The Washington times., 1927-10-12

no Cauule ana very rev DallS.
So the other day as l whacked
. away at a few dozen shots with
Don's clubs, found myself won.
dering just how much was this
kind of practice worth and how
did it compare with playing in
the wide open spaces. And l also
asked myself how much good did
unfortunate people who winter in
the North get out of those indoor
golfing schools which have be-
come so popular of recent years.
Quite obviously practice in
net is better than no practice
at all for it keeps the muscles
trained to their proper jobs and
prevents the sOftening of the
hands which brings blisters In
the spring. If that were all
it would be worthwhile think.
But there Is more.
Driving a full shot into a can
vas thirty feet away does not
offer the thrill involved in strik-
ing a ball down the middle of a
beautiful fairway Much is left
NIO IIl6 lIlIdSlIldI1OU " soy IhoN
this one would have sliced or that
one would have gone straight. The
little niceties of the fade or draw,
and of low or high trajectory, can
not, of course, be developed when
the continuous flight and behavior
Of the ball cannot be observed.
Only one-half of the golf shot
is at command. Hitting the ball
is all there is and we are denied
the satisfaction of watching the
good ones and spared the agony
of beholding the bad ones; which
after all may be more than a fifty
fifty break in our favor.
But believe that nearly
every one can know by the
feel of the ball upon the club
whether or not it has been
y properly struck. and can at
least in this way school him.
self in true hitting. That Is
half the battle and ii spring
golf can be begun with an
accurate and correct swing,
the little adjustments for range
and direction will not be found
difficult.
Probably the greatest defect in
this scheme of winter practice Is
that one of the fundamental diff
culties and beauties of the game
fs removed from the play, namely,
Athe sense of responsibility, the
mental hazard. 1t would seem to
! me far easier to produce a perfect
swing when standing in front of a
net which must stop the ball within
30 feet than when confronted with
an iron shot of 1870 yards to a
closely guarded green. In the first
case there is nothing to worry
about.
Whatever happens the next shot
will not be played from sand pit
and no six or seven will mar a
GOOD score. In actual play the
mental side of the game, the
pmental hazard, is one of the prin-
cipal testing components. Without
= its threatening uncertainties golf
Is no longer golf.
But 1 am convinced that net
practice can bring about an
enormous Improvement i'm tech
nique, i'm mechanical baIl-hitting,
as detached from the playing
Of the game. 1t then will re-
main to be seen II this tech.
nicaI Improvement can be
brought onto the field under
1 the strain of a round of golf.
y I am frankly impressed with the
value of a net at home for winter
y practice. Nearly every business
man works his hardest in winter
and has little time for play even
II weather permits. But any of us
can spare a half-hour or so every
now and then to hit a few dozen
shots. / do not live in a particu.
larly cold climate, but / am toe
busy at college after September to
play much golf, and l have prom.
ised myself driving net for this
winter.
Copyright, 1927. by The Bell
9~s Syndicate. Inc.)