The New York herald., 1921-06-12
PRONATING SECRET
OF CORRECT GOLF
Dave Hunter Puts Experience
of Twenty-Five Years as
Pro in His Book.
by JOHN G. ANDERSON.

LOT twenty-five years or more WITH ali
the written instructions on how to play
the game changing from year to year
Even the champions went back on their
written word as the seasons passed
until too many golfers began to have
the idea that each Individual ought to
possess special book course of lessons
inasmuch as there seemed to be so many
different styles and methods.
OF late years, therefore, the greatest
amount OF attention has been to sim.
plify. Forget the thirtytwo or forty
single facts about the golf swing and
get hold OF n few which are the most
essential. That has been the keynote Of
well rounded sets OF instructions. Good
golfers. perhaps we should say the crack
golfers. rarely read about the theory
of the game Of golf and they are sur
prised beyond measure when they dis
cover that the medium class player
and the so-called dub and beginner
find not only useful hints in reading
matter, but actual inspiration.
Golf Is game which merry go rounds
in rcycles Of opposite views. Many a
time it has been brought to the at
tention that no one believed In the
efficacy Of the right hand over the left
in stroke making ten years ago. while
to-day there are hundred to one with
the opposite view. Latterly we have
been told that this game contained
secret, Edgar commenting especially
upon the gate to golf by means of
secret pathway. His secret lay in the
ability of the player to send the club
head hurting through given restricted
space. The big fact was the need for
attention to but single feature OF golf.
Secrets therefore. as they are now
called are simply but what is left of
eliminations of the many things consid-
cred for years SO necessary to the learn
ing about the perfecting of golf
stroke.
Sketch of Simpliffed Golf.
Now we have with us from the pen
OF, a professional who has been teach
ing in this country for quarter Of
century Dave Hunter of Essex County,
a sketch of simplified golf He has de-
veloped from his teaching experience
certain few fundamentals which ought
to aid in the betterment of the game OF
the majority of the golfers. Although
opinions will vary greatly, it can scarce
ly be put down as truth that the game
can be taught to any person in a couple
dozen lessons. The average beginner
who has the time, money and inclination
t. take lessons from his professional is
at the practice tee four or five times
week for several months. with other
lessons kept up during the process Of
Improvement, after the so-called secrets
Of the golf swing have been duly re-
corded In mind.
But Dave tells us that through the
teaching of the principles he has evolved
he has cut down the need for lessons
well over half. thus affording him the
chance to teach twice as many pupils
and give them double the amount Of
satisfaction which new golfers secure
from knowing that they are on the right
road to a golf education.
The secret as pronounced by Hunter
is bound in the one word, pronating
When young boy. his father, the
famous Charlie Hunter, for more than
sixty years a professional at 'Prestwick.
Scotland. impressed II upon his mind
that the proper turning of the wrists and
forearms at the beginning of the swing
was the most important factor in the
whole sum of teaching golf AS is often
the case, the impression was carried in
mind only as incidental. 1t was not
until a few years ago after extensive ex-
periments and study with beginners,
with elderly gentlemen, with young
| ment was made, that. without exception.
proper pronating is the cure-all for all
| troubles.
Golf ought then to be simplihed by
| means of the cause and effect theory.
Here are n few of the important fea-
lures as set down in the little volume:
whole secret of Success.
The whole secret OF success in goli
depends upon the swing.
| The turning of the wrists and fore
arms (pronating) should begin exactly
simultaneously with the first movemen nj
Of the clubhead. Neither the wrists nor
the arms should move before the other
1t is vitality important that the wrist
should not bend or break.
"It IL recognized fact in connec-
tion with the golf swing that the club
will come down In the same arc in which
IL is taken back; therefore. no thought
need be given the down stroke at all (;
for the same reason it is doubly mpor-
tant to be very careful with the back
swing"
In this connection we think It advis-
able to note that the down swing is
| nearly the same but not the same. Two
years ago experiments with the best
] players were made and in no instance
was the down swing the same as the
up swing. But there was not enough
of interlacing to discard the generally
accepted theory as given above.
II the back swing has been properly
made the down swing Will also be prop
erly made. Therefore, there is not the
slightest need for giving any attention
10 these details which take care OF
themselves. How easy II is then to cor
rect faults which develop from day TO
day or week to week.
Take sliciDg. for instance What. asks
! Hunter, causes it," He gives four rea-
sons. Drawing head and body up and
back from the ball due to standing too
near. Swaying. starting back with arms
and wrists stiff. keeping the clubhead
straight without pronating. the natural
thing Is to sway TO your right foot and
then on the down swing you sway Ia
your left foot.
Moving the head due oftentimes to n
jerl<y quick back swing. Too stiff wrists
cause IL. 1f you turn the wrist and fore
arm away from the ball properly the
start cannot be jerlsy.
Left hand too loose. allowing the right
hand TO overpower H. which In drawing
the club away from the ball causes the
left wrist to break.
Pulling Is the result OF overpronating
in leaving the ball on the back swing
Topping is often caused by lifting the
club too abruptly from the ball on the
back swing causing the wrist to break
| When off your game do not try to cor-