The Washington herald., 1922-12-19

golf lesson. were amazed at the
mastery of the club and ball, the
precision and withal the delicacy Of
movement.
An analysis of Sarazen and his
game must begin with the boy him.
self.
Physically Sarazen is q little
giant. He is a bit over five feet
in height and weighs 145 pounds.
He In short and chunky in stature,
Possesses Unlimited reserve and
stamina. No matter how long the
way or how hot the going he Is
able to call upon his apparently
inexhaustible supply of energy.
As he walks to the tee note his
almost jaunty springy step. Con-
tidence is written in every gesture.
At the close Of a long thirty six hole
Sarazen possessed that same jaunti-
ness, that distinctive spring to his
step and that same infectious smile
that goes with him in victory or de-
feat.
WILL TO WIN THERE.
We had the pleasure Of Sarazen's
company for the better part of
| twelve hours. The mental attitude
i Va llt Tc1lldThdDlt. nG
will to win is his mark. He is
but not oppressively so.
He is eager to give battle. This
mental angle is what one would
expect in a champion and to that,
| perhaps. he owes a deal Of his sue
| cess. Sarazen is serenely confident
that he has the wherewithal men,
tally and physically to produce the
| goods and he is able to go his own
way knowing full well that his
oppohent. be it the Hutch. or the
| Hagen, or Long Jim, will crack
| eventually under the strain.
His theory, IL such 1t is. he has
| proven, for he has defeated Hagen.
| Barnes, Hutchison, and his first
| big bid for fame was just two years
ago in the P. G. A. tournament
when he took Jock the Hutch over
the jumps for a terrible lacing.
| And the Hutch has just won the
British open title at that.
DEvOTES HIS TIME.
Sarazen, therefore. has the men,
tai and physical makeup. But the
major portion of his success lies
| in the willingness to devote the
major part of his time to practice.
No matter where Sarazen is he
is thinking and living golf contin-
| ually. Let him spend an hour in
his bedroom in a hotel and he Will
go to his bag five or six times
during that hour. take out a club,
| waRgle il two or three times. take
| a stance, swing and then do 1t over
| and over again
| And in the matter OF clubs, OF
| which there are perhaps fourteen.
no two are of the same make ana
| practically all are those which ne
has selected or traded with other
professionals.
Is KEEN STUDENT.
Sarazen is q keen student OF the
game, and has analyzed for his own
Drofit the STYLES of Hagen, Barnes
and Hutchison. From each one ne
took the strokes that appealed to
him and mastered them by unremit'
ting toll. As Grantland Rice once
said: The basis Of Sarazen's mar
velous game is hard work rather
than genius. He depends more on
perspiration than inspiration
But because Sarazen has adapted
to his own use whatever appealed 10
him in a rivals game, do not get
the idea that Genes style Is
hodge-podge Of slavish limitations
of the old masters" As a matter
of fact, reduced to its component
parts, Sarazen's stroke is dlstinctiy
original and peculiar to himself.
HOW GENE GRIPS HIS CLUBS.
In taking hold of his clubs. Sara
zen commonly employs two grips
the interlocking and the overlap
ming On all his full shots, up to
the mashie, Gene uses the interlock-
ing grip which Francis Ouimet
taught him. In this, the forefinger
of the left hand is locked through
the little finger of the right, with
the left thumb not on the shaft at
ALI but curled outside the other fin
gers and playing no part In the
So closely knit are Sarazen's
hands that they operate somewhat
as a single entity. taking up a very
small section of the shaft. Per,
haps no other golfer gets his hands
SO closely Joined in executing a
full shot with the wood.
On his approach shots, Sarazen
uses the overlapping grip perhaps
TO get more of his right hand into
the swing, for 1t upon his trusty
right that Gene depends for the
punch" in his pitches and chip
shots.
DRIVES LOW BALL.
Sarazen drives a long, low ball
with q slight tail-end hook which
gives him extra yardage. The flight
of the ball is low but. paradoxically
cough. the carry is exceedingly
long. Harry Vardon, the great ex
ponent of the carry, believed in
getting the maximum elevation in
his tee shots ito keep the ball in
the air as long as possible"
other long hitters prefer the
vicious, low liner that rolls and
rolls upon alighting. Sarazen ap
pears to combine the best of the
two styles, cheating the wind with
his low sizzlers and yet avoiding
the hazards attendant upon contact
with the ground. He gets his
chunky shoulders solidiy behind the
drive, digging his left toe into the
turf and bending the left knee in
ward. Gene speeds up the club
head tremendously as IL nears the
ball. the wood having picked ur
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