Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-02
Low SCORES HINGE
ON GOOD TEE SHOT
Hunter, WHO "Murders" Ball,
Tells How He Cured His
Trouble With Woods.
BY WALTER r. McCALLUM

IN
Midsummer, when so many
golfers forego play until late
afternoon and the declining
sun bring the cool Of early eve
ming. we note no cessation Of talk
about golf and the swing and the
MANY pleasant factors that go to
make up discussion of what Al
JolSon once called the "hoot-and-
mouth disease"
.Jolson. YOU know, referred to golf by
that term with the explanation that
they "hoof it all day and mouth IT all
night" and you can take that or leave
it, as you will. But the tact Is tnat
golf does not cease when the last putt
Il sunk on the eighteenth green, and
who will say that the mounting part
OF the game is not the best part, after
all. when those who do the mounting
have something by way OF real knoWI-
edge ION the ball"
we were privileged. not so long ago,
to sit in on a little symposium OF the
golf swing by two highly placed IN
structorS who literally took the .golt
swing apart to find out what made u
click, and in applying the dissected
swing to their own game, brought out
several illuminating factors that may
or may not be of some aid to anlng oul-
fers. The two in question were Boo
Barnett of Chevy Chase and j. Monro
Hunter, the big man OF Indian Spring,
who had just finished a round at In
dian Spring and then engaged in the
VicariouS pastime of finding out why
q golf ball acts like it does.
Barnett opened with some remarks
about Horton Smith, and how poor his
driving has been of late months and
how the hitting of Monro Hunter has
SO vastly improved that it is rarity
for the big fellow to play second shot
from the rough. He used to spray golf
balls all over the landscape, but nova
days. Barnett pointed out, he is straight
er than most folks from the tee.
Big Factor in Game.
eff we concede that in f1rst-class golf
you must hit your tee shots to put your
self in q pasition to score" Barnett sald,
IT am willing to believe that driving is
certainly SO per cent Of good golf, on
the theory that the man who knocks
the ball 225 yards or more down the
middle does not constantly have to make
recoyerieS from the rough or from
bunkers and keep on making them.
He is bound to miss some of them. And
therefore S believe that in big-time golf
that is, among men who score con-
sistently rs or better-driving rates
fully so per cent of the game. And
now, Monro, how come the change in
your driving?"
Now Hunter is a thorough student OF
the game. but he is willing to admit he
is not infallible in his own theories. He
gave Freddie Mcleod the credit for
Strengthening him out on his tee shots,
right hand well over the shaft, which
right hand we'll over the Shart, which
Ilxyx keI he iyyin
used occasionally to get. All" said
Bob, that is just what we were talking
about a couple of years ago, but put in
a different way. have always main
tanned that to hit the ball down (and
golf ball must BE- hit Gown to be hit up
you must have that right hand well over
the top of the shaft By doing this you
Will avaid letting your right elbow ny
out ct the top of the back swing and
the start Of the down swing, and the
consequent breaking of the lift side,
which always follows and invariably re-
suits in scooping motion as the club
comes into the ball"
That's just it. Hunter said. 81
found that by placing my right hand
in an exaggerated manner over the top
Of the shaft, so the v of the right
hand pointed straight down toward the
! ball, had to keep nay right elbow in
at the side, and couldn't break my left
side and scoop the ball. And it's funny,
too. I thought all the time that was
hitting the ball down, when what was
doing was achieving sort of rotary
scooping motion. One ball would go off
in diving hook. and on the next tee,
in the attempt to straighten it out,
would push the next one off to the
right. But I've got it all cured now
with that right hand over the top of the
shaft.
How Jones Does It.
Nov look here, Bob, do you know
the last thing Bobby Jones does before
at the hole and waggle Of the club, his
last motion before he starts is to move
that right hand over on top Of the
shaft He does this to keep his elbow
in at the top and prevent that scooping
motion"
"Right," said Barnett. He is always
careful to prevent letting his left side
break in the down swing. All the top
potchers make it a point to keep that
Isft side firmly braced and to make sure
they hit against fairly stiff left side.
And they do it by making sure that the
right elbow does not fly out at the top
of the swing. If it does they get ro-
tary scooping motion and the ball may
fly to either side of the line. 1t may go
straight, too, but that IS more or less
an accident. When they start the
down swing, they also make sure the
left heel is firmly planted on the
ground, and the position of the right
hand plays its part here, too. for If the
right hand Is well on top of the shaft
the left heel must come down fast
enough to stiffen UP the left side"
That is a refreshing side of the golf
professional of today. Instead Of keep
ing his knowledge to himself, he dis
cusses the varied factors that make up
the swing with his brethren Of golf,
always on the lookout for a new idea
that will help him to teach you and me
how to swing properly. He IS not
dogmatic individual. your golf profess
sional, who keeps his knowledge to him.
self and is not willing to discuss his
business. II there are any new ideas
going the rounds about the swing, he
wants to know Of them and talk them
over with his fellow pros And he Is
quite willing to learn from the other
fellow, too.
SPA TRAPSHOOTERS