Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-09
Good Golfer Should Roll,
Not Drag Putts-GuIlford
II Putter Strikes Ground
After Ball Is Hit, It's a
Drag; Best Shot Bet,ceen
Drag and Halt-Top
BY JESSE p. GUTLFORD

WE HEAR great deal during cham
w pionship contests about puttinC
being the feature which loses and wins
matches. and during those times We
wonder If we should not pay moro attrm-
ton to our putting than TO any other
stroke in the game.
There is no doubt that the putting
stroke Is tho most simple. but it is also
the most trCaChcrUuS. for coupled with
III" necessity to judge distance accu-
ratcly one must have ability TO sense the
lay Of tho land, 50 to speak.
This would bring us to tho conclusion
that if the stroke is 50 simple it must
shot so difficult.
Utopian Greens
IF putting grc"nS vrrc absolutely
level, and the greens uniformly slow or
fast, then wc would nll h" good puttcrs,
for all We would have to do would hN to
gauge til" distance. Every six foot putt
would he hit in the Snmc way, every
three foot putt would require uniform
stroke, and in this way not only would
tho putting Struli" bc simple. but put
ting itself would ho II "incl. I'ut for
tunatoly tho greens Hr" not flat. aud
weather conditions change n slow groom
into n fast ono overnight, 50 that tho
good golfer must learn to tax" thCS"
factors into consideration.
IN England last spring the American
golfers found much difficulty on the put =
ting green's, and it brought homo the
fact that wc were in fair way liable
TO be considered poor puitors. The
greens were extremely fast, and | won
dercd nt that time If moro practice on
putting would not Cunhlc uS to tak"
strange conditions more Us they come
and so.
In my last article ] hintcd that I
did not believe that puticrS are born
and not made. 7 think that if Il per.
son takes that view Of the why and
wherefore OF putting he Is sure to be
poor ptItter.
QUITTING, like everything cisc, takes
4 practice before efficiency can be
guaranteed, aud bcCauS" putting looks
50 simple wc feel that wc are wasting
our time to put in an hour or SO OF
putting.
Some of the leading professionals,
when commenting on their own Inol
putting. will say that thcre is no Spc
cla way to teach it. They say putting
is an art, that it. is the on" stroke IN
golf whore individuality is licensed. and
consequently il they hnvc pupil who j.
putting fairly well, but in terrible form
he is not corrected, which in all prObH
hility causes his game never 10 improve,
Reformed Putter
James Braid is always mentioned n,
an example Of a reformed puttpr. lie l.
now considered one of the finest put .
tcrS. bur at one time he enjoyed the
reputation Of being "A very poor puttPr.
II WAS not until he had been shown
the falacy Of dragging his puttS that hC
reached the distinction Of being such Il
good putt"r. Braid now rolls his puts,
and if he benefited through the result Of
a change in his style. surely some uf tho
lesser lights in golf would do no harn
by following lis example.
The sim pleSt ,rUy Jy WhiCh ! can
cTDIdirl 1ohdt IL is 10 drag the ball
in . putt is TO say that II after the
bali Is hit tie puttor goes into the
ground yOu arc gHiity Of dragging.
TF THE putter is too high up in tho
i hitting Of the ball it causes the ball
10 be half topped, but of the twO--tho
dragging or the tOpping-l believe that
it is easier to correct the golfer who
labtually tops.
Here we have on one hand tho ball
which Is hit too high, causing II top,
and the ball which il hit too low being
dragged, so half way between should be
the correct way. In putting ] am jus,
conscious OF the sole of my pUttcr touch e
ing the grass, and this. ! believe, eau IS
the ball TO roll.
In Same Spot
There is another point 10 bear IN
mind IN relation to putting accurately,
and that is that the ball should be
addressed and hit with the same part Of
the puttcr.
7 address the ball with the puttcr 50
that II the swing Is true the ball VIII
be hit almost with the center OF tie
puttcr, or | might say a little nearer
the toe than the center of the cutter,
If tho ball is addressed with one
part OF the putter and hit with
another part, even though II be just
little bit of. the ball is not hit
truly and II will deviate from the
imaginary line upon which il was
sought TO roll.
IF THE putting is indeed the feature
j Of the game which wins and loses
! championships, then we Sholld all, give
a q 10 a o.