The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-05-05
Beginner Should Concentrate On The Short Shots

This is the second of an in-
 structive autObiographical series
 by Byron Nelson, winner of the
 1887 Augusta Masters' Tourna-
 ment, which he tells of his rise
 to golf fame and the way he cor-
 rected golfing faults.
 BY BYRON NELSON
 Winner of 1887 Augusta Masters'
 Tournament
 After l had been caddying about a year and a half, Ted Longworth professional of the Glen Garder Country Club of Forth Worth, took liking to me. He gave me jok helping him around the shop. worked for him throughout the summer of 1928, shining clubs and doing all sorts of odd jobs.
 It was tough. There were about 300 members at the club and each would come out and play on Sat- urdays and Sundays. I'd have tt clean 300 sets of clubs on Saturday night and then clean them all over again on Sunday night because Longworth wouldn't let me leave them from one day to the next.
 But liked the job because il gave me 8 chance to practice. would bang the ball around every day and play about three morn. ings Q week. I got pretty goot too, especially with the short shots because I'd stand outside the pros shop and chip ball across the road and then run over and chip 1t back
 So when the caddieS' tourna- ment came around the following December I won it. shot a 70 but really wasn't that good. was very lucky. And, of course 1t was a real short course with an easy n par, had eight one-putt greens that day.
 Master the Greens First
 That's something, incidentally, foz Q beginner of a 100-shooter to re- member. Master the greens first Putting is teh most important de- partment of the game. You can re- cover from bad drive or bad long iron, but nothing can bring back lost stroke on the greens, and around them.
 The first thing I do when Q pu- pill comes to me Is to take him over on the putting green. Then we move back from there. The tee comes last Learn that putting first. Then, may be, you can shoot a. 70 and still be missing your drives like ! was thai day when I won the caddies' tour nament. ',- '-'e s zs ss ! The first thing about putting < to be relaxed. Don't crouch over the ball too much. Several years after I started playing steadily | started to crouch and the boys began call ing me the '"rhree-Putt" Nelson be- cause I had three butts on l1 greens outof 36 ill the National -e, e.-.. 'fN
 So don't crouch. stand with your weight evenly distributed on both feet and stand fairly erect. Feel comfortable.
 In gripping the club keep your thumbs perdendicular to. the club shaft so that your wrists have a free and easy pendulum motion And watch your shoulders in putt ting. Don't move them too much -jfiust little bit. Too many beginners pivot their shoulders and they lose they accuracy. / If you are troubled by over- putting the ball, shorten up your backswing.
 And don't forget to follow through on your putt. Don't chop at the ball-Sort of push 1t along and let your clubhead follow behind it as though you were actually trying to put the club into the hole with the ball.
 Like Farrell Grip
 As for grip, I've always used the Johnny Farrell grip because Johr- ny won the National Open the year I started caddying. He was the talk of the country then and became my idol.
 Farrell puts both thumbs on the shaft and lets the little finger of the right hand overlap the third finger of the left, allowing the fourth finger to lay lightly across tl1A fingers 1f the right hand.
 I find this a most effective grip for accuracy and steadineSs, but others are just as good.
 Just as important as putting Is your work around the greens-rtn up shots and chips and explosions from traps. On your chips use an open stance to insure relaxation On run-ups keep your blade slight lyly closed. hit the hall of the right foot and keep your hands ahead of the club-head.