The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-10-17
Applying oyerspIn

Applying Oyerspfn
Dear MIR. Evans: l WAS among the
thousands who followed your match
with Jesse Sweetser for the cham
pionship this year at the Breekline
Country club course l saw you make
shot at the eleventh green which
puzzled me. / had never before seen
anything like it, and | was, and still
am. mystified al to what you were
trying to do. You Will recall the shot
as the one where YOU We're In trap
at that green. With your niblicS
you seemed to swing at the ball with
all your might. The ball jumped up
out of the sand, dropped on the
green and then ran clear across the
green exactly as a billiard ball runs
when english has been applied to II.
How is such run applied to the bail
with niblick. the sole usefulness OF
which, | always thought. was 10
shovel the ball up from the sand II
you see fit to do SO, l wish you would
explain that play in detail. l have
followed golf for years and that shot
was one Of the most interesting plays
l ever observed. We have discussed
il a great deal here.-R. V. H.. Way
land, Mass"
Chicks Plan
My correspondent witnessed a play
which did not work out as we'll as
intended, though the ball took Its
overspin from my nibliek perfectly.
Ny play WAS to hit Sweetser's ball
and drive it away from the cup ii
could. which would give me
chance to halve the hole, and possibly
win it. In order to win 1t. | faced
the necessity of driving Sweetser's
ball so far from the cup that he
would require two puts, whereas
might get my ball down. after hit
ting his and stopping mine, with one
putt. That was why 1 put such
heavy oNerspin on my ball. In the
event ! missed him, as / did. was
no worse off than ! was to start with.
The reader should understand that
as the balls lay at the green, Sweet
ser was within two feet of the hole
while | was 80 feet away, in the trap.
The trap was perhaps is inches deep.
at the back OF the green. We were
each playing the fifth-on par
hole-so the reader will see that
sweetser was as good as in the hole
unless | could hit his ball and drive
it away / was two down coming to
this green and thus was justified in
taking any chance that was involved
in the play.
why the Ball Ran
That, / think, makes the play clear
to the reader. Now, the mystery
as to the balls run" after IL hit the
sreen. Since l missed hitting Sweet
ser's ball, my own ran clear across
the green before it stopped, and
lost the hole. 1t was plain overspin
that made the ball run. and such
oyerspin is not at all difficult to i'm.
part to the ball with nibHek. 1t
can be done with the niblick as we'll
as with any other club. though the
putter is best fer the purpose. In
this particular case the hank of the
trap was too abrupt for the putter.
as it rose practically straight up for
some is inches some two feet ahead
of my lie.
To impart overspin with the niblies
YOU hit down directly at the bail
not into the sand an inch or two
back of the ball as Is usually the
play with the nibiiclS. Just as the
blade strikes the ball you come up
with the blade and then use long,
straight follow through. You must
come up on the ball at precisely ,ne
right instant, with perfect timing,
and that brings little wrist into
the play. The rotary motion thus
impaired to the ball, together with
,he force of the blow, will make it
hop upward out of the sand Then,
when 1T hits the green, it Will run
and If the overspin has been proper
ly impaired to il, IL will run straight
and stick close to the green. 1t Is
with this kind Of overspin that Jim
Barnes. Walter Hagen, George o'Neil
and other players frequently hole our
shots from traps. In fact, the player
who shoots for the hole when he 8
trapped must get some overspin on
the ball to make it take legs" after
striking the green. Otherwise, off
the niblick, it will die about where
it hits.
There Is much 10 be learned in this
great game OF golf--whieh perhaps is
what keeps all Of us forever trying,
Copyright. John F. Ollie COD