The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-01
BABE RUTH is
CERTAIN GOLF
HELPS BATTING
Other Ball Players Back Him In
Assertion That the Eye
Is Benefited.

Is Benefited.
Chicago, April Golf helps the
batting average of baseball play
ers, according to leading batters,
and Babe" Ruth OF the New York
Americans thinks that he may be
able this season to equal or even
surpass his record of SO home runs
by reason of the alertness of vision
for the ball he has gained on the
golf links.
Carl Mays also expects to raise
his batting average from .343, hav-
ing reached that ratio from 500
since he took to the links between
diamond contests. Other high aver
age batsmen agree that while the
golf stroke is different from the
baseball hit, especially in that the
baseball is moving rapidly in an
uncertain line, the golf swing at
stationary ball less than two inches
in diameter with a small club head
on an elongated shaft, trains the
eye to greater keeness to meet
the wiles of the most expert pitch
er.
In golf, the player must stand
still, and, although he twists the
body end rotates the hips, his eye
must be glued on the ball so that
his head can not be moved during
the upward and downward swing
if he hopes to get long true shot.
In addition to the immobility of
stance and head, the rightly timed
golf shot must be played with all
the rest of the body and the arms
relaxed between these two pivots.
Even the grip must not be too
tight, and there must be snap
of the wrists at the impact of the
club with the ball.
Some Resemblance.
In baseball the batter is required
to hit rapidly moving ball of con-
Siderably larger size with bat that
has a longer hitting surface and is
thicker than a golf club, although
having rounded face. Many bat
tiers step into the ball and, grasp
ing the bat tenaciously, strike with
all their body as well as arms.
There is little of the rather slow
and deliberate back-swing of golf,
but the forward stroke in some
ways resembles the well timed
sweep of the golf club, according
to men who have played both
games.
Lack of practice appears to be
the main reason why Ruth and
other star batters do not play par
golf; but they do not play what is
known as a duffer golf game.
Although he has played golf reg
ularly only two years, Babe" Ruth
has driven $50 yards many times,
and once, he declared yesterday,
after making preseason home
run at San Antonio, he sent a golf
ball 325 yards, which is better than
the average of such players as
Francis Ouimet and Chick Evans.
In fact the record is barely more
than 400 yards.
On the diamond. Ruth says his
longest hit was 5o7 feet or 169
yards.
Carl Mays, the star pitcher of the
New York Americans, who has
been playing golf only a little more
than year, said he made a midTon
shot Of 273 yards last winter on his
home course at Springfield, Mo.
HOyt Drives Far.
Waite Hoyt, another Yankee
pitcher. drives a longer golf ball
than any other baseball player, his
friends say.
But as to scoring on the golf
links, where accuracy counts even
more than distance, baseball golf
ers merely say they have not the
time for practice which makes per-
feet On these finer shots such golf
ers as Jesse Guilford and Chick
Evans practice for hours at a time.
Yet the baseball golfers do not do
so badly, for Ruth boasts a score of
rs, unofficial, on Los Angeles
course and q number of rounds in
so, his average was about 80. IS
holes, he said.
Mays has a memory of a round
in 10, which would be close to par
on most courses, although his aver
age is considerably higher. Condi-
tons would answer for much of the
difference in scores, many of the
professionals at Pinehurst yester-
day in the North and South cham
plonsh1p taking more than 80 on A
heavy links.
Cobb cratic.
Ty Cobb, premier batter of Am
erica for several seasons, is rather
cratic at golf, although he hits a
fairly long ball on the links and is
fairly accurate at approaching.
The home run swing does not
bother my golf stroke" Ruth said
except insofar as it keeps me off
the golf links by its obsession dur
ing the baseball season."