New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-02-20
Harding Packs
Mighty W allop
I'm Golf Clubs
President-Elect No Duffer;
LIS Training Hard and
Is i'm Fine Condition
BY Ray Mccarthy

BODY ever trained harder for q big
battle than President-elect Warren G.
Harding. This husky son of Ohio is
engaged here in a strenuous campaign
of conditioning for the big season
ahead, and in ring parlance he is in
the pink Of shape and ready for the
long grind. His daily program. in brief,
consists of fast business workout in
the morEkag in his suite at the Ponce
de Leon, beginning at 8 o'clock and An
ishing at 1880, Then vigorous round
of golf, and later another short bust
ness session.
But it is the Presidents little game
Of golf about which this story is con-
cerned, and how it has made him fit
for his duties. Right here it might be
stated that on March the best golfng
President that ever ruled this country
will take the oath of office. For al
though Senator Harding has had a
couple of good golfng predecessors,
including Messrs. Taft and Wilson, he
holds the edge when it comes to ability
on the links.
If anybody thinks that the Senator
from Ohio is a duffer of the poorer
Kind he is mistaken. Mr., Harding plays
real good game, and were he able to
get out on the links oftener and to
take few lessons, there isn't a doubt
but that he would make a first-class
player.
The beauty of the President-elect's
game is the wallop he carries. Even
when he fubs he gets considerable dis
Tance, due to the tremendous punch he
puts into every lwing. In driving Mr..
Harding does exceedingly we'll. Seldom
does he miss his tee shot, and general
~ he gets good direction, as we'll as
distance. His fault on the tee is that
ne pulls back his left foot when fol-
lowing through, and often lifts his
mead too quickly.
Barnes Corrects Mistake
In playing brassie shots the Presi-
dent-elect is rather erratic He is as
apt to nit one mile as he is to flub
1t. His trouble here lies in allowing
his arms to precede the club in the
downward swing. Jim Barnes showed
the future President his mistake in
this respect here last week and now
Mr.. Harding is doing much better in
the matter of larruping the pill on the
fairway.
The President-elect's short game at
which he is poorest, needs consider
able attention. He has d tendency to
play his shots too softly in pitching to
the green and in playing full irons he
strives more for distance than he does
for accuracy. Barnes already has
helped him to overcome some of these
faults. In getting out of trouble
though Mr.. Harding does exceptionally
well. This part of the game he has
apparently learned well. And in the
matter of putting he is real wizard
Anything under eight feet is as good
as in with him.
The President -elect in playing takes
an open stance. He uses three-quar-
ter swing, pendulum fashion, and puts
plenty of power behind every shot,
He wastes little time over any shot,
sizes up the situation quickly and
never hesitates as to what to do when
he comes to his ball.
In playing around, Mr. Harding al
ways has at least three Secret Service
men on his trail, who give him plenty
Of room to roam the course. Joe Nun
ply, Miles McCahill and Walter Fer
guson have been doing most of the
work i'll this respect. Murphy, who has
followed four Presidents including
Harding, is of the opinion that the
man from Ohio has a slight edge on
/ aIG OF w llSON. hOOSSVSll, lie SAlu,
never played the game.
Wilson Has Made 81
II believe, said Murphy, that on his
own course, the Washington Country
Club, Mr.. Wilson would probably beat
either Taft or Harding. He has gone
around in "a there. But Mr.. Harding
elsewhere would probably be the vic
tor. His game and Nh. Taft's are very
much alike"
However, none Of the others had
more enthusiasm fer the game than
Senator Harding. He is hsppiest when
he is climbing over the bunkers or
putting for par. After one of his
matches last week, in which the Presl-
dent-elect had made good score, some
body remarked that it was too bad he
had fiubbed his brassie shot on the
fourteenth hole
ooh, yes" replied Mr. Harding,
"probably it was. But that's golf. It's
all in the game with me, And | enjoy
it so much that few miscues only
make the game more interesting"
The course here is the Presidents
favLrite of those in the South. He has
BEEN coming here for the last four
years or so, and he is mostly pleased
whenever he is able to negotiate the
treacherous sixth hole in FIVE. In
getting TO LnlS green ono must PlES
over a huge marsh. Par for the mole
is four, a real-honest-to goodness four.
Mr.. Harding once made the hole in
four, that was two years ago, and he
/ is more than anxious TO repeat the
accomplishment. Although ne has sot-
ten Ave here several times since, he
has never been able to get the four,
Probably the happiest person in this
old town is Lawrence Gilbert, better
known to all golfers here as Hash"
the best colored caddie in this section.
Hash" has the privilege and the honor
of serving the President every time
he plays. That to him is compensation
! enough. And what is more, Hash"
swears by Mr.. Harding as a golfer.
Has Wonderful Physique
Everybody who has seen the Senator
from Ohio play the game is visibIy i'm
pressed by the wonderful physique OF
the man and by the ease with which
| he carries hiroSaIf when waIkiD0 ,