Golf with Which Is Incorporated "Golfing," Established 1894

GOLF WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "GOLFING," ESTABLISHED 1894 VOL. XXIV JUNE, 1909 NO- 6 A ROUND OF GOLF With Seymour Dunn Professional to the Lake Placid Golf Club PART IV Having played our approach to the A ball that is played properly is sloping green with allowance for the not so easily thrown off its line, as a wind, and plenty of height to the great many would think. No doubt ball to give the wind a fair chance many putts are turned oft the line to get hold of it, and the right dis- by a worm-cast, or other agent; yet tance of carry, we ought to find our the majority of putts missed are en- ball on the green, and we will hope tirely due to a faulty method of a little below the hole; so we will putting. If your putt does not go again take pleasure in leaving the down, then you should at once en- sand hazard where it is and proceed deavor to find out what was at fault. to putting, and on our way discuss To look upon a player's ability to putting in general. putt well one day and badly another It has been said putting cannot lie as being a mystery, it is only a taught. I am sorry for those who mystery to those who give no thought think so. Another says, "no theories to the fundamental principles of for me; putting is an inspiration— putting. In his own game he prob- sometimes you can putt, sometimes ably only takes a "dab" at the hole, you cannot." They should say some- as it is commonly termed, which is times you violate the fundamental nothing but a careless and frequently principles of putting, and sometimes fruitless method of putting. In fact, you do not. it cannot even be called a method. It is only natural if the fundamental There is no method about it, it is principles of putting are executed cor- simply a waste of energy—lost oppor- rectly, and the ball is not interrupted tunity. in its course, it must naturally go Of course, in regard to a player's into the hole. ability to putt well one day and badly Whenever you miss a putt do not another, 1 except such things as always attribute it to a fault of the physical conditions, it being my sole green. object to deal with the actual work. Copyright, 1909, by ARTHUR POTTOW. AH rights resttved. 326 A ROUND OF GOLF WITH SEYMOUR DUNN Then there are players who go about their putting in a style, to say the least, extraordinary. Some in fact are positively ludicrous; yet in their own peculiar manner they con- sciously or unconsciously execute the fundamental principles of putting with such exactness that it is quite astonishing to many, and even to some a complete mystery, to under- stand how they attain such good re- sults. This simply proves what I say: that the style or manner in which the fundamental principles of putting are executed does not matter a row of pins, so long as the principles of 1 Hitting are not violated. In what I have to say on putting 1 will go a little further than merely giving the fundamental principles in- volved, as putting is a subject of the greatest importance, and I will illus- No. 1. trate several methods. It is well known that the eye is af- We will recall to mind the basis fected by the condition of the play- or fundamental principle upon which er's health, and a slight attack of all golfing swings should be based viz.: biliousness is sufficient to upset the ac- the pendulum-like action with station- curacy of a player's optics and put ary axis. In the case of putting, how- good putting out of the question. ever, the player's head is not always Putting requires a great deal of the axis, but generally the right wrist, practice. Method you must also have, though the left wrist, or between the and that method must lie a correct two, or either elbow or either one. There are man)' methods, but shoulder, can be made the axis. It they must be performed in such man- matters not which. Each individual ner so as imt to violate any of the has a preference. Each player must fundamental principles of putting. find out for himself where he can It is not uncommon to hear the ex- control the pendulum action best, ami pression: "A good eye is every- adopt the most suitable ; but the point thing in putting." Certainly a good is that something must be recognised eye you must have, but it most cer- as the axis, and that axis should on tainly is not everything; a player with no account he allowed to more a a good eye cannot swing the putter hair's breadth until after the ball is any old way and hole putts with his struck and even then there is no rea- good eye. son for it to move. A ROUND OF GOLF WITH SEYMOUR DUNN 3-7 It is well to have two methods of No. 2. Nit the ball absolutely true putting, one for the long putts—in in the center of balance of the putter's which case the player's head is gener- face. ally the axis—and for short putts it No. }. To swing the putter head is undoubtedly KM to adopt a method in line with the putt. whereby the wrists arc the axis. No. 4. To give the putter head Now if the wri.M (or wrists) are sufficient speed to impart the neces- to be adopted as the axis for the sary run to the hall to comfortably short putts, to keep the axis absolute- reach the hole. ly steady throughout the stroke, This last item you will master only neither the player's head, arms, nor by constant practice, so I need not body should be allowed to move. < >f refer to it again. We will deal with course, in the case of long running- tlie other subjects separately and first up putts, where it is necessary to put take Xo. 1. more power into the stroke by swing- No. i- To have the face of the ing the arms, it would (generally putter facing absolutely true at right speaking) he best if the player's head angles to the line of the putt. be made the axis, and if it is kept Here is a subject of the greatest as steady as it should he it will control importance; and in the first case you the movements of the arms, body, etc. will not he able to see the true line For short putts we do not require of the putt if your eyes are in the such extra power, and we arc better without it when it is not need- ed, as the less we have to control the better we are likely to control it. For the present we will deal with short putts, and my reader would do well to look up the April, 1908, issue of this magazine, and study the illustrations and excellent article on putting by David Hunter; also look- up Jack White's illustrations in "The Art of I'utting." Better examples of putting could not he cited; hut before we deal with method. I wish to analyze the fundamental principles which govern putting, that we may have a sound knowledge to work upon. Briefly, tin- main requisites in hol- ing a putt (if the putt is to be a per- fectly straight one ) are : No. I. To have the face of the club facing absolutely true at right angles to the line of the putt. 328 A ROUND OF GOLF WITH SEYMOUR DUNN least inclined to a pose horizontal to It is also an important point to have each other. the eyes not only parallel with the line If you turn your head full round, of the putt, hut directly above the facing the hole with your eyes in a line. (See illustration No. 3.) See pose horizontal to each other, you will also Jack White in "The Art of get two lines, one so interfering with Putting," pages 18-25. the other that no distinct line will he In rifle shooting, to get the rifle visible. (See illustration Xo. i.) sights in line with the object to be The eyes should lie in line with the hit, you must get your eye in line with line of the putt. ( See illustration Xo. the rirle sights. It is impossible to 2.) See also the pose of Jack White's get both eyes in line with the sights, head on pages I8-JI-_>5 and 2~. in so in that case one eye alone is used. "The Art of Putting." However, as we are able to get both This is the only possible method of eyes in line with the line of the putt, getting the true line of the putt, and owing to the fact that in putting we consequently the only satisfactory have only the lateral directions of the pose in which to have the eyes to he line of the putt to consider, we will ahle to see distinctly whether the keep both eyes open, but they should club head is at right angles to the be in line with the line of the putt, line of the putt or not. and this point I wish to emphasize Of course, some good putters do very strongly, as very few golfers not adhere to this point, but it is realize the importance of getting the only to their disadvantage to neglect eyes in line with the line of the putt, it.

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