The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-31
Chief Faults-And What
Makes Them.

series of lessons, began to make
closer study of main faults in
golf as they affected my pupils.
watched various types for sew
eral weeks, until at last began to
pick up some curious information
which had not thought about
before.
For example. there was one pu-
pill who seemed to have almost
every fault that a golf swing can
carry.
His footwork was poor, his grip
was all wrong, his swing was ter
ribIe.
Yet every now and then, at the
last moment, he had a way. of
swapping the cIuh head and getting
fair ball.
There was still another pupil
who, in most ways, was almost a
mod'l His stance was good, his
grip was correct and his swing
in the main was almost perfect
Rut just az he came into the ball
he had a way of ducking in his
right hir and then getting his
hands in front of the club head.
Every shot he played was a bad
slice. That one small fault was
just as bad, SO far as results were
concerned, as the two dozen faults
belonging to the other man.
His lone fault was easier to cor
rect, of course. but uncorrected
he might just as we'll have done
everything wrong.
Serious Faults.
That is one reason why good
golf is so hard to learn. One small
fault may frequently cause just as
much trouble as ten bad ones
A pupil may correct ten leading
faults and still play badly, because
he is still doing one essential thing
in the wrong way.
He may, for example be doing
everything correctly until. just as
the club head gets to the ball, he
decides to look up. or tilt the head.
So all the good is spoiled then and
there.
There are faults within faults in
golf. You might say that the slice is
one Of the greatest faults Of buffers.
yet there are numerous faults that
will cause a slice.
Suppose we start with back-swing
faults. The first main trouble here is
that SO rSary golfers lift the club up
with the right hand instead of swing
ing 1t back with the left
Then there is the fault Of swaying.
which comes because the body is not
supported enough with the right leg
The right leg should be straight, but
not rigidly stiff.
Another bad fault on the down
swing is stopping at the ball and
drawing the left elbow around the
body. This will always cause a bad
slice.
The wrecker.
After studying closely a long line
OF pupils being to believe the single,
most serious fault in golf is lack Of
balance at the top Of the swing.
/ should say that when eight golf
ers out Of ten come to, the top Of the
swing they are in no position to ap-
ply power to the ball. and down in
their hearts they know 1t.
The chances are they have not
p.voted properly. In place of letting
the left knee dip in toward the ball
and the left shoulder come around.
with the head firmly fixed in the
same place, they have leaned to
the right. have taken all their
weight off the left foot and have
moved their head at least three or
four inches.
This will break up any balance.
Or 1t may be they have bent the
left arm at the elbow as they lift
ed the club up, so when they come
to hit the ball there is no guide
left to hold the line. When the
left elbow is badly bent the hands
dro xura In fa
cident II they ever ind the right
road back on the down swing.
Even if they do there is little
power left
found that many of my pupils
believed it necessary to hold the
body absolutely rigid.
They had been warned against
moving the body and against sway
ing, SO to correct this bad habit
they tried to stand like posts.
The body should be relaxed nearly
all through the swing. II II isn't. you
can never pivot in the right way.
II you want to throw a. baseball
you don't try to turn your body into
solid rock.
You let it turn easily and simply
and naturally.
The same thing should be done in
golf. But in golf the body braces for
the blow as you hit the ball.
One fault here Is that often the
weight is thrown upon the left leg
entirely too soon. The weight is
thrown forward before the club head
Is brought down. This IL an ex-
tremely common fault ~.
Let the body turn with the swing.
but don't shift the weight for the
club viii pull the body through IL
you let both arms go well out after
the ball.
II you make a point of trying to
shift your weight you viii get in
trouble.
Your weight will take care of it.
self IL you swing on through, pro-
vided your balance Is. right.
One If the most common of all