Evening star., 1939-01-12
Sees Long Iron Pokes
Biggest bugaboo Of
Mediocre Player
Suggests buffers Use
No. 4 and 5 Woods in
Paul Runyon Style
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

ny WAL EN- MCCAALOMs
Toughest shot for the golf expert
Is the short pitch over a hazard,
with a wedge or a niblick, and with
few dollars depending on its ac-
curacy and finesse.
But the shot on which the duffer
falls down most frequently is not
this one, or the tee shot, but the
long iron shot.
Witty Cox, Congressional pro, has
been around golf long time, WIN
ming a tournament here and there
and doing all right for himself in a
game in which he has been one of
the more prominent figures for Is
years. Out of years of keen observa-
ton OF the topnotchers he has
found that more tournaments are
dumped into the ash can by the
supposed experts by taut nerves and
lack Of judgment on the short shots
than by any other factor.
There are hundreds OF fellows
who can bunt that ball a long way
from the tee, and play those long
and medium iron Shots" he says.
The woods are full of men who
can knock that ball out there and
keep hitting it we'll. But there
aren't so many who can face a short
pitch over a bunker or a ditch and
execute it perfectly all the time.
That short pitch, in my book, is
the toughest shot of them all when
there's something depending on it.
Oh, sure, I've missed 'em in the
pinches.
There's always a tendency to
play safe and overshoot the pin
particularly when the ball is lying
not too we'll on a hard spot. You
don't finch. but you want to be
sure you get it up and you hit too
hard. It's a tough shot When you
realize that any little error o4 per-
haps a half an inch can cost you
lot Of money"
Witty Going to Dixie.
Witty is getting ready to shove
off for the South. Immersed in a
program of expansion for Congress
sional, including the prospect of q
new 18-hole golf course, which he
has outlined to the point where
everything is ready for the con-
tractor to move in, he wants tc
stick around until committee chair.
men are appointed at Congress
sional for 1889. He hopes to get
away around January %. and plans
to be back in Washington on
March Is.
But he has a word Of advice fol
John @. Duffer. The two-time Dis.
trict open king holds that the de.
velopments of recent years in club.
making have gone long way towarc
taking the curse out of long iron play
for the duffer. Paul Runyan started
1t few years back" said Cox
when he made good spoon play
thing of artistry. Today you'll fine
lot of good golfers preferring 6
short spoon shot to long iron.
don't necessarily mean the top.
notch pros. They still string alone
with the long iron clubs. But
think the 100-shooter will find 1t
much better to take q spoon out Of
his bag and hit that ball hard thar
to stretch No. iron. The spoor
has more hitting surface and is 6
club more conducive to confidence
than the No. 2 iron. I don't NEAR
exactly that the long irons shoulc
be abandoned, but think such club.
as the No. 4 and the No. S wooe
(Which are spoons) should be more
generally used by the men wht
haven't much confidence in the biz
iron clubs"
Cox Master of Long Irons.
Willy is one gent who shoule
know. Through the years he ha.
made himself master of long iror
play. Today his brother pros regare
him as the acknowledged master o.
the long irons. He can make No.
iron talk sweet music and much
prefers 1t to the spoon. But don't
recommend it for the duffer," he
points out. 1T took me plenty o1
years to learn how to handle those
big iron shots. The average golfer
doesn't have the time to work out
the technique of long iron play anc
would be better off with the spoon.
Cox laughed about rumors that
the United States Golf Association
would bar the sand wedge. why il
they took that club away thered be
thousands Of golfers and few good
pros who couldn't score at all. That