New Britain herald., 1926-07-14
BOBBY JONES, KING OF GOLFDOM,.
 FINALLY GIVES OUT INTERVIEW

He Forgets His Hands
 T never think about my hands. The regular overlapping or verdon grip seems to take care of that phase pretty well. I think that grip Is best, if your hands are reason ably big and strong. The little fn- ger of the right hand overlaps the torefinger of the left, the left thumb being buried under the right palm; a very compact grip which tends to keep the hands from working against each other save in the proper way. The club is held strictly in the fingers rather deli cately. Don't squeeze it. I can spoil q shot any time by tightening my grip consciously. I use the same grip for every shot down to the putt, where 1 reverse it. For me. the putt is essentially a right hand stroke. and l put all the right hand on the shaft and overlap the right little finger with the left forednger. l take the butter back with the left hand and stroke the ball with the right. It has worked very well at times, at Merton and Oakmont and not so well on this last trip. I putted like an old wom- an. that last round in the British open. Thirty-nine puts - 1t was terrible.
 His Average Round
 Bobby needs only 31 or 32 butts in his average round of champion ship play and his first round at St. Annes he used only 29. Thus his winning card of 4 in the last round of the British open, with 39 puts and only 35 other strokes in 1t, was a wonderful business and nerve racking.
 "The left arm should be kept straight on the back swing and through every shot until the ball has been struck. Except the putt of course. l mean my left arm is kept straight, and I think, the bending of that arm tends 10 make a chop instead of swing, and here is a point l am just learning. The left hand should be regarded as the master, In the swing. I'm not sure it really is the master. Know the right hand provides the punch, or most of it, but if I get to thinking about the right hand, or ignoring the left, the right seems to get in too soon and all kinds of trouble results. By re- garding the left as in control, I can get q sort of feel in the stroke; and the right no matter how ignor- ed, comes in at the proper Juncture, At Sunningdale, when I had those rounds of 66 and 6S, qualifying for the British open, I felt as if I were literally making the shot with my left hand. It seemed I could not get off the line. Felt as if l could spank that bal just anywhere l wanted. I'm going to study this phase seriously in the next few months and try to improve my game, which certainly has not been con- sistent this year"
 Bobby is at odds with most of the critics here. but l passed that up for the oft-debated question as 10 how much thinking player could do while a stroke was in progress, and what, if anything, he should thing about.
 Do you ever think about more than one thing while making shot?" I asked.
 Thinks Only of Shot
 ''If I do. I don't make the shot," he said emphatically.
 T don't know if I think Of even one thing. Never seem to remem- Der. Maybe you recall that shot to the eighteenth green at Inwood in the play off with Bobby Cruick- shank"
 I recalled it well. That was the shot which won Bobby Jones his first major championship; q perfect .y executed iron shot of 200 yards, over water six feet from he pin. A championship rode on hat shot: and next day on the train Bobby asked me, somewhat shyly, f he took a long time over the shot, pr played 1t promptly; and If he .ook a full swing or three quarters swing; he said he did not remem- per one single thing about the play ng of that shot after he decided to 20 for the distant green.
 What did you think about last when you stood on the ast tee at Scioto, with a 4S0 yard lole on which to get a birdie four o go ahead Of Joe Turnesa?"
 Bobby grinned refIectively.
 '1 thought I'd sock this one," he ,eplied. But that was before I ;wung. didn't think of anything while l was swinging"
 BIO Yds. Against Wind
 Well, he socked BIO yards with he wind against him. And he got nome with a spared mashie iron second. and got the birdie four, and won the championship. This indt- ,ates 1t pays not to think-while swinging.
 There's another thing" said Bobby. q try never 10 force a club my more. Rather than hit hard with a mashie, ] take a number four ron. It seems l can keep the feel )f that left hand better that way"
 About the nc we strain in tourna- nent play.
 There are two kinds of golf,' aid Bobby seriously. There is ,olf-and tournament golf. And hey are not at all alike, inside. m more nervous before medal than matches. In q match you have single human opponent who may make some mis- akes. In medal play, you are up .gainst old man par, who never ,ets down in one putt, and never akes three. The first round of an pen cham pionship always causes nc the most sui arine. Its worse