The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-03
TEE, FAIRAlNNz
Master the Up Shot

Golfers are forever trying to make better scores and yet they continue to drop strokes where they least ex- pected to lose them. Players must watch some of these little points, of the game because it is where the lost-for instance, around the green.
 Away go the strokes when the player. approaching, lands just off the edge of the green, say 20 to 80 feet to one side. Often have I seen three strokes dropped right here k in fact, lost championship one year when I was in such position and because. I failed to make good golf out of a simple little run-up shot. I tried to pitch to the pin with mashie. when simple golf called for run-up. I pitched to the far side of the green and landed in a trap.
 The Run-up Shot
 have always had the idea that the way to play golf is through the air and have always disliked to trust my shots to the ground. This feeling may account for q weakness I have had in the important "run-up shot" from 10 to 30 yards off the green. A number of players have developed this shot to an exceedingly nigh point of skill and to it many of their low scores must be credited. Jerome Travers, I think, owes much of his success to his uncanny ability in land- ing 15 or 20 yards off the green and going down in two with ,almost ab- solute certainty.
 Experience shows the great value of this shot when you find yourself off the green on your second and your opponent is nicely on. It is dis concerting to your opponent when you lay your shot up for half, for a man who is on the green while you are off is convinced in his, own. mind that he has won the hole, hence a half is disappointing, and the results are ! likely to be reflected on the next hole. No player can get on the green every time and when he is 10 or 15 yards off, the gVeat little run-up shot is real friend.
 Difference in Pathways
 | Eastern players developed the run up shots where western men ire | quently used the mashie to pitch over the rough fairgreen. think this was because on eastern green space oi 10 to 30 yards in front of the green is kept in extra fine condition, where as in the west this was not true. The superiority of eastern players over western. that used to exist, coult l 1arVa1v ho fnr h,rt Al. of the run-up shot. If I had played | a low flight. run-up shot into tn, gently sloping front side of the greer on the day I spoke of, my ball woulc have run over near the hole. And thi, suggests to me a point I would lik, to make right here; namely, tha nothing but butter or straight faced run-up iron should be used to negoti ate hilly green or a rise in front o you. No one can play golf observ ingly for long without realizing tha
 all shots immediately around th
 green deserve special practice. Tn
 main thing about the 'run-up shot
 is direction, and in playing it I giv
 particular care to the imaginary lin
 between the ball and the hole. The
 let my club lie flat so that neithe
 heel nor toe is on the ground. I be
 lieve the thumb should be straigh down the shaft for in that position
 the shot is steadier. I use a prac
 tically square stance with the fee
 close together but the left toe point
 ing out little more than the righ,
 One should stand right over the bal
 The height of the flight of the bal
 is controlled by the following througl !, low follow-through for a low bal
 and lifted at the end is you want
 higher one. This practically cover the question of the "run-up shot.
 There is nothing complicated about i
 and 1t has no unusual wrist move ment or twists to puzzle a player. .l Copyright, John r. Dille Col