Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-22
BY WALTER r. McCALLUM.

THOSE whom the golf bug has bitten
generally stay bitten for the bal
lance of life. If golf relinquishes
its hold on a dyed-in-the-woo
golfer it is usually because of adverse
financial circumstances, or business en-
tanglementS that make the time nee,
essary for golf impossible to take.
And when the golf bug really gets a
good nip at the individual, how it bites
in and grips. 1t is worse than the most
determined tick for sticking qualities,
and the queer forms it manifests make
their appearance in many ways.
Out at the Chevy Chase Club there
is one rabid golfer who is quite de-
termined to improve his game. He is
not a mediocre golfer by any means
but a man who can usually be depended
upon to score in the high spots, and
always is in the low 80S when he misses
the 70s. The queer streak that golf
sometimes manifests has come on him
in a peculiar and intense way.
So determined is he to improve his
golf game that he carefully notes the
reasons for his mediocre shots, takes
the notes home at night and endeavors
by the aid of his mistakes of the day
to correct the evils that ruined the shot
or shots.
The man is George E. Elliott, and
George is not by any stretch of the
imagination set-up for any ranking
amateur about the Capital. If correc-
tons attempted as he attempts them
are any good, Elliott may be found
winning a big tournament or two after
a while.
nR. r. w. BAKER has been a men,
L. Der of Chevy Chase for ever so
many years, but not within the
memory of most of the younger gene
ration has DR.. Baker been seen with
more than three clubs on a round of
the course which he plays nearly every
day. Dr. Baker is extremely effective
with these three clubs, and according
day, he plays consistently in the high
Dos with wooden club and two irons
Admiral H. p. Norton, U. S. NJ. re-
tired. who has been a member of Chevy
Chase for many, many years, has an
idea that concentric markings on the
faces of his iron clubs will grip the
ball better and direct 1t straighter on
the line, so he has had the faces of
all his iron clubs deeply grooved with
concentric markings.
Over at the Washington Golf and
Country Club, the club title holder and
District amateur champion, plays a
shot that would strike most observers
as being somewhat unorthodox. After
seeing Frank Roesch hit out a mag
nificently struck high iron shot most
golfers would be amazed, after having
asked him what club he used, to hear
him reply: Il used a mashie niblick."
Frank has been known to knock the
ball ITO yards with this mashie nib
lick with extreme accuracy. OF course
he turns the club over until it assumes
the loft of No. 3 iron. Henry D.
Nicholson, last years club champion
and Tunner-up 10 Roesch for the title
this year, pl"ys the same sho: IN s9mc-
what similar fashion.
Then there is E. c. Gene Golf,
"Cunny-thumb Gene" as he is some
times called at Washington, who points
the club for pronounced slice and
gets off ball with a pronounced hook.
Gene grips the club with his right
hand far under the grip and toes the
club out as If he would knock The
ball off TO the right at a 90-degree
angle. But he straightens out the club
face on the down swing, and 1t usually
flies straight down the middle with a
tail-end hook that gives 1t consider
able run.
ERED MCLEOD, the little miracle
l. worker OF Columbia, has a mashie-
niblick that Is priceless. 1t looks
like piece of junk TO the usual golfer
who picks 1t up. 1t weighs only a
shade more than IS ounces, which is
considered far too light for he better
mashie -niblicks, but to Freddie 1t is
literally worth its weight in gold. He
he's saved himself many matches by
his magic from the sand traps with
this light instrument and he would
not part with 1t for any money. And
Freddie Is Scotch.
He was recently asked to appraise
the club for an insurance company
which sought TO appraise all the clubs