Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-02
LINKS SPECIALISTS
ATTAIN RARE SKILL
Rounded Game Is Needed to
Battle Par--Henry Davis
Was Mighty Hitter.
BY WALTER R. McCALLUM.

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any standard length golf
course have one shot in their
bags which the men with games
much more rounded out would be
glad 20 have? How does it happen
that the chaps who consider 81
or 80 good score can sometimes
play short pitches to the queens
taste, or are masters at the chip
shot. and yet cannot score nearly
as well as men who are their in
feriols at these shots, but have
more proficiency in all the other
shots?
Conceding tat the tee shot is the
basis Of good golf and low scoring, as II
undoubtedly is there can be no doubt
that the proficiency Of these rs=e in
dividuals in one type Of shot fails to
make up for their lack Of skill in the
big shots of the game Of golf
Take men like B. S. Taylor OF Wash
ington, who breaks 80 once in while
and considers he has accomplished
quite a stunt when that happens. Tay-
Tor has a Y1ashie niblick pitch which Is
the equal of that of Jock Hutchson in
his palmiest days. Taylor is master
with that shot be the green's fast or
slow. The ball acts as If 1t was on the
end of a string, skimming along the
turf until it comes to an abrupt stop
somewhere close to the hole.
And yet Taylor is afflicted with ire
nendous slice which robs him of about
so yards distance of the tee and cuts
"a fTHn1hn-
dously. Were he able to eliminate
that slice from the tee he would be
tough gent to beat, for that pitch shot
gets him out of many bad spots.
V. Calvert Dickey and Charles H.
Doing. jr, ths latter the president of
the Washington Club, are much alike
in that their chip shots and puts are
by far the strongest parts Of their re-
spective games Put these men 20 yards
away from the hole, on or of the green,
and 1t is an odds-on bet that they will
get down in two. But put them against
the well rounded game Of Frank K.
Roesch, the District champion, and they
would be hopelessly outclassed, even
though Roesch has no single strong
shot in his bag. They are all good.
Tee Shot Vital
A good test Of the relative merits of
Fred Mcleod played Abner H Fergu-
son, high handicap Columbia anna
teur. with Mcleod taking Ferguson's
tee shot and Ferguson taking McLeod's.
Freddie beat Ferguson that day, but
Mcleod said ne happened to have one
of those days when his pitching and
putting we're well nigh perfect.
My tee shots were not so good,
either" said Freddie. Il put Mr.. Fer
guson into some of the most dreadful
places on the golf course. But think
have beaten me. There isn't any doubt
in my mind that to score web you must
be hitting your tee shots we'll"
All right, what of it? There are many
men around Washington who can
knock the tar out Of q golf ball from
the tee and yet cannot score even re-
specially well. They knock out big
tee shot, frequently straight down the
middle, and then forget TO follow it
up. There are many Of them, special
lists in the tee shot, who have not taken
learn about the more important shots
around the putting green. They fail
utterly TO remember that a chip shot
or a 2-yard putt counts Just as much
as a 3o0-yard wallop.
Henry G. Davis, Sd, was one Of that
type. Henry Davis was the longest hit
ter we ever have seen, when he played
at Chevy Chase as a college lad. He
did such stunts as driving the first
green, driving within yards Of the
sixteenth green, knocking the ball far
over the first green at Washington with
q spoon and such enormous wallops
that we were astounded.
The story often has been told of how
Leo Diegel was practicing at Chevy
Chase one day near the ninth green
with his driver, knocking balls far out
toward the ninth tee. Along came
Henry Davis with midiron, and COM
menced knocking midiron shots past the
best Diegel could do with his driver.
And Leo never was what one could call
even a moderately short hitter.
Wasted His Drive.
Yet Davis could not score COM
mensurate with his driving ability Sew
enty-three or seventy-four was q good
score for him at Chevy Chase, simply
because he forgot what TO do with the
ball after the tee shot, and he could
not play the intermediate pitches or
chip and pitch and run shots. He was
a specialist in his line, one Of the big
gest hitters the game ever has known.
Take Clarence Gambler, the big BAN
from Detroit, who is classed by the pro-
fessicnals as their longest driver. What
major tournaments has Gambler ever
won? Only the international four-ball
ct Miami last Winter, and then he had
Cyril Walker to aid him on the more
accurate shots around the green.
Take Parker Nolan, the Congressional
siege-gun He Is a great hitter from the
tee, but has lots OF trouble with the
medium irons He would be glad 10
play a midiron, like many men who
have a much higher handicap. George
F. Miller, the Manor Club champion,
probably plays the stop shot with the
mashie niblick or spade better than
any amateur around Washington. But
he hasn't won any tournaments, outside
of his club championship.
Occasionally q man will coast 70
glory on the wings Of one shot, but not
often. jess Sweetser did 1t with the
spade mashie eight or nine years ago,
but Sweetser also had a lot Of other
shots, plus the greatest fighting match
play spirit we ever have seen.
Bob Jones game Is rounded. He has
all the SHOTS, and some the others can
not play Give Tommy Armour the
putting ability Of Jones or Hagen Of the
old DAYS, and he would be a world
beater Fred Mcleod is a specialist at
the bunker shot, and yet he has not
won a tournament for some years, be-
cause first his putting and chipping
went awry and then his driving went
hayWire.
1t takes a well rounded game to win
golf championships. The specialist may
be a master In his line, but II is getting
the ball into the hole in the smallest
number OF strokes that enables the boys
TO step up to pay-off window.
A NNUAL meetings Of three clubs are
IA to be held during January. There
are rumors at Congressional that
a new slate Of oficers is to be installed
at the annual meeting next month, WIN
several changes in the board OF Cover :
nors Over at Bannockburr the annual
meeting is to be held during the month