Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-10
STRAIGHT OFF THE TEE
by W. r. McCALLUM-

M RS. BETTY P. MEckLEY,
M holder of the women's District
VI golf title, is playing fine golf
around Schenectady, where
she is spending part of the Summer.
She recently won a one-day tourney on
the golf course of the Edison Club, with
a card of 90, and only last week, shot
an So in the qualifying round of the
Mohawk Club championship. to win
the medal.
Never in all the history of the golf
clubs about Washington have there been
so few golfers using the courses as during
the past three weeks since Old Jup Pluv
ecided to give the Earth a rest in favor
of his cousin-Old Sol. What with
fairways so baked that it is an ordeal
to hit down through hard-caked ground,
and the heat of the day under the
boiling sun, it Is an unusual day that
finds more than IS or 80 golfers using
any of the courses. Even on week ends,
when play ordinarily Is quite heavy,
little golf is being played by men who
usually would go out and knock the
ball around. They go to the clubs, to
be sure, but they prefer the cool of the
club house and quiet game Of bridge to
the heat of the golf course. And the
winter rules" that are almost uni
versal nowadays on the Summer golf
courses of Washington do not aid In
making the game any more pleasant
although they do have the effect of re-
ducing the damage to the courses
themselves.
Members of two local clubs-Colum-
bia and Chevy Chase-are eligible by
reason of the membership of those
clubs in the Maryland State Golf As
sociation-to play in the association
handicap tourney, to be held at the
Hillendale Club, near Baltimore, on
August II. The Beaver Dam club has
notified the Maryland association that,
because Of the lateness of the season,
the invitation to join the association
will not be taken advantage of this
season. M. H. Maier, chairman of the
golf committee, has notified the associa-
ton that Beaver Dam will entertain a
similar invitation next Spring. The
association plans to hold team tourna-
ment In the near future.
Two events are to be held by Wash
ington Golf and Country Club mem
berS during the balance of the month
play event will be staged, in which the
eyen-numbered holes will be chosen, on
which club handicapS will apply. On
August 80 q nine-hole match-play COM
petition will be held, with the nine
holes to be drawn by lot after the full
ID have been played. Each Sunday
and holiday afternoon the woman play
ers of the club are competing in putt
ing tourney on the club putting course,
and at the end of the season the player
having the lowest average will win a
prize.
Each month Dave Thomson, the
Washington professional, contributes to
the Tee, the club publication, hint on
how to improve ones golf game. Last
month Dave wrote of the straight
left" and this month he contributes
the following:
In order that the left hand and arm
may stsy in control of the swing until
after the ball has been struck 1t is
necessary that the right elbow remain
in close contact with the body, during
both the backward and forward swings
the right elbow not leaving the body
until after the ball has been struck, and
then only travelling in line with the di-
rection the ball is to take, not going
around to the left side Of the player.
whenever one Is unable 10 Keep The
| right elbow close to the body until after
the ball has been struck, it means that
he is using the power from his right
arm too early in the swing, and Wher
the right arm works too soon, then tn,
left arm will collapse before the ball /!
struck. A straight left, with the righ
elbow in close, will cut a few stroke.
| from your round"
"Dayie" knows how. None better
And he demonstrates how he know
e15ry once in awhile by playing tn,
Washington course in II or better,
Clyde B. Asher. vice president of tn.
Columbia Country Club, who also Il
a member OF Burning Tree, played tn,
latter course last week in 10 strokes
which IS nothing more nor less thar
two under par.
Down at Annapolis Roads, where tn,
water Of Chesapeake Bay seems TO at.
tract more water, and it rains far NOR,
than it does about Washington, the gol
course OF the club is getting considerable,
play. Among the Washingtonians whit
behind, from the tee and after the sec
Ond shot.