The New York herald., 1921-01-09
AMATEURS SHOULD
TRY CLEEK PUTTER
Balance Of Old Fashioned Golf
Club Gives Player the Nee
essary Confidence.
BY JOHN G. ANDERSON.

Ihere have been many books written
on golf. most OF them becoming out OF
date in the space of a few years Why
this should be SO may seem strange to
golfers inasmuch as the game itself does
not vary. Golf is such an intricate
sport, however, that whenever anything
new is discovered in the. way of master
ing any OF the special arts Of putting
approach play or driving, it takes just
about book to tell it. 1t is idle to as
sunle that we have reached the summit
Of knowledge with respect to golf learn
ing or that everything has been written
on the game and that all accounts are
putting by Willie Park. @the greatest
putter of his day and no doubt the finest
putting professional who ever lived. has
given to his readers an insight into the
game and the art Of putting green play
which has hitherto been hidden If not n
matter Of mystery. On all sides there
have been reams Of praise.
II has often been said that putting
cannot be learned, a statement which
happily has been very. much discounted.
To read the accounts Of the training of
various professionals who have made
good on the links finds in many in
stances success coming only after pa
tient study and practice Tom Ball. one
of the finest OF putters, said that he
spent in preparing for, big tournament
two hours day steady at putting. talk
ing his time between each shot.
George Duncan, present champion of
Great Britain. wrote recently that 1t
took him Just six years to learn putt
ing. For one of his high strung tenn
perament and dashing play six years
of patient struggling to master one OF
the finest points of the game must have
been torture. and to him it was. He
spent one hour q day at this part
of the game and his success in the open
championship of his lard was gained
last June through the medium of seven
one putt greens on the last two rounds.
each time the putt being over eight
feet. Unlike many another player who
when he is off on his putting game
seeks another club. Duncan stuck
through thick and thin to an old putt
ing cleelx with a rather upright lie
which he has used for more than fifteen
years.
Park King of Putters.
But Park. we believe. was the king of
the result OF sound reasoning and ex-
pertinent and they may be copied by
almost every golfer with advantages
bound to accrue. His methods can
scarcely be SAID to be good for one and
not another. for they are sound. Yet II
golfers will stop for a moment and
digest two or three bits OF advice
which we quote from his book, 1t will be
patent that neither they nor tenth Of
A,.tn le f1It
vice. For instance. Park brings the
right foot directly in a straight line be-
hind the ball, finding 1t easy in that
way to keep the face of the putter at a
true angle TO prevent a follow through.
He always taps the ball with the right
hand doing the work. He grips the club
firmly with the thumb and foretlnger OF
both hands with the right elbow kept
well in at the side, and he never strikes
the ball until his head is dead still.
Then he taps the ball with the right
hand and never looks up until he hears
the rattle OF the ball In the hole.
The reason SO many players find diff
Guilty in keeping their eye down on the
ball Is that the arms are too free. Nor
should one hurry the puts. Harry Var
don's countless rounds OF speedy exhibit
ton golf account in great measure for
his average poor work on the greens.
How many golfers are there who keep
their heads down and do not look up
before the ball has gone couple of feet?
Very few Did you ever see a poor put
ter who followed this advice? Did you
ever see n very poor putter who did not
experiment with putter after putter as
IL the club mattered the most? AS a
matter of fact most golfers believe that
a club built on the order of the Schenec-
| tady or some such centre shafter con-
trivance as Chick Evans used In the
/ last championship tends at the start
/ toward less error. II Is all the more TO
! the credit of the great putters such as
Jack White, Willie Park. John L. Low
/ and countless others that they used the
! ordinary cleek putter with It's greater
element OF danger and gained the top
most rounds of putting fame.
should Try the CIeck.
In some way the iron headed putter
seems TO have found great disfavor.
which cannot in any sense be laid at
the door of the club itself. We arc not
/ here advocating their use because OF
/ Parks ability in welding this style. but
we do believe that such clubs have better
balance and that this feel Is one OF the
essentials of confidence without whicl,
putting can never be mastered Perhaps
! 1t would be good thing IL several
/ thousand golfers would make a New
/ Years resolution that they would try
| out cleek puttcr for a year at least.
/ Nor do we see golfers taking thcir
stance with the right foot directly in
line back Of the ball. Almost every
other conceivable position is used. Here
is an old one worth trying out. IL VIII
probably be new TO half a million golfers
in the land. Park and White. Gil Mich
oils, very good putter and many
other professionals use this style. which
Is not as cramped as II looks.
II has long been theory that anna
tours were much better putters than
professionals. This may have been true
at certain stages in golf. say for period
of years when golfers such as Walter
i. Travis and Jerome Travers were ~
the height OF their careers But We
doubt the truth OF the theory. Profess
sionals all along have had TO dualify Tor
competitions solely at medal play. ana
the hollng out has been the test or sue
cess or failnre.
vardon In his round against TayloT
at PrestwlclS n few years ago won ,he
title OF British open champion Tor thc
sixth time because he took his time and
putted better than any golfer IN the TOUT
ney. Ted Rays many wonderful putting
exhIbitions. particularly up TO the time
OF the open championship. gave new
meaning 10 golfers az TO tho power cf
tho INIT and the esteem in which IL was
held by Ray.
No doubt II all amateur play was az
medal golf the average OF excellence
would improve immeasurably. But why
-. .a.tort .<rtth "ifs" when one can live