The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-01-15
HOW TO PLANT
FEET FOR GOLF
TOLD BY CHAMP
Jock Hutchlson Gives important
instruction In Taking Proper
Polse on Links.
BY JOCK HUTCHINSON.

THE feet play an important
part In making every golf
shot. No star can afford to
diregard this fact, so II behooves
- duffer or beginner to take no.
dce Of this statement and profit
thereby.
The stance has really as much to
10 with playing the shots properly
~ has the grip. The action Of the
{, feet Is the first thing, or one of
the first things, that professional
studies in taking hold of a new
pupil It usually is the first thing
that he changes If, of course, a
change is necessary.
The golfer plants himself on the
ground firmly when he settles into
his stance just as a boxer squares
off. Tho boxer frequently is on
/, his toes, but golfer never on both
the toes Of both feet at the same
time. If
Every golfer, in learning his game
nom q professional. is taught to
settle well back on his heels when he
takes hold Of the club for the prelim-
mary waggle. The right heel will not
move from the ground until the ball
- has been hit. The left heel rises q
little as the knee bends outward
toward the ball, but this heel, too,
settles back on the ground at the
moment of~the impact.
i have made this statement before.
II u well worth repeating inasmuch
- 1t has great deal to do with the
timing Of the shot. II the heel re-
turns q fraction Of a second before
the impact It usually means that the
body II going into the shot too soon.
var better that the heel be late in re-
turning to the ground, but this. too.
\ would be q fault because the body,
Nunder the circumstances, could not
hope to do much good toward get
ting the ball away. II
Every golfer should make himself
comfortable In taking his stance. The
test should be well apart as there IL
Oreat danger Of swaying the body
from one side to the other when the
Feet are close together. Walter Hagen
stands with his feet we'll apart and 1t
u also quite noticeable In Miss Cecil
Leitch, the British woman champion.
How To Gauge Distance.
! think the best advice ever offered
on the correct distance that the feet
should DO apart came from q fellow
pro who told his pupil to stand Just
a. II he were going to receive a fifty
pound sack from q half dozen feet
ever his. head. The pupil obeyed In
structions and Immediately spread his
49,
Then the pro asked him to take his
hands down and assume the position
Of driving. This he said was the
correct stance for the drive. The feet
were not too far apart nor were they
too close together, Tor he realized that
e in either position he might easily be
toppled over were he to attempt to
catch q heavyweight from above.
The feet are spread comfortably far
apart when driving and in playing the
brassie. They come a little closer to-
Eether a. the club shafts become
shorter. In tho mashie shot the feet
are fairly close together, but closer
still in the case Of the putt. Some very
fine putters stand with their heels al
most touching. 49,.
It II hardly necessary to ten this to
the natural golfer who viii take his
stand by instinct just az he takes hold
or the cluD properly WITHOUT DelnS tolu.
But, strange to say, there are few
natural golfers who can pick UP the
Rnme without instruction. They do
some things right. but usually they
are pretty Tar off In most things re-
garding the swing.
/rThe feet play an important part IN
shifting the weight Of tho body. In
the drive we are standing firmly on
both fest while addressing the ball.
At the top Of the swing the weight
shffts to the right foot. At the finish
OF the swing the weight In on tho left
6oot.
T Sniff WIN Brassie.
This n the Same way We SHIFT with
xhs brassie, the spoon and the iron.
Tor the mashie shot We stand more
I'm ly with practically no shift, AZ