The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-20
TEE. EAIRNlNX
Use Finasr Grip

Naturally enough, perhaps when a man begins to think of golf-even an old, experienced golfer-he thinks first of hls grip. And perhaps he takes a convenient cane or umbrella and makes a few furniture e-menacing swings with it. Then he looks down to see what grip he has fallen into and begins to wonder if this isn't the time to change last years model. And so l think that my readers will be specially interested in a talk on grips.
 Most golfers know the uses of the different clubs. They know the driver is for shots from the tee-in other words. for the longest shots of the game; the brassie for long shots off the fairgreen; the long irons for something short of the brassie shot; the different iofted iron clubs for shorter distances. and the niblick for extricatfng oneself from hazards of all kinds. The moment, however, the beginner golfer takes one of these clubs in his hands he is confronted with his first important problem; How shall he grip it? Can one grip be used for every club, or must It vary with the use to which the club is put? I want to lay added emphasis on the finger grip" here.
 Usually I advise following nature and comfort in playing golf, but 1t seems undeniable that the "naturaP way of gripping a golf club is abso- lutely the wrong way. Whether It IS because the average boy has played baseball. it is certainly true that the average man will grab hfs first golf club with both fists wrapped around the grip in the same manner that he held his favorite bat. His palms are against the grip and shaft and his thumbs are around the grip. This method of holding a golf club is so common that emphatic condemnation of 1t seems necessary.
 Gardner Discards Palm Grip
 do not mean that a man who plays with the palm grip cannot, other things being equal, attain a fair degree of success at golf. for there are good players who use It. It Is possible that most of the lead ing golfers of the country began that way, but I do not think any of them use 1t now.
 I think that the reason that what appears to be the |naturar grip 'n golf is wrong is that we start out with the wrong idea of the game. We think we are expected to clug the ball and the palm grip is the slug gers grip. Tn reality golf is a game of touch and rythm and the idea of brute force must be absolutely ban ished from the golfers mind. The leading idea of golf is not how far or wide a ball may be sent, but where 1t can be placed Touch, and there bv control of the club. seems to lie in the fingers, for the palm Is com paratively insensitive. Then, too. the palm allows a great deal of play to the grip of the club. while the firm grasp of the fingers holds it in con- tro1.
 Avoid Tightness of Muscles
 The golfer must avoid all tightness of muscles. for with tightness rhythm flies away. Perhaps I should say that he should try to acquire a sort of relaxed firmness.
 Aside from this there are other practical reasons In favor of the finger grip.s Those terrible callouses on the golfers hands are largely the. result of the palm grip. Furthermore. there are shots for which the palm grip cannot be used and it requires the maximum of practice to keep sew era1 grips in working order.
 For number of years now I have used but two grips in my game-one for all the shots through the green and another for putting The latter stroke stands by itself and has noth- ing in common with any other golf stroke.
 Copyright. John F. Dille Col