San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-13
Stars Violate Flagrantly
Many Of the Little Rules
They Lay Down for Duff
ers in Their Own Play,
and Get Away With 1t.
BY WALTER CAMP.

New York. April EDO as l say
and not as I do" is the rule being
followed today by some of the leaders
of golf as well as by those in other
sports and professions. Some of the
great golf stars. both amateur and
professional, are far from ''purists"
in their practice, however strictly they
may follow the old-time tenets of the
game as laid down through years of
development in their advice to their
pupils and admirers.
Thousands of golfers today have
torn themselves away from some of
the standard traditions of the game
both in their own physical movements
and in the use of the clubs in their
bags.
The writer saw a picture the other
day of Gene Sarazen taken in the act
of driving from the tee in the match
in which he and Johnny Farrell OPP
posed Melhorn and Macdonald Smith.
The camera provided a striking Illus
tration of the difference between what
all our stars tell their pupils to do
and what they at times do them
selves. The picture showed not only
that Gene moved his head as he made
the stroke but that he swayed his
body forward until his head and
shoulders were well in advance of his
front foot.
Can Get Away With 1t.
Undoubtedly, in general way, the
time honored instructions given to the
average player relative to holding his
head still and not swinging his body
out of line are quite correct and will
help his game if he follows them. But
when it comes to the masters them
selves, they can do many things that
are interdicted 10 the dub" and still
get away a satisfactory ball.
The writer and friend proved con-
clusivcly by photographs taken few
years ago that some stars like Jim
Barnes, Gil Nichols and Francis
Ouimet do not keep their heads still
when making shots in earnest. The
showed that the head Of
the player always moved but they also
showed that if the head moved up and
down instead of forward the shot was
likely TO be topped.
George Lyon, the great Canadian
amateur golfer, once sent the writer
on request a picture of the finish of
his swing. 1t was a beautiful picture
with the club-head coming up and out
over his shoulder as the swing was
But it was posed. Later a
photograph was secured of Lyon in
actual play made during the cham
pionship at Englewood. In this, the
finish was quite different. with the
club-head coming through low only a
a little above his knees. The swingf
was more like that of a baseball bat
ter than the stereotyped golfers
movements.
In the use Of clubs present-day |
golfers have parted even more VIC
lentlv from traditions. This is brought
to mind most forcibly by the recent
suggestion Of one expert who advo-
Gates the mastery Of a half stroke
with the brassic. The old idea used to
be never TO use a wooden club except |
to cover the full distance within the
range Of that club in the hands Of |
the individual player.
HiltOn's Spoon Shots.
Harold Hilton of England with his ,
spoon shots played at varying dis.
tances was the first to upset this |
tradition. Every opponent learned to |
be MORALLY afraid of Hilton when be
took spoon from his bag, no matter
what his distance from the green. He |
seemed to have an uncanny ability to
make his ball find the green when he
hit it with the spoon whether he used
full swing, three-quartcr or half
stroke. Moreover. he could make his
ball go high or low with it. stop or
run as the occasion required. cut into
the wind or slide down it. Opponents
got TO feel that he could always place
the ball with that weapon somewhere
near the pin.
Lately there have been more spoons
carried and used by American golfers.
Through their use, many an average
player has discovered possibilities in
the use of the brassie for shots other
than full ones. The writer suggests
that the ordinary player experiment;
along this line. 1t is quite certain
that such course will improve the
gamut of his possibilities: especially
will be find 1t is quite Unnecessary 20
use all his strength in making shots
with his wooden clubs. That in itself
will make an improvement in his
game.