Chapter 11. Golf Clubs and the Three Departments of Play

Golf is easy to play because the club does the work.

The first officially recognized set of golf clubs consisted of four clubs:

1. a driver, for the long distance shots from the tee
2. a brassie, so called because of a protective brass plate on the bottom of the club was used for distance shots from the fairway
3. a baffie, a club with considerable loft on the face so that it raised the ball high into the air-this club was used for approach shots to the green
4. a putter, designed to roll the ball on the ground and used to roll the ball into the cup

An interesting thing about these first golf clubs is that they were made of wood, but all in one piece, much like a hockey stick.

As the game developed and one-piece models became difficult to supply, there was ingeniously conceived the splice model club with its head and shaft glued together on an angle (or a splice) and the joining wrapped with strong waxed cord.

Next came the socket model where the shaft was joined to the head by being inserted into a bore-and this type of construction prevails today.

Then came a great invention-a curious soul discovered that instead of using a bulky wood head at the end of the shaft, the ball would stop quickly if the end of the club was an iron blade. Thus were introduced into golf the irons, which stopped the ball as against the woods which ran the ball.

So for distance shots, the woods or drivers continued to be used.

For stopping the ball, as needed on approach shots to the green, the irons were employed, and then for the coup-de-grace, getting the ball into the cup, the putter was used. These three types of clubs, drivers, irons and putters, exemplify the three departments of play in the game of golf, and to play the game a player would have to have these three basic clubs: a driver for the distance shots, an iron for the approach shots and a putter to complete the job.

But golfers are not satisfied with one driver, one iron and one putter; they get a set of three or four or even five drivers. Likewise they equip themselves with six or eight or even ten irons, and on top of this they may even have two or more putters. In fact, as the game of golf became popular in America and attractive purses were being put up for professional golfers, it was discovered that players were going to tournaments with as many as 22 or 23 clubs in their golf bags. Some of these were extra drivers and extra putters, but the United States Golf Association felt that this large number of clubs was not needed and such an array of equipment would tend to discourage those who might be interested in taking up the game. A rule was passed that a player could not have more than 14 clubs in his golf bag, and that is the rule today. A standard set of clubs now consists of four drivers, numbered 1, 2, 3, 4; eight irons numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; a heavily weighted club called a sand wedge and a putter.

The only difference between the four woods is the degree of loft on the face of the club, which tends to elevate or drive the ball on a higher angle of flight or trajectory.

The same thing is true of the irons, and sketch 2F illustrates the respective angle of trajectory which each iron produces.

So the drivers in a set of woods, and the irons in a set of irons are each but a cog or a niche in that set-each designed to produce a certain angle of flight or trajectory, all of which emphasizes this important fact: that the clubs will not produce the respective effect for which they were designed unless they are all swung and applied to the ball in the same way.

In short, a golfer does not purchase a set of golf clubs to make the game more difficult, he does it to make the game easier, and it is easy if he will use the same swing on all clubs.

Clubs for Beginners

Modern manufacturing methods produce golf clubs that are uniform as to weight, balance, grip and shaft tension. Clubs are available in various price ranges and can be secured in sets of lesser numbers than the 14 permitted by the rules.

The advice of a member of the Professional Golfers Association would be invaluable in selecting the proper clubs, but if such services are not available, avoid clubs that are too heavy, also avoid clubs with extra stiff shafts.

An ideal balanced club for the average man is a D2 swing weight and the shaft should be of medium tension.

For the average woman the clubs should balance at C7 and the shaft should have a flex tension.

Beginners can operate capably with an abbreviated set -two drivers, preferably the #2 and #4 woods, four irons, preferably #3, 5, 7, 9, a sand wedge and a putter. Such a half set will provide a complete range of shots, and the omitted clubs can be added later.

Tips on Driving, Approaching and Putting

The theme and the scheme of this book is to prove that the "swing is the thing." In all shots, whether long or short, be it a drive, an approach or a putt, the technique and the procedure is always the same because in every shot in golf the objective is the same: the golfer is striving to propel the ball to a certain spot or to a certain goal. To accomplish this he must be able to control two things:

1. the direction of the shot
2. the distance it travels

This book provides the double 4 outline which will train the player to rely on his body for the power, and on his hands for the club positioning which will determine the direction. So in all shots, be they drives, approaches, or putts, this same objective, distance and direction, must be governed.

As previously suggested, practice is the only answer. Practice the form until the swing can be expanded to provide power plus drive, then practice again to reduce the form to the delicate touch that is required on the putting green.

There are, however, a few suggestions that may aid in the various shots.

Driving

Even though distance is always desired on tee shots, train yourself not to force or press-the added length of the shaft automatically develops more power through the increased leverage this extra length provides. Remember, however, that the extra length of the driver will require extra time for it to reach the top of the swing and extra time to get back to the ball, so learn to cultivate a lazy type of rhythm when using your driver.

If you are out of practice, keep your #1 driver in the bag, and use your #2 driver for your tee shots. The added loft of the #2 club will absorb slight errors of mistiming that could prove disastrous with a #1 driver.

Beginners are advised to use the more lofted drivers first. As your swing improves, you can move forward to the less lofted clubs.

In striving for distance, take care not to grip the club too tightly as this will destroy the needed hand action. Also, don't spread your feet and take too wide a stance, because that will destroy footwork and without footwork there can be no balance, hence no power.

Iron Shots

Again, the first thing that comes to mind is "Dont Press." Be sure to select the club that will secure the distance needed. All good golfers play within themselves, which gives them that extra added punch if the occasion requires it.

This recalls a game played with Bobby Jones-as the match progressed I was impressed with the fact that he didn't seem to be trying. Upon checking his score after twelve holes of play, I realized that he was even par, just coasting along, keeping the ball in play, but always having that extra reserve when the situation required it.

That's the attitude to acquire when playing your irons -use a strong enough club, but never force the shot.

The matter of avoiding a tense tight grip must be remembered. Adopt a narrow stance to permit an easy shift of weight, so that the body can be used to give power and punch to the shots.

Putting

It is one thing to drive well, another thing to approach well, and important as these two departments are in golf, the real object of the game is to get the ball into the cup. Volumes have been written about driving and approaching, but there has been too much insistence that putters are born and not made, and that putting is something that cannot be taught.

I strongly disagree with such a contention.

It cannot be denied that the power required for a putting stroke can be provided in any number of ways. Consequently there are numerous effective styles of putting. One I dislike very much is the croquet style of putting approved by the U.S.G.A. I'll never understand this ruling because in most games players have a certain position in which they must remain. They must stay in the box, so to speak, and they should in golf.

So while there are numerous putting styles, there is a classic style that all great golfers employ in driving shots, fairway shots and long irons-emanating from the fact that the power necessary to make a perfect drive or a long iron shot can only come from one source and that is the body

Once a player learns to use his body correctly, his hands fall into line to give him a natural sense of guidance and control over the club. It is this combination of body for power plus hands for club control that produces the long straight drives, the booming fairway woods and the accurate iron shots.

Now if a certain technique provides control and accuracy at a range from 200 to 250 yards, shouldn't that technique provide a more certain control and greater accuracy at a two or four or ten-foot range?

What I am trying to point out is that the same requirements of distance and direction are needed on every putt, and if a certain technique gives you that control on your long shots then you should apply that same style and technique to your short shots. Personally, I learned this the hard way-playing in the finals of a tournament that I was most anxious to win. On the difficult San Francisco Golf and Country Club, a course that had 210 traps on it at the time, I managed for the first round of a 36-hole match to hit the fairway and green with ease. But after getting onto the putting green, I failed to sink even one of the ten putts, none of which were more than eight feet long. As a consequence, I finished the first 18 holes with a 74, two over par, and I was two down to my opponent, Harold Clark, when I felt that I should be at least two up. When I four-putted the 19th hole from a distance of 25 feet, I had had it, and needless to say I was severely trounced in that match.

I returned to the Berkeley Country Club where I was professional at the time, and analyzed the game I had played. The drives had been fine, the iron shots were dead straight, but I couldn't sink a three foot putt. Of course when I putted I deliberately used the reverse overlap grip, held my body still as I made the stroke and putted entirely with my right hand. And when I putted using this style I had no idea of direction and no sense of distance.

16. The Double Overlap Putting Grip A) Left hand on the club B) Side view of undercurl of little finger C) Double overlap with right hand D) Completed position E) The putter cocked and set F) Thebackswing G) Impact H) Follow through.

Reviewing the accuracy of my drives and the precision of my iron shots, I came to the conclusion that what works at 200 yards should certainly work at ten feet. More clearly I realized that the objective in putting was the same as the objective in any other shot-distance plus direction.

So I adopted the double 4 technique for putting. I learned to use my body as the swinging medium and that left my hands free to guide and steady the club throughout the stroke. As a consequence, I became a fine putter, and I boast I am a good putter for the simple reason that I know just how my putter is pointed (this gives me directional control) and that I know just how hard I am going to swing the putter (this gives me a sense of distance). I use the same complete double 4 routine that I use on all my other shots in golf-why change when you come to the most delicate shot in the game?

I cannot recommend this plan too strongly because I know it works.

This may startle some old-school golfers, but the way to swing a putter is with a definite body control. Analyze the two-way diagonal stretch action of the body as it is used in golf shots, analyze the natural gyroscopic action of the body as described in Chapter Six, and you will find that a perfect pendulum action swing will be produced.

Two very famous and very successful golfers indirectly support me on this body-type action, putting stroke. Bobby Jones in discussing putting made this statement: "If there is any inclination for your body to move during the putting stroke, let it move." Personally, I would have preferred it if Bobby Jones had said that the body action was the controlling factor in swinging the putter.

Incidentally, on a par 72 course, par allows 36 putts on the green. Statistics show that players who score in the 80's use from 34 to 40 putts per round, and the golfer who scores 100 uses from 40 to 50 putts per round. Bobby Jones felt that he was putting badly any time he took more than 30 putts per round.

Another supporter of the body style putting stroke was that exciting golfer, Leo Diegel, twice PGA champion. Leo developed the miseries on the putting green and finally adopted a style where he held both hands tightly against his chest-arms akimbo. As a consequence all he could do then was to execute a perfect pendulum stroke using his body to do it.

In contrast to this relaxed style that leaves the hands free to steady and guide the club, the average golfer goes into a rigid, rigor mortis position from which there is little control over direction and less understanding or feel as to the distance of the putt.

Incidentally, a most important thing in putting is the ability to gauge the speed of the green. It isn't often that a putt is driven off line. Trouble usually develops when a putt falls short by six feet, then overshoots the cup by four feet on the next stroke. This should not happen if you use the double 4 routine to establish the body control type of putting stroke.

There is one added feature to the putting stroke that I would like to suggest. In order to avoid any tension in the hands, I recommend a change of grip or hand position. Use the regular Vardon style overlap grip but overlap with two fingers rather than only one. To further eliminate tension in the left hand, take the little finger off the club, in fact, curl it under. This position of the hands will bring them close together and a smooth, delicate leverage action will be created that will readily synchronize with the pendulum effect of the body action.

Some putting tips

The wheel idea. Imagine that the ball is a wheel and you are going to use the putter to roll the ball as you would roll a wheel.

Three foot target on long putts. In playing long approach putts, imagine a three foot circle around the cup, then plan to play the ball into that circle.

Side hill putts. On side hill putts, remember that the ball will travel straight for the first part of the putt and then as the speed of the ball dies down, it will drift or break on the slope. Learn the point at which the ball will start to break, aim for that point and let the ball float in from there. The breaking point will be naturally late in an uphill putt and early in a downhill putt, but learn to putt for that breaking point.

How to avoid hooking short putts. Most short putts that are missed, invariably wind up on the left side of the cup-this is caused because the player holds his body still and as the hands swing past the body, there is a natural tendency for them to turn and roll the putter blade to the left. To conquer this fault, learn to pull the club across the line of the putt from outside in. Draw the club across the ball as if trying to produce a slice and actually cut across the ball.

This cut across the line of the shot will actually keep the putter blade square to the line of the shot. Try it on short two foot putts first and then try it on longer putts. It is surprising how square the putter blade will stay.

More about this cut across action of a golf club in Chapter Sixteen.

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