Evening star., 1931-06-20
HOMMY ARMOUR, who brought
back the British open cup, has
q style as distinct and clear-cut

TOMMY ARMOUR, who brought
back the British open cup, has
q style as distinct and clear-cut
rs the hawk-nke set Of features
he also carries into action. To start
things on 1t might be said that he has
the most powerful pair of hands in golf
at least the most powerful set of nm
gers, and it Is with his fingers that he
swings the club.
Some day you might try holding q
billiard cue on a straight line, with the
smaller end of the cue inserted between
any two fingers of either hand, the
weightier end held outward. Few can
do 1t. Armour has won bets by hold
ing three billiard cues in this fashion
at one time in one hand.
play q big part in Armours game.
They help to give him fine control and
tremendous power. It Is at least partly
for this reason that he can hit q long
iron with sucn accuracy. 4 have seen
him play O 220-yard hole with q No.
iron when other star golfers were using
spoon.
Points to Watch.
W w WAL 1IObAOCJ III WaOS1A4lk EA4u4OuAS
l. how closely he holds his right
elbow against his body. 1t seems
Jammed in. He can afford this elbow
position because of the power in his
hands, where the average golfer would
need more elbow leeway.
But the average golfer makes little
use Of his hands and wrists. Few use
their fingers as they should, holding
the club more in the palms of the two
hands. The finger grip helps to release
the wrists. Through his excellent hand
and wrist action, Armour has less body
action to bother with.
He has q free, full shoulder and hip
turn, but 1t isn't pronounced. He gives
you the impression of using hands,
wrists and arms, with the body merely
hitting in, playing a minor part COM
pared to many others.
Armour was one Of the first to adopt
distinctly closed stance. Which Is
to say his left foot is well advanced,
his right foot being well back. Armour
has been q strong exponent Of the
closed stance for many years. He
persuaded several leading professionals
to make the change with q noticeable
Improvement In their play.
His Main Trouble.
IF Armour has run into any weakness
i it has been on the putting green
But there Is one reason for this.
A golfer, who consistently lays long
approaches to within eight feet Of the
pin, has the feeling that unless he can
hole the putt he has gotten little value
for his iron play skin.
As q result, he Is likely to be trifie
over-anxious. II he misses the cup,
he Is no better on than the golfer who
puts his second shot on the green 40
feet away and then lays his approach
putt close.
In at least two open championship
rounds over different courses have
seen Armour plant his approaches, long
and short, within q few feet Of the
cup on at least 10 holes, and perhaps
get only one putt down. His 20 or II
at Winged Foot during the rain might
easily have been q So or 81 II the five
and six footers had dropped in place
Of popping In and out or circling the
tin.
Yet he has q good putting stroke
and when they begin dropping for him
he can burn up any course he happens
to hit when near his average game.
I recall two rounds with Armour
over the 6,eO0-yard course at Boca
Ration, one of the hardest tests In
America. THESE two rounds were
played In O high wind. Armour had q
81 In the forenoon and . 90 IN the
afternoon nnarch. In the course Of the
day he planted 10 fun iron ahots from
1o0 TO 220 yards within less than 4
It was jvst * II he had used q rife
and In each case you hAd the impress