stamp Of the maker or finisher. How
many shafts this nIblick head has seen
probably even Ted himself does not
know. The condition II the club proves
conclus,vely. though. that II originally
1t was bought by Ray. the present
champion Of the United States must
have inherited his love for the game
from his great -greatgrandfather.
Although no one will remember having
seer 1t in use throughout the tour. Ray
owns a putting cleek in addition to the
wand Of aluminium which he waved with
more or less success during the last sea-
son over a counle Of thousand square
miles Of the American continent. Ted
also Is addicted to a cleek. several irons
or mashies and three drivers. For not-
withstandirg the oft repeated tales Of
terrific brassie shots not a brassie does
the Oxhey man possess, although one Of
the wooden clubs which ne was wont to
use for his second shots when wood
happened TO be the shot through the
green begins as If In early life II had
intended to become q prosperous brassie
and then later on changed its mind.
Maybe It got stunted from over use or
the violence with which Its sole was APP
-lied to the ground, for the brass goes
back from the face Is the club only Ut
tie further than the horn.
And speaking of these drivers II Is
a rather interesting fact that Rays taste
runs strongly to "dreadnoughts" or
near dreadroughts." Moreover all three
are decidedly of the bulger type. as
bowed on the face almost as the side of
a boat.
Another surprising thing noted about
the kit OF the champion Is the thinness
Of the grips on the wooden clubs and
the shortncSs of the irons. particularly
OF the niblick. although. taking into con-
sideration the pro6igies that II often &C.
comnlished- II would seem that In the
case OF this patriarchal club Ray has TO
get down close enough to talk to II as
the Arab does to his steed.
When winning championships Alex
Smith was another who rocked little
OF the lustre of his clubs. Rust OBJ
vlously was no deterrent to the former
champion, and when any one chided him
for his carelessness Alex was almost
certain to retort that ms long as the
club did not mind Il he didn't and that
in any event Il had one good point He
would never complain Of fash OF re-
iected sunlight spelling his shot
Champions, II would seem. are no.
toriously negligent of the condition of
their clubs. \ Occasionally one happens
on n star who has his wooden club heads
all nicely >slicked and vanished. his
shafts oiled and his irons FURNISHED and
shining like a new half dollar. but, as
demonstrated by Smith and Ray. and n
great many others for that matter, rust
and CRIME are no very serious obstacles
to the correct playing of the game II
only one has that game to play.