The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-03-08
CLAIMS EXPERTS
ARE ALL WRONG
Prof. HeIeberg Has
Own Ideas About
Golfing
BY BILLY EVANS

344Ghoo y HA0h9SsSA VI WIZ uIEahk
believe in bookshelf books at
i have reference to Victor e.
Heidelberg Of the University OF
Kansas, known throughout the
west as the "golflng professor"
The professor swings a mean
stroke on the course Of the Law
renee Country club at Lawrence,
Kans.
While not ready to take on Chick
Evans, jim Barnes or Walter
Hagen. he Is far from being in the
dub" class as a golfer.
Prof. Heidelberg insists that the
golf experts who have been labor
ing for years with pen and type.
writer to make clear to the would
be; golfers as TO how the game
should be played are all worng.
Professor Heidelberg teaches
psychology at the University Of
Kansas. He declares all golf au-
thors are ignorant Of the psyche.
logy Of the game, to Judge from
their writings. as
practice is the only sure way to
learn to play golf properly" says
Prof. Helleberg.
"a golfer learns his strokes by
trial and error. He Is guided by the
pIeasurablo feeling that acompan-
les q successful effort.
zone Is utterly unaware OF the
details OF coordination and II any
attention is paid to some particu
lar detail Of the stroke as outlined
In the golf books the usual result
is failure until that detail Is auto
matically assimilatcd by innumer-
able trials"
In explaining the difficulty in
following the instructions asf they
appear In the many books that have
been written on golf tho professor
quotes from ono Of them as fol-
lows:
Nov as TO- the Simultaneous,
yet rhythmic, movement which
completes the shot.
eat the moment OF impact fright
at the instant; not, the smallest
fraction OF a second earlier or
later) the player should straighten
the elbows, stifRen the wrist, and
let the body go forward a few
inches with the club.
1.-THE quick action Of the elbow
and waist will push the face or the
club under the ball as both go for
ward and the body moving slightly
in the same direction will assist Is
the project. 80
"This description may make the
shot appear like piece OF jugglery,
but It is d faithful explanation Of
the shot as plan It myself. and as
I have seen others plan It."
Tho inpossihllity of doing what
the author has directed in this bit
/ OF writing Is explained by Prof
Helleberg by mathematical cal
culation.
IA moving picture Of a golf play.
or has been taken" he says. SHOW
ing the club head and the ball as
nearly as possible at the moment
Of contact. m
1.-THE apeed Is so great that the
picture Is nearly blurred, but It Is
evident that the club could not
have been In contact with the bali
moro than while travelling tho
width 81 the head-not more than
one-ten thousandth or oneftve
thousandth Of a second, according
to Prof. Tait's calculation.
"This shows the utter impossi-
bility Of doing what the author
quoted requests the beginner to
do"
The professor does not deny that
some valuable suggestions might
be made in books, but he does
deny that any golfer can know his
shots through introspection.
Only through pictures taken by, a
speedy camera such as used for
motion pictures can the actual
analysis OF a stroke be made he
believes.