Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-12-23

lCdllJ equipped W play much
better golf than he or she does,
but a lack of mental confidence
holds them back.
That's the opinion of Bill
Strausbaugh, one of the youngest
head pros in the Middle Atlantic
section. who is making a hobby
of simplifying golf teaching.
Strausbaugh, pro at the Foun-
tain Head Club in Hagerstown.
was a featured speaker at the
recent National PGA meeting at
Dunedin, Fla. The fact that
such a young pro was called
upon to talk on such an i'm
Iportant subject caused some eye
brow lifting in this section, but
according to the area pros who
heard Strausbaugh at Dunedin,
he made a tremendous hit.
Bill confessed the other day
that "it was the biggest thrill
of my life. When fellows like
Horton Smith, Joe Novak and
Herb Gratis went out of their
way to compliment me, ] felt I
had accomplished something"
The illustration Strausbaugh
used that earned the most at
ltentiOn was his method of teach
ing beginners to swing with a
golf ball attached to the club
head. He had a company make
up several woods with a ball at
tached by a screw from the in
side.
But for winter practice, golfers
can get the effect by tapping a
plastic ball to the clubhead.
The idea behind it is to con-
centrate on the ball being part,
of the clubhead, and to feel as
though you swing the ball off
the club.
Many beginners have good
swings-when there's no ball
here"-Strausbaugh said. Put
a ball down and they slap at it.
A few hours of swinging a club
with a ball attached. and they
get the idea"
Another StrauSbaugh teaching
aid, and he doesn't claim any of
them are original, Is to have
pupils tee up the ball on all shots
except short chips for the first
month or SO of play. On a
wooden tee. that is, Henry Pr
card long has advocated this.
So has Horton Smith and To-
cally, Ward Burgess of Chevy
Chase, among others, believe in
the theory.
why teach a person to hit
the ball with a wood club from
a tee, and then before they've
learned the fundamentals of the
game, to expect them to dig it
out of a rut in the fairway,"
Strausbaugh reasons. For the
first six of seven lessons permit
them to tee up everywhere be-
fore they get so afraid of the
game they don't come back. Or
before they develop bad habits
they can't shake"
Doesn't this give them a false
sense of security?" is the ques-
ton most frequently asked. no"
Bill replies. reasoning "A baby
uses a stroller when he learns
to walk, but after he learns he
doesn't need it,"
The Hagerstown pro breaks
golf instruction into three steps
mechanics, rhythm, and con-
fidence. The game, he claims, is
not as tough as people make it.
X
NOTES-Buck Worsham, visit
ing along the way to a vacation
in Texas, reports it was a boy,
Thomas Edward. for brother
Lew and Ginny Worsham. The
other children of the former Ma
ltional Open and Tam champion
are Linda. IS, and Ricky, IL. F..
Max Elbin. whose ideas in shop
merchandising have been the
subject of several golf magazine
pieces, has Christmas display
in his Burning Tree shop that
may be his best.
Fred Bolton is available to
play Santa Claus for anybody
needing a fat man. Having
neglected his golf game for a
couple of months. Freddie has
ballooned to 230. Eddie
Stevens is out of pro golf for the
winter and has joined the sales
forces at Arcade-Pontiac.
The Maryland State Golf As
ISOLATION has announced its an
nual winter meeting for Janu-I
airy 10 at Manor. home club of
Tom Carney, incoming president.
|. :. A tour Of the new University
of Maryland golf course last
week was an eye-opener. Clear
ing has been completed. tees and
greens planted. and with Mother
Nature s permission at least nine
holes will be open for play when
the students report next Sep
TENDER. The driving range will
be used this spring.
Seniors who participated in
the USGA Senior Championship
last year cast a decided pref
erence for the continuation Of a
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