Golf Chapter 1

8/4/2019 Golf Chapter 1

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Chapter 1 - The Method Its Objective

Positive teaching Fundamentals Shaping the swing Delivery of the club head Every ball is driven forward Dangerous clichs

W hat is the point of curing a slice by planting the germ of a hook whicherupts within the next few days? The wretched golfer, overjoyed atlosing his slice, is soon in despair again as he struggles on the left-hand side of the course instead of the right.

Solving one problem by creating another simply adds to the pupil'sconfusion and depresses his morale. It is NEGATIVE teaching which cannever lead to lasting progress.

The method of instruction to be outlined in this book is not built upon avague series of hit-or-miss experiments one or other of which may givetemporary tidiness to a pupil's game. My aim is a POSITIVE one to builda sound and lasting technique in which all the fundamentals which goto make consistent stroke-making are fitted together into one cohesiveswing unit.

What precisely are these fundamental parts of the movement ? Howare they applied to the precise task of controlling and building uppower in the club head? That you will discover in the course of thisbook.

In settling upon them I drew on a close and lengthy study of thestrongest features of the swings of outstanding players over the yearssuch as Abe Mitchell before the Second World War and Ben Hogansince.

Let me make it clear that I am not concerned with individualcharacteristics and mannerisms, only with common factors some of which were, and are, more distinctly demonstrated by one player thanby another.

I am not prepared to waste time on gimmicks or smart tricks, and I willadmit at once that I know of no short cut to success at this fascinatinggame. It demands hard work and practice before one even begins tomaster the precise art of delivering the centre of the club-face firmlyand squarely to the back of the ball and on through along the line of flight.


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There is positively no secret tip which can turn a mediocre player intoa good one overnight. Yet there are players struggling vaguely along,pathetically looking out for this elixir of a new golfing life in the upperstrata of the game.

I have in mind a pupil who came into my school for the first and onlytime some two years ago. He really had no swing worth thedescription. He moved the club head sharply backwards and forwardsin a series of wristy jerks the Crown Prince of Snatchers.

I set him to work on the first and elementary stage which leads in duecourse to the shaping of a serviceable swing. I had quickly seen thatthis player lacked the ability to become good at the game, but I couldhave worked a definite improvement in him had he been prepared tolisten to my first instructions.

I never saw that pupil again though. And this is why. Meeting theperson who had introduced him to me he said with unconcealedamazement, "Do you know, he treated me as if I were a beginner!''

I was genuinely sorry to lose him as a pupil, notwithstanding that Ialways have more work than I can fit in. My secretary is regularlyworking on my appointments book for weeks ahead and claims aconstant headache as a result.

But I could have given him a sound foundation and helped to build onthat foundation a modest but none the less rewarding game. This

player, however, quite obviously had a sadly inflated assessment of hisown ability and potential. In this attitude of mind he came to meexpecting to impress with what he already knew, requiring me toprovide the subtle (or simple) tip which would shoot him straightawayinto the single-figure handicap class.

He flattered not only himself but me as well. I could work no suddenmiracle. I had to treat him as the beginner that he was desperate torun before he could walk.

In sharp contrast is the case of Ian Caldwell, 1961 English Amateur

Champion who came to me at the beginning of i960 in an unhappyframe of mind about his game.

I decided that his swing needed re-shaping on a major scale, and I setto work on him in exactly the same way as I had done with the pupil Ihave just referred to.


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Caldwell, be it noted, was already a good and experienced player witha very fine international record behind him. Yet, in a sense, he wasmore humble than the other man, the raw novice.He did not expect a golden tip which would solve his problemsovernight. And he was not disconcerted when I warned him that what I

proposed to do would take some time but would bring about somemarked degree of improvement within a few months.

So it proved. Four months later, in the Spring of i960 he reached thesemi-final of the English Amateur Championship, where he went downto Douglas Sewell.

We kept at work and the following year he won the English title. Eventhen I had not completed my task. I was certain that Caldwell could bea still better player. Yet, for all his golfing gifts, he had his owncomplex problems of approach to master, and the measure of his

ultimate progress must depend on the extent to which he overcomesthese problems.

However, the headway he made under me following a long period of uncertainty was most revealing. He has put his swing into my handsand shown a readiness to work over a period, while the player at theother end of the scale of golfing class had expected me to produce agimmick which would turn him into a golfer overnight. That sort of miracle simply cannot be worked.

Even a noted professional tournament player like the South African

Harold Henning was prepared to accept my blunt assessment of hisswing. At the suggestion of a friend he came to my school a few yearsago and I told him quite frankly that he had a terrible loop in hisbackswing which kept his right shoulder riding high as he came intothe ball.

He took my advice and when I went up to Royal Birkdale to observethe practice prior to the 1961 Open Championship I saw at once thatHenning had smoothed out his backswing and so given himself a veryfine club-line through the ball. If he can regain his old remarkableputting touch he must have a wonderful run of success.

Henning at Birkdale remembered how I had advised him and came upand thanked me for what I had told him two or three years earlierwhen we had last met.

This book offers no trick transition from rabbit to tiger class. Its themewill be the gradual shaping of a sound, smooth swing which, onceacquired, will stand up under pressure if given the chance.


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Such is my objective with every pupil who comes to me. I set out toimplant in his mind a picture of the shape he needs to acquire, takinghim along, stage by stage, until he can sense the shape developing.

Let it be understood that I teach a definite method based on years of

experience and proven principles. Various people have their ownparticular problems arising from characteristics of bone-structure andgeneral build. I note these and prescribe accordingly. But thefundamentals laid down in this book will apply in the main to anyonecapable of swinging a golf club through an arc.

The shaping of the swing is all-important. Once you have it keep it.Don't bend it out of shape by tinkering. This is where many a betterthan average performer, in fact many a very good one, leads himself still further off the rails when his game goes temporarily sour on hemi

What happens? He looks for a remedy all along the route of themovement everywhere but where he should look. Soon he is pushingthe shape out of the swing.

Professionals, assistant professionals and leading amateurs, afterstriving in vain to recapture form in this groping fashion, come to myschool for advice. It is at once clear to me that they have not giventhemselves a real chance. They have failed to dwell, as they shouldhave done, on the matter of timing and consolidating the DELIVERY OF

THE CLUB HEAD TO THE BALL.

Naturals like Dai Rees, Christy O'Connor and Douglas Sewell do nottinker with their movement. When their game shows signs of saggingthey give their attention to the delivery.

Convincing proof that this is the way in which the more or less matureplayer must approach the problem of temporary loss of form isprovided by an experience of my old neighbour Archie Compston, oneof the truly great golfers of the pre-1939 era, a personality with anextensive knowledge of the game.

Archie confessed that he went so stale towards the end of a trip to

America that, making his way through the crowd on to the first tee atthe start of a match against the celebrated American, MacdonaldSmith, he didn't know whether he would hit the ball or miss it.

He decided then and there to devote all his attention to "delivering afirm wallop through the ball and let the rest take care of itself". It did.He hit the stick three times in the round and trimmed Mac. Smith.


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Compston, you see, kept faith in the shape of his swing, a shape whichhad matured with years of training and experience. "Watch thedelivery" was his answer to the challenge.

You will be introduced in this book to terms you may not have heardbefore, such as the "apex" of the swing (which more clearly than

anything else tells me a golfer's class), "upper-arm-leverage" (BenHogan is a wonderful exponent of this feature which I have believed inand taught for years).

And you will be warned to take no heed of dangerous clichs like,"Make sure the wrists are fully cocked at the top of the swing", "Takethe club head back on the inside", "Keep the club head close to theground on the backswing." There are inherent dangers in these well-meant theories. But more of this in due course.

There is just one more point I want to press home at this juncture.

The whole of my teaching is founded on the fact that every well-struckball from the full tee-shot down to the approach putt is DRIVENFORWARD. Let me repeat the operative word DRIVEN not flicked orslapped which is the manner of striking of ninety-nine per cent of golfers.

You do not, or you should not, flick that simple approach shot from,say, one hundred yards out. You drive it forward.

Driving the ball forward you blend power with control, keeping the

club-face on the ball along the line for that vital fraction of time whichensures firm, accurate shot-making.

If you are already a good player you will notice in dry weather that alarge splodge of paint becomes imprinted on the face of the lofted ironclub after a firmly struck full shot. Now take a ball and place it againstthe face of the same marked club. The area of contact is only a fractionthe size of the splodge of paint.

The splodge got on to the club-face because the ball, in being driven,had been spread across the metal by the speed and force of impact. It

needs little imagination or knowledge of ballistics to realize that thisball had a better chance of holding its course and biting the green thana ball which had more quickly parted company with the club-face.

The method I am about to expound is the master-key to good golf, thebest golf YOU are capable of playing, which is the golf you would like toplay.


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It is the master-key to all the doors in the labyrinth in which so manydesperately keen but frustrated players grope and stumble notknowing where to turn.

Some pass easily over one threshold and the next, and the one after

that until they find further progress checked. This method which I teach has proved itself many times. I amconvinced that if you read this book as it is meant to be read thosedoors which have hitherto been closed will begin to swing open.

Chapter 2 - The Grip

Hands must work as one unit Watch the thumbs And the rightforefinger Parallel "Vs" The coin test Tendencies to avoid

The role of the hands in the operation of sending the ball to itsobjective is a subject of endless argument. The importance I attach tothe hands may be gauged in the first place by what I have to say aboutthe grip. I want to deal with it at some length and in considerabledetail.

My belief is that while the beginner needs to give a lot of attention toapplying his hands in the manner in which they can retain control andimpart feel of the club head and obtain the maximum power from theshaft, the more experienced and advanced player, having developedstrong and well-trained hands, more naturally gets the hands fitting

into the swing unit as a whole without always realizing it.

For one thing the top golfer has developed a sound and constant gripon the club which in itself PERMITS the hands to work properly. Youmay find the odd good player with a suspect grip, but you will seldomfind a bad one with a good grip.

At this point let me draw attention to Eric Brown, deservedly one of theoutstanding professionals of the post-war era. Brown's achievementsspeak for themselves, and yet I often wonder how still greater theymight have been if only he had schooled himself to grip the club in the

more orthodox way. It is remarkable that a player of the Scottishprofessional's admirable golfing qualities he has a very fine movementinto the ball should grip the club with the right hand so much under theshaft which sets the "V" of this hand at an angle to the "V" of the lefthand.

What I want to point out is that Brown has reached his position in thegame IN SPITE of this flaw in his technique, not


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BECAUSE of it. He has succeeded while so many others have failed.

The grip is the first step we take towards the shaping of the swing.Slackness or movement on or away from the shaft at any stage of theswing can throw the whole operation out of line and completely wreck

the timing.I go so far as to say that conscientious work on the grip until it iscorrect in all its details will contribute more than any other factortowards the building of a finely shaped swing. The feet, legs, back,shoulders all have their essential parts in the movement, and goodhand-action in itself will not bring these members into play as somepundits would have us believe.

But without the proper use of the hands these other physical memberswill not be able to function as smoothly as they must.

Now the first and main function of the hands is their correct placementon the shaft of the club. Master the grip and the rest of the hand-actionwill present no serious problem. For visual proof of the priceless assetwhich a perfect grip confers, watch Christy O'Connor addressing theball.

The Irishman's great natural gifts include a splendid hand-action which,more than anything, provides that smooth unhurried rhythm which issuch an outstanding feature of his play. If he can be faulted by thepurists it is perhaps that his wrists at address are rather lower than

most. Be that as it may, O'Connor's hands fit the club as if welded tothe shaft, as if he were born with his hands correctly holding a golf clubwith the muscular response of the fingers naturally developing throughthe years until they appear to be part of the shaft itself.

Like the majority of the top players, O'Connor uses the Vardonoverlapping grip in which the little finger of the right hand is hooked ontop of, or round, the forefinger of the left. This is designed to bring thehands into closer unity. It is the grip I generally teach unless the pupilhas small hands and short fingers.

In such cases the double-handed grip favored by Dai Rees, NormanSutton and Americans Art Wall and Bob Rosberg is often more suitable.

A third style is the interlocking grip used with marked success by thefamous Whitcombe family and American Gene Sarazen. This is perhapsthe most individualistic grip of the three, and I consider it should belearned and developed only under personal supervision. I do notpropose to deal with it here.


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All three of these grips, however, have one common factor whenpracticed by players of the class I have named. They are applied insuch a way as to ensure that the hands work together as one. Forremember, golf is a two-handed game. Learn to regard the left hand asthe controller, then you need not fear the right.

In the Vardon and double-handed grips the same principles applyexcept that in the double-handed version the little finger of the righthand does not overlap the left forefinger. Instead it is on the shaft, firmand CLOSE against the left forefinger.

Now for the Vardon grip and how to apply it.

With the club soled on the ground in front of you, apply the open lefthand so that the shaft lies diagonally across the roots of the fingers,from the middle knuckle of the forefinger to a point just below the base

of the little finger (Fig. i).

Close the hand on the shaft with the thumb not (repeat NOT) on thetop of the shaft but rather to the right, about one-quarter to one-thirdof the way round. Fig. 2 shows the position you should have formed atthis stage.

The next point is vitally important and it is stressed in the drawings. The top three fingers must remain close together and not spread.

The forefinger will be very slightly, no more than one-eighth of an inch,away from the next finger to help support the "short thumb" which I


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am about to describe.Figure 1

First act in taking up a sound secure grip. Note the angle of the shaftacross the base of the fingers of the left hand.

Figure 2

Ideal left hand-grip. Last three fingers close together. The "Short"thumb.

Figure 3

The "Long" thumb-Wrong. The thumb is stretched too far down theshaft. Result: A Ham-handed" grip and the "V" formed by thumb andforefinger cannot be closed. Another fault: Grip has been applied at theextreme end of shaft.

DON'T stretch the left thumb down the shaft (Fig. 3). Draw it up as faras is comfortably possible so that the ball of the thumb, the fleshierpart, is pressed with a gentle firmness on to the shaft (Fig. 2).

Here we may encounter one of the problems of bone-structure referredto briefly in my opening chapter. Some people cannot draw the thumb


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up the shaft sufficiently to attain the ideal position. They have only alimited degree of movement in the thumb joint.

But while it is an advantage to have a thumb joint which allows thethumb to be drawn up the shaft it is by no means calamitous not to be

able to do so. Just draw it up as close as possible. The real danger liesin stretching it down the shaft, which leads to a marked tendency toover-swinging and a consequent lack of control.

With this placement of the left hand raise the club head from theground with the left hand only. If the grip has been correctly appliedthe top end of the shaft will be balanced and kept secure by thepressure of the fleshy pad towards the heel of the hand against the topside of the shaft (Fig. 4).

Figure 4

Applying the left hand test for security in the grip.

This is absolutely essential to firm gripping of the club in the left hand. Test it by slowly opening the fingers. The club shaft should remainbalanced in the hand.

Return the sole of the club to the ground and restore the left hand-gripas outlined. Now to fit the right hand on to the shaft.

Place the open palm of the right hand alongside the shaft, the palmbeing parallel with the face of the club in other words facing whatwould be the line of flight.

Close the two middle fingers round the shaft with the upper of thesetwo fingers drawn up closely against the forefinger of the left hand(Fig. 5). This leaves the right little finger to overlap the left forefinger. I


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prefer the little finger to pass behind the left forefinger and slip intoplace in the crevice between the first two fingers of the left hand.

Figure 5

The grip almost completed. Note the placing of the fingers of the righthand.

This placement makes for still closer unity of the two hands but manyfine players (the late Pam Barton, a pupil of mine, was one) find itmore suitable to lay the little finger on top of the left forefinger.

We now come to the right thumb and forefinger and vitally importantthey are. The club-shaft, so far, is lying in the little fingers (not thepalm, remember) of the right hand. Now it will also fall snugly andsecurely into the bent right forefinger, which, thus placed,automatically provides added power and firmness to the swing as wellas helping to steady the club at the top of the backswing.

The right thumb is tremendously important. Never, never have itpressed on top of the shaft, or, still worse, on the right side of theshaft.

In either of these positions the wrist is locked and the thumb isrestricting the swinging of the club head. This leads to a fatal recoilaction at the top of the swing which at once throws the club head off line.

Look for the player with the right thumb firmly on the shaft and thereyou have a snatcher. No, the correct position for the right thumb is


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diagonally across the shaft with the tip of the thumb meeting, oralmost meeting, the tip of the forefinger. Only the right portion of theball of the thumb is actually against the shaft, thus permitting the free,controlled, but unimpeded movement of the club when swung.

We have now built up a placement of the hands on the shaft in whichthe back of the left hand and the palm of the right are directly alignedfacing the proposed line of flight (Fig. 6a).

The grip is mainly in the fingers, not ruggedly in the palms which wouldbe sheer ham-fisted ness. It is through the fingers that the feel of theclub head is transmitted and the main pressure will be applied by thetop two or three fingers of the left hand and the two middle fingers of the right. The third finger of the left hand is vital in my opinion, but Iwill deal with that separately before we leave the grip.

Vs closed ah fop and in alignment


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Figure 6a

The complete grip front view.

Two views, back and front, of the completed grip. This way the two

hands are correctly aligned and can work together as a single unit.Note placing of the right thumb.

Figure 6b

The complete grip back view.

The two "V"s formed by the thumbs and forefingers on the shaft will beparallel. This is of paramount importance a must if the two hands areto work in cohesion. The "V"s will be closed, and they should point to aspot between the chin and the right shoulder. Within these narrowlimits you can work to find which is most suitable for you.

It is advisable to have half an inch or an inch of the top of the shaftprotruding above the heel of the left hand when the grip is completed(Fig. 6b). This is what the Americans call "choking" the shaft and itgives better balance and feel of the club head.

We are almost there but not quite. To further weld the hands into oneunit of control the right hand must rise as high as possible on the left.


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It may not come easily or appear comfortable at first, but I urgentlystress the need to work on this aspect of the grip. In this drawn upposition the fleshy pad below the base of the right thumb will fit snuglyover the left thumb, so closely that a coin placed by a friend betweenthe pad below the right thumb and the upper side of the left thumb will

not fall out the swing with the coin in place. If it slips out the handshave loosened like a pair of scissors opening. You must train yourself to avoid this "scissors" action at the top of the swing if you are to strikethe ball consistently.

(Fig- 7)-

To carry this test further take the club back to the top of

When the hands part company in this way the base of the right thumblosing contact with the left the right hand makes an involuntary effort

to restore contact with the left. The result is a breakdown in the timing,with the club head, as likely as not, thrown out.

How tightly should the club be gripped? You hold it firmly enough tomaintain control, firmly enough not to stifle the feel of the club headwhich you must acquire, firmly enough not to freeze or lock the wrists.

Figure 7

The final test of a secure grip throughout the swing. A coin placedbetween the base of each thumb in the completed grip should still besecurely in place at the top of the swing.


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You must fight against what may be a natural tendency to apply a vice-like grip. I have already described how the left thumb is pressed with a"gentle firmness" on the shaft. That is the degree of pressure to beapplied to the grip as a whole a "gentle firmness" in contrast to a vice-like seizure of the shaft. Too tight at address invariably means too

slack at impact.Now I return to the fingers of the left hand. You know now that themain pressure will be in the top two or three fingers of the left handand the two middle fingers of the right. Henry Cotton continuallystresses the importance of finger placement and finger pressure, andhow right he is.

My personal conviction is that many teachers and writers of text bookson golf tend to over-emphasize the left little finger. The player is urgedto concentrate on wrapping this left little finger round the shaft, but I

prefer to put the emphasis on its next-door neighbor, the longer andstronger finger, for two reasons. In the case of the majority of peoplethe little finger is very short and has limited strength because it is sorarely used in the various tasks which the hands perform in the generalactivities of life.

Secondly, too much applied pressure with the little finger of the lefthand has a stiffening effect on the wrist. Take a club and try it foryourself. Do you not detect a definite tightening in the wrist?

Now switch your attention to the next finger, the third finger of the left

hand which you will notice is quite a bit longer and undoubtedlystronger than the little one.

When you wrap this third finger firmly on the shaft the little finger willstill fulfill its rightful task of augmenting the security of the left hand-grip, but you will feel (with the third finger dominant) that the wristretains its suppleness and the power in the left hand-grip isconcentrated more through the centre of the hand.

If any finger is the master finger in the left hand-grip it is the thirdfinger, more suited by nature for the job.

I can cite the case of a scratch golfer to illustrate this fact. During thewar this player had a mishap which deprived him of the use of the leftlittle finger which remained permanently bent over. He thought thiswas the finish of golf for him. He could not even place the little fingeron the shaft, but a year or two after the war he was persuaded to giveit a try once more.


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Almost at once he began to hit the ball well, resumed playing with ahandicap of 3, was back to scratch in no time at all, and won his countychampionship and this with a useless little finger he could not evenplace on the club. His salvation was the third finger of which he had fulluse.

Until your hands have been strengthened and trained you may find thecorrect form of gripping in all the detail which I have described strangeand uncomfortable. With this may come a tendency towards a vice-likegrip and an urge to spread the hands on the shaft. Resist both thesetemptations. Instead, strengthen your hands. Train them to the pointwhere the correct grip will give you a feeling of confidence and securitythroughout the swing.

Next I will describe how best to work towards that objective.

Chapter 3 - Strengthening The HandsAn all-important need Some exercises

S trong hands, wrists and fingers are essential to the retention of acorrect and constant grip in every detail and the development of thefeeling that it is fitted snugly to the shaft.

You may well ask why this emphasis on strength in view of my warningagainst a vice-like grip of the club. After all, a golf club only weighsbetween twelve and fifteen-and-a-half ounces.

Here is the answer. For all its comparatively light weight the club headmoves in a wide arc and works up to a high speed at impact. To keepcomplete control of it without restriction of the life and power of theswing it is necessary to develop a measure of strength which permitsfirm mastery without the fullest physical effort to apply it.

The novice, learning to drive a car, starts by clenching the steeringwheel. Smooth steering thereby is impossible and if he were to driveany distance the arms would soon be aching. Similarly with the noviceboxer. Clenching his fists inside his gloves and holding his arms rigidhe cannot throw a proper punch or react quickly enough to parry onefrom his opponent. His arms rapidly tire and feel as heavy as lead.

It is this same muscular tension against which I am warning you as agolfer. A fierce grip on the shaft locks the wrists and deprives themovement of LIFE, but if the hands are not conditioned to their taskthe natural instinct is to grip fiercely.


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You will read very little in this book about the part which the wristsplay. You should not be conscious of, or worried about, your wrists atany stage of the swing. Any deliberate attempt to apply them destroysimmediately the smooth progress of the club head which should beswung smoothly through its arc BY THE ARMS. The hands, correctly

gripping the club in the manner which I have described in such detail,will permit the arms to do this.

Now you will know why I deplore the clich "make sure the wrists arefully cocked at the top of the swing" used by people who, almost in thesame breath, warn you, very properly, that there should be noconscious effort to cock the wrists.

How, I ask you, can you, or anybody, "make sure the wrists are fullycocked at the top of the swing" without consciously making an effort toensure this? You need not, must not, worry about the function of the

wrists. Get the grip right and the wrists and elbows properly positionedat address, (we shall come to that when we deal with the stance) andthe wrists will look after themselves.

We have heard and read about " stiff-wristed" methods of Americangolfers. Utter rubbish! I declare that no American, from Hogan, Sneadand Palmer down, would break 90 playing with stiff wrists.

I feel that this stiff-wristed illusion arose from the very fact that theAmericans make no great play of the wrist action in their game. Theykeep their wrists under control. Jackie Burke, one of their outstanding

stylists, declared that the wrists are rarely, if ever, mentioned inAmerican locker rooms or on the practice grounds.

I repeat, the wrists will play their automatic part IF the arms and handsfunction correctly. Yet strength in the wrists is required if they are totake the strain which the swing movement imposes on them. Floppywrists make golf a penance. See that they become strong and supple.

Now for ways to train and strengthen the hands, fingers and wrists.

I am not among the advocates of swinging a specially weighted club.

Do all your club-swinging with a club of the swing-weight you will useout on the course. That to me makes common sense. A practice-swinging club with ounces of extra lead poured into the head simplyprovides you with a clumsy, unwieldy implement in sharp contrast tothe finely balanced product which the manufacturer has turned out foryour use.


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No, I advise a selection of simple exercises such as pressing the spreadfinger-ends of the two hands against each other and compressing aspring grip obtainable for two or three shillings and easily carried in thepocket. This spring grip also builds up the forearm muscles, and whenyou can fully compress it without strain you will be on the way to your

objective.But probably the best method of strengthening the fingers is by usinga simple piece of apparatus which you can rig up in a few minutes.

Take a broom handle and bore a hole half-way along its length. Run apiece of string through the hole and fix a weight at the other end of thestring. Holding the pole with both hands apart and parallel to theground, turn it with the fingers clockwise towards the body thuswinding the string towards the pole and drawing the weight up to it.Release the weight slowly back to the ground by turning the fingers in

the opposite direction.

One word of warning. Make sure your equipment is strong enough forits work. An assistant professional sent to my school by his employerfailed to take this necessary precaution.

I had found that this player's hands were not working properlytogether. The right hand was overpowering the left, so I set him thisbroom-handle exercise. So keen was he to get to work thatimmediately on his return to his employer's workshop he picked up thefirst weighty article which met his eye a large jar of varnish used for

coating wooden club heads and whipping.

The exercise was going well until, with the jar almost up to the pole,the string snapped. Down went the jar, spilling its sticky contentsacross the floor of the shop!


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You cannot put in too much work on the hands and fingers those vitalextremities which are your sole contact with the club, the means bywhich you feel and sense the position of the club head throughout themovement. Train them and condition them, and you will find that therest of the technique which goes to the shaping of the swing will

become less of a chore and more of a pleasure. Your progress will bemore rapid and sure.

Possibly the strongest hands in golf belong to Bill Shank land, huskyformer Australian rugby player, and a prominent tournament regularuntil a few years ago. Shank land has such strength in his hands andfingers that he can spread his fingers, fit crown corks of beer bottles inthe angles thus formed between the fingers and close them with apressure which bends the metal works.

Observe Harry Weetman. This immensely powerful British professional

is one of the most exciting players to watch by reason of theunbelievable recoveries he makes from almost impossible spots in theheavy rough. The great strength stored in his forearms, wrists, handsand fingers enable Weetman to perform these spectacular recoverieswhich draw gasps from the gallery. With this great reservoir of strengthfrom the elbows down he can retain his grip through the thickesttrouble-spots without being too tensed-up to keep the club headswinging.

The great Henry Cotton worked, perhaps harder than anyone, tocondition his hands. Strong man Arnold Palmer has immense power

stored in his hands. Gary Player does seventy fingertip press-ups aday.

Finally, here is a significant admission by American Ryder Cup Captain, Jerry Barber. Last year he declared he was hitting the ball farther thanhe had ever done before, thanks to hand exercises with a spring grip.

Barber, no big man physically, was already a big money winner, but,still not content, he set to work "increasing the playing strength in myhands and forearms and gained greater control over the club. That iswhy I am hitting the ball farther than ever."

Documents

Golf Chapter 1