THE TRIUMVIRATE ANALYZEDBy J. ALBERT SCOTT

Article and photographs copyright by J. Albert Scott

INTRODUCTION

ALL games of skill are based on sound "funda-mentals." In fact, any action which can be re-peated again and again, with the same result,

must have some understandable and reliable basis. Golfis the same as any other game in this respect. It is notthat one man is endowed with some peculiar mentalor physical attribute, that enables him to excel allothers in skill. It is because certain principles arefollowed, consciously or unconsciously, that one manexcels another of equal natural, ability, who doesnot practice and fails to appreciate these funda-mentals. It always has been and always will be,that some men, due to superior physical or mentalability for the particular thing attempted, will excel.That is natural and inevitable. At the same time,all can perform a given act better, if they understandthe principles involved, the "fundamentals."

Observation of several years convinced me thatgolf was based on as sound fundamental principlesas any other game of skill; that the game of the greatplayers had a common basis, seeming differencesbeing due to difference in physical structure. Thediffering descriptions by the players of their ownmethods, are accounted for by their different mentalimpressions:—for rarely will it be found that twomen, let alone several, will describe the same action,performed by each, in the same way. Their "stateof mind," the "mental equation" comes in. This iswhere the impersonal attitude of another, based onsufficient sound, provable and demonstrated facts isof value in determining what has been done and why.

Believing that the fundamentals could be foundand logically demonstrated, I conceived the idea ofphotographing the greatest golfers in the world in anew way, stereoscopically. By this method of photo-graphy, we get not only the two dimensions shownin an ordinary photograph, height and width, but whatis of more importance, depth. The player stands outin relief, as if one were looking at the man and not aphotograph. It is this depth which has showncertain facts, otherwise unattainable, which has con-firmed me in my belief, and has led me on to analyzethe reasons for them. How well or how poorly, Ileave to each one who reads what I have to say.

The photographs were taken instantaneously, ofactually played shots; the ball being hit (and per-fectly) in all cases. It was only in this way that thereal game and action of the player could be dis-covered. If a golfer poses, i. e. places himself in posi-tion without hitting a ball, he will place himself as hethinks he plays. I say think advisedly, as from acareful study of the photographs, and reading the

description of the stroke by the same golfer, I amconvinced they do many things in quite a differentway from their impression of it.

There are only two things a golfer does in playingthe strokes that can be posed correctly, the stanceand the grip. It is on the facts shown in the photo-graphs, as well as careful observation of the playersthemselves, and on careful "checking up" that myanalysis of the stroke is made. I have not approachedthe subject with a pet theory to maintain, nor for thepurpose of telling how I play. I am going to explain,without bias, what the great players do, how theydo it and why, so far as it is in my power to do so.

If you will read carefully and follow the reasoningof the article, you will see that I have taken for mytext "Naturalness." That is permitting the body todo certain natural and instinctive things, after havingtaken a stance and grip that permits free natural action.It is the placing of the body in a constrained andunnatural position, and then trying to make thedifferent parts work in an arbitrary manner, thatresults in stiffness, an inability to hit freely andpowerfully, a general feeling of discomfort and con-sequent failure. The very essence of the play of thegreat golfer is ease. If you have ever seen Vardonplay, you will understand what I mean. He steps upto the ball, assumes a natural and comfortable posi-tion, swings smoothly and with rhythm, hits withtremendous power and precision and with no ap-pearance of slugging or plunging. He has followedthe lines of least muscular resistance. So it is withBraid, Taylor, Duncan and others: an easy naturalswing and great power in the stroke. They know thatthe club will keep the "track" because they nevertake it out of it.

I am going to try and tell you how they do it.They do not place themselves in a false position

or allow any part of the body to assume an attitude,which requires any exertion to get it back into aposition of power and suppleness. If they did, itwould be only so much energy lost, and that is whatthey are constantly striving to conserve for theimpact of club and ball. Their whole body is alwaysunder control, for the simple reason they never takeit out of well defined natural limits. Their wholestroke is mechanically perfect; no matter what thestroke is, or the conditions under which it is played,the perfection of the machine is there. They are goodworkmen. They have learned the easiest and mosteffective way to play the game and so they play it,always and consistently. They try no experiments;they keep the "track."

In what I have written and in whatever I shall

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write, I do not want it for a moment to be inferredthat I am criticising any golfer or golfer-author.I think that the many who have written on thescience of the game have donegood service f o r g o l f e r s ;that they have given all theycould, but at the same time theylabored under the difficulty thatit was their game they were de-scribing and consequently couldnot escape the "mental equa-tion." This is, perhaps, theweakness of the golfer-author.He cannot treat his own gamecoldly and dispassionately. Hehas pet theories of why he does it,how he does it, in fact goes intoand explains his state of mindrather than giving a cold-bloodedanalysis of the facts.

I suffer from no such condi-tion ; I am simply describingthings as they are, not per-mitting myself to indulge in asingle theory. I give a reasonfor everything I explain and sub-mit it with the hope that itwill be received in the samespirit it is written; that itwill add something to thesum total of golfing knowl-edge and will make thegame easier of accomplish-ment, thereby adding to thepleasure of my fellow golfers.

I want to especially im-press on the mind of thereader, that the whole articleis part and parcel of onegeneral "scheme," each partleading naturally to the fol-lowing part, the wholeblended into one smooth,harmonious whole. If theanalysis I have made is halfas carefully read as it iswritten, then I will be satis-fied and will feel assured of afair judgment on my efforts.

One last word before goingon with the stroke in detail:"Remember the head tokeep it still;" make this one of your golfing command-ments. Observe it faithfully and it will help youto keep the ten. Follow the action I will describe andthe keeping of the head still will be the easier ofaccomplishment. In fact it will naturally followthat your head must remain still.

No. 1. Position of Vardon's left hand

THE GRIPTo establish a correct connection between player

and club is the first fundamental of golf.Vardon, Braid and Taylor,

who have, between them, wonthe Open Championship of GreatBritain (generally acknowledgedas the world's championship)sixteen times in the last twentyyears, use the same grip. It issafe, therefore, to assume thereis sound reason for their methodof gripping the club or theywould not be in accord in usingit.

They represent physicallythree different types. Theydiffer in height, size of hands,length of arms, in fact there areno points of physical resem-blance. Ray and Duncan, stilldifferent, use the same grip."There is a reason."

It is generally spoken of as the"Vardon grip," because his useand success with it first called

attention to it, althoughthere is some doubt as to itsorigin.

To illustrate it I haveused photographs of Var-don's hands which he per-mitted me to take.

Photograph No. 1, showsthe left hand. It will be seenthat this hand is so placed,partly over the shaft, as topermit one while using thisgrip, to see the joints of thefirst three fingers where theyjoin the hand. The Vformed by the thumb andhand is pointing toward theright shoulder, not straightup. The thumb is on top ofthe grip and against thehand, closing the V. Thatpart of the forefinger whichshows in the photograph, ispointing downward, in linewith the V.

It is this position of theleft hand, the right conforming to it, that auto-matically gives the "turn of the wrists" in taking theclub to the top of the swing, as will later appear.It is the very beginning of a correct swing.

If the club is held in this manner with the lefthand, it will be found, that the tips of the second

No. 2. The overlapping grip as exemplifiedby Vardon

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G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

and third fingers will touch the large lump at thebase of the thumb, the end of the second finger justat the joint where the thumb joins the hand. The endof the little finger will not quite go around the grip;there will be a space between it and the palm. Theend of the forefinger will come to the first joint ofthe second finger.

The right hand is then placed as shown in photo-graph No. 2, and must conform in every way to theleft, being as much under the grip as the left is overit. This will make the V of the right hand point tothe right shoulder, parallel to the V of the left. The

right thumb is a little more across the shaft than theleft. The fingers are placed in a corresponding posi-tion to those of the left hand, with the very importantexception of the little finger.

It is here we will find the real reason for this grip—in fact the key to this form of gripping—and will seewhy these great players use it.

Vardon, in his latest book on golf, says that theprincipal strength in holding the club should be inthe first two fingers and the thumb. To grip withthese three consciously and relax with the other two,is almost impossible, if the ordinary grip is used.

It is to use the strength he indicates, naturallyand without conscious effort, that the overlappinggrip is used; and if the grip he uses, as illustrated andexplained, is adopted, the result will be what he saysis necessary.

Vardon also says: it is to bring the hands into aclose confederation, a happy union, etc., and of courseit does, but, there is a more understandable reason,one that is purely muscular.

Look carefully at the photograph of the right hand,and then without a club, close the hand in the mannershown, letting the ends of all the fingers touch thepalm of the hand. Now raise the little finger untilit is at right angles to the palm. The third fingerwill rise with it and will have practically no powerleft in it; with the little finger held up, the thirdcannot be placed against the palm with any degreeof strength.

Even with the little finger resting on the fore-finger of the left hand, it will be found there is verylittle power in it or in the third finger. The thirdfinger will be further "taken out of action" by theposition of the thumb of the left hand, which comesin such a position as to effectually prevent the endjoint of the third finger coming into contact withthe shaft. Without the end joint of the fingers beingable to close firmly on whatever we try to grip, verylittle power is exerted.

These are very simple things to prove or disprove,try them.

The little finger of the right hand rests on theforefinger of the left, slightly toward the thumb,rather than toward the other side of the finger. Thegeneral and wrong way of using the overlappinggrip, is to place the little finger between the firstand second fingers of the left hand. Besides beingwrong, as compared to the methods of the greatgolfers, this position twists the right hand out of posi-tion and permits too much pressure being exerted bythe little finger, which is what must be avoided.

The right hand, due to constant use of it in every-day avocations, is naturally inclined to overpowerthe left, and this is why the average professional isalways saying, "use more left."

By gripping in the manner illustrated and de-scribed, the hands will properly apportion the work

36

JAMES BRAID ADDRESSING THE BALL

G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

of themselves and you may proceed to swing withoutthought of gripping tightly with one set of fingersand relaxing with others. The right can be usedto its full power as adjusted, in fact must be, whichis what it will do instinctively, no matter how muchwe try to prevent it.

As in gripping, so in every part of the stroke, thegreat players so adjust themselves as to go on with thework in hand without consciously having to combata natural inclination.

THE STANCE

Having established a connection between playerand club, the next fundamental is to establish a cor-rect relation between the player, club and ball.This is done by standing in a way which will permitthe delivering of the most powerful stroke possible,and at the same time keep the club head in the righttrack to make the ball travel in the direction wewant it to go.

This is called the "stance," a Scotch word meaningstand, one of many Scotch words which have becomerecognized golfing terms.

To illustrate the correct stance for the swing whichwill be described, photographs of Vardon and Braidhave been used, showing them "addressing" the ballpreparatory to driving.

The lines on the ground were placed after they hadassumed the stance, the one across and in front ofthe feet indicating the line of play, i. e. the flight ofthe ball — the one from the ball passing between thefeet and crossing the first at an exact right angle,shows how much the ball is to the right and left ofthe feet.

These lines show the exact relation of the feetto the line of play and the ball, very importantelements to what follows.

The terms "open stance," "square stance," etc.,will not be used. I will simply submit the photo-graphs and try and tell why this stance is used.

The right toe touches the line across the feet andthe left toe is about three inches back of it. Theright foot is almost at a right angle to the line, slightlyback of an exact right angle. The left toe is pointingtoward the hole at an angle of about forty-five degrees.It is not a matter of extreme importance, as it willvary with the height of the player and the lengthof the club shaft, but as a matter of interest, I willsay that the distance from the line across the feetto the ball, in the case of Braid, Vardon and Taylor,is about thirty inches, maybe slightly more or less,but not much.

To assume the position shown, place lines as inthe photograph, place the feet in the position shown,standing perfectly straight, with the weight equallydisposed on the feet. Place the club head back of theball, with the face at right angles to the line of play,bending from the waist only; bend the head slightly

forward of the angle of inclination of the body (thiswill prevent stiffness of the neck and assist in keep-ing the head still during the swing), relax the kneesslightly, but do not stoop or crouch.

The weight is not allowed to go forward onto theforepart of the feet, but is kept evenly on them.

The arms are not held stiffly, but slightly relaxedat the elbows; no stiffness or restraint must be feltin any part of the body; all must be supple and readyto respond to every motion made in swinging theclub.

Do not try to get the weight onto the right foot,

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HARRY VARDON ADDRESSING THE BALL

G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

A diagram showing the position of Braid's and Vardon's feet atthe address and their relation to the ball and line of play

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G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

or the left. Let them carry the weight as it willnaturally adjust itself. You will then find yourselfin the position illustrated, with the right shoulderlower than the left, due to the right hand being loweron the shaft than the left, just so much and no more.

There will be no effort to get the right shoulderdown, nor will there be any crouching. Everythingwill be natural and easy, as is every part of the golfstroke, as I have analyzed it.

It is the very naturalness of the way these menapproach the matter whichgives them their ability toapply power to the strokeand do everything in itsnatural order, without con-scious effort—automatically,so far as the body is con-cerned.

The hands will be slightlyto the left of the center ofthe body, to allow the faceof the club to be held atright angles to the line ofplay.

There is sound reason, infact two principal reasons,for placing the feet in thisposition and not square tothe line across the feet,with both toes touching itand with the ball mid-waybetween.

First, it minimizes thenecessary departure of theclub head from the lineof flight in going backand around the body, but more especially, it induces,in fact starts, the “body twist” without which verylittle power can be put into the stroke. All the greatplayers insist on this twist of the body, lay greatstress on it, and say the player “must do it.”

To show how this position starts the body twist,I will explain a curious fact, one which does not seemto have occurred to any one else, at least so far as Ihave ever heard.

While the ball does not appear to be in front of thecenter of the body and mid-way between the feet,and is not, so far as the line of play is concerned, itis in fact, almost in front of the center of the bodyand mid-way between the feet.

To understand what I am about to explain—andit is quite important to realize the reason for a thingin order to practice it with faith and confidence—place a ball and the lines as shown in the stancephotographs. Without moving the feet in theslightest degree, stand up straight, and, wholly dis-regarding the line of play, face as you would ordinarily,with the feet in this position. You will discover two

very curious facts; first, your feet are in a perfectlynatural position, both toes turned out as you wouldordinarily stand and you are facing to the left of theposition you assumed in addressing the ball. Second,the ball is now opposite the center of the body andmid-way between the feet.

To more fully show this, and I consider it of thevery utmost importance, I have prepared and submitthe diagram shown. This diagram was most care-fully prepared, by taking the stance used by Vardon

and Braid, and a driverwith a forty-two and ahalf-inch shaft. The lefttoe was three inches backof the line showing thedirection of play, the righttoe touched it.

The left heel was threeinches to the left of the linefrom the ball and the rightfourteen inches to the rightof this line. The feet wereplaced at the angles whichhave been explained.

The ball was thirty-oneinches in front of the lineacross the feet.

Without moving the feetin the slightest, the lineswere shifted, as indicatedby the dotted lines in thediagram, the line from theball again crossing theother at an exact rightangle, passed almost ex-actly under the center of

the body and mid-way between the feet. This wouldseem to conclusively prove my contention.

While this diagram is submitted as a matter ofinterest and importance, I do not for a moment wishto be understood as even suggesting any measure-ments in taking a stance to drive a golf ball, or inmaking any mathematical calculations in regardto it.

It is shown for the purpose of proving that thegreat golfers, consciously or unconsciously, aremathematically correct in their stance, and thus getthe greatest “leverage” into their strokes. Theyhave, most probably, found this stance by a processof elimination, experimenting until a position ofgreatest power was found. But it is interesting toknow why it is so.

Now as to this body twist, which I started toexplain, and how it is induced and started by thisstance. After having taken the stance and addressedthe ball, stand up straight and face as you wouldordinarily, with the feet in the position shown. You

(Continued on page 53)

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THE TRIUMVIRATE ANALYZED(Continued from page 38)

find yourself facing slightly toward the leftand that your body turned to assume thisposition.

To again address the ball, bending at thewaist, you must twist the body at the hips.Thus it will be seen that with the feet inthe position assumed by Vardon and Braid—the others do the same thing—the bodymust be twisted to the right, and it is onlya matter of letting it continue to do so asthe club is swung back, to get it fully andin the proper way.

Furthermore, as the address was resumedfrom the erect position, the knees movedinto perfect adjustment, without effort onyour part.

So it follows, that by standing in theposition illustrated by the photographs ofVardon and Braid, you will do with the feetwhat is done with the hands (when theyare placed as described in the grip, as willbe seen more fully later): start a turningmovement, and will have done so auto-matically.

With grip and stance taken as shown anddescribed, and the reasons for them beingunderstood, the back swing will proceedeasily and smoothly, if the line I willindicate is followed.

(In the April number, Mr. Scott will an-alyze the back swing of the Triumvirate).

G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

THE TRIUMVIRATE ANALYZEDSecond Article

By J. ALBERT SCOTTArticle and photographs copyright by J. Albert Scott

THE BACK SWING

IN my first article, which dealt with the stanceand grip, no attempt was made to describe anyof the body movement which constitutes the golf

swing. It was necessary, before the actual swingcould be taken up, to set forth the proper positionsthe hands, feet and body must assume if the swing isto be executed in the manner of the great masters.Although I have described these fundamental posi-tions minutely it does not follow that slight varia-tions are not permissible. This is so as regards theoverlapping of the little finger, but it is most stronglyrecommended that this form of gripping be perseveredin, until it is easy and natural; for it is in this feature,more than any other, that the chief virtues of theVardon grip lie.

And these virtues are, to state them briefly, theplacing of the strength in the first two fingers and thethumb of the right hand where it ought to be, which,besides allowing the right hand to be used to its fullpower, removes all necessity of endeavoring torestrain its dominance over the left which is one ofthe inherent weaknesses of the ordinary grip. It isthis reduction of the power of the right, accomplishedby the overlapping grip, that automatically makes aunit of the two hands.

Many who think they cannot use the overlappinggrip—saying their hands are too small or that theirfingers are too short, etc.—could use it comfortablyif they would have the grips of their clubs made tofit their hands. A woman or girl who wears a No. 6glove cannot be expected to use the same size grip asthat on the club of a man who wears a No. 8½ glove,yet, this is practically the condition of affairs, as willbe found, if you will take the trouble to investigatematters. The great golfers, Vardon, Braid, etc., arevery careful to have the grips of their clubs fit theirhands—very careful, indeed.

Don't try to make your hands fit the clubs, havethe clubs made to fit your hands. It is easier andmuch more sensible; and if this is done, the club canbe gripped in the manner described. But, if after athorough trial, or through long use and ability tocontrol the club with some other form of grip, theoverlapping grip is not used, then at least, adjust thehands in the position indicated, for any variation inthis feature of the grip, will defeat the purpose Iindicated it served: that of placing the wrists inposition to respond with correct action, withoutconscious effort, as the back swing is made.

Now that the first two fundamentals of the golfswing, the grip and stance have been described, thedifficulty presents itself of picturing to you clearlythe third fundamental, the back swing. This is a farmore difficult task and to facilitate the descriptionI have divided it into three parts according to thecombinations and order in which they work. Thesethree divisions are the work of the hands and wrists;the arms and shoulders; and the body, legs and feet.Each is distinct in itself, but in actual play the threeare naturally blended into a smooth, harmonious,unbroken movement, without the slightest hitch orstiffness. Remember, however, there is a decideddifference between stiffness and tension.

Of the three, the work of the hands and wrists is,by far, the most important: for as they lead theothers must follow. It is with the hands and wriststhe stroke is made, the other parts applying theirpower through them. In other words, the hands andwrists are the "executive" connection between theplayer and the club. Hence it follows, that if thehands are allowed to get out of control there is nomeans whereby the rest of the body can do its workeffectively. This should be obvious, although it doesnot seem to be so well recognized as it might be.Most of the bad strokes in golf can be traced to thehands as the direct and primary cause of failure.

If then the action of the hands is so all importantit is necessary to carefully determine the limits withinwhich they work in going to the top of the swing.For this purpose photographs of Vardon, Braid,Taylor and Duncan showing them at this point intheir swings are used. They all differ in physiqueand are generally said to use different types of swings.Yet I think I can conclusively show you, withincertain limits that will be defined, that they allfollow the same "track" in the back swing whenallowance is made for their physical aptitudes andlimitations.

Now this first limit which will be considered—andit is the principal element of a correct back swing—isthat distance the hands are carried back from theline of play, i. e. the distance they will travel fromthe line across the feet (shown in the stance photo-graphs) towards a line which runs parallel to it andback of the player. By referring to the stance photo-graphs, illustrating my first article, it will be seen(and can be very easily verified by trying it) that aplumb line, dropped from the "heel" of the left hand,will strike the ground very slightly in front of the line

19

JAMES BRAIDTop of swing for drive

across the feet—about an inch, as a matter of fact.This line, for the purposes of this article, I shallhereafter speak of as "the line of flight." The "heel"of the left hand has been selected, to illustrate thepoint I desire to make, as it is the pivot of the hands:it is the point around which the hands turn in goingto the top of the swing, and again in going back tothe ball. On each of the photographs this plumbline has been drawn, and in each instance it comesinside a line drawn back of the right heel, parallelto the line of flight. The point where this line wouldstrike the ground, both at the address and at thetop of the swing, was very carefully determined whilethe photographs were being viewed in a stereoscope.This led me to observe the action of good playerswhen driving, which proved my stereoscopic observa-tion to be a fact. The height to which the hands arecarried, is another matter of importance, that will beconsidered later. It will be sufficient to say, at thistime, that the players selected for illustration show theproper height of the hands for those of similar build.

Now these photographs indicate more particularlyhow the hands assume the position you see them inat the top of the swing. In all the articles I haveever read, in books and magazines, talks with profes-sional golf instructors, it has always been distinctlystated that the "hands are carried around the body."Some advocate one method and some another, butall agree that the hands are carried around the body,by and of, themselves: that the hands leave thedirect back line and are carried around the body by

their own movement. This agreement is not theresult of analysis but merely the delineation of sensa-tion which creates a state of mind destructive of anytrue view of the action that takes place.

The sensation is that the hands are being swungaround the body. This I fully agree with, but it will beseen, at least as I have analyzed the stroke, that theyare not swung around the body, so far as any inde-pendent movement of their own is concerned.

To swing back in the correct track and to getinto the position shown in the photographs, take thegrip and stance as described in the first article,remembering to keep the head still, the eye on theball and to be careful not to let the body sway. Nowlet the body turn on an axis. This axis can be bestunderstood if we assume that the spine is fastened toa rod that would be a continuation of it and set atthe angle of inclination of the upper body. At thelower end, this rod would be fastened to the groundsome distance back of the feet and at the upper endat a point over and in front of the head. The head,if you will remember its position described in myremarks upon the stance, will be inclined slightlyforward of the angle of inclination of the body.If now you imagine your body fastened to this rodyou will readily see why it cannot sway but mustturn on a very definite axis. In the article on thedown swing, this point will be made very clear: athorough "sensing" of this important element willbe attempted: a method explained which has been of

J. H. TAYLORTop of swing for drive

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G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

the utmost satisfaction to myself and others. For thepresent purpose however, that of explaining the turnof the body without sway, the foregoing is sufficient.

Keeping these points in mind—stance, grip andthe body turn—swing the club with the hands directlybackward. As it is the action of the hands we areconsidering, and as the club must go where the handstake it, and thus, naturally,the club head will lead,the track of the club head will not be considered atthis time, but only the track of the hands. Thisbeing understood, swing the hands backward alonga line which would be a continuation of the line acrossthe feet, the line of flight, previously referred to.Notice carefully I say the hands. Don't try to startany other part, for as I have already stated, if thehands lead, the other parts of the body will follow,if you allow them to do so.

If the arms are allowed to follow the handsnaturally as they swing back, the left shoulder willgo down and the right one up and the hands willgradually reverse their positions, the right one be-coming the upper and the left one the lower. If norestraint is placed upon the body it will naturallyaccompany this movement of the hands, arms andshoulders, by turning toward the right at the hipsand cannot sway if we remember the spine is attachedto the rod spoken of above. This turning or twistingof the hips will cause the left hip to go down as wellas around, and the left leg to bend at the knee. Asthis turning motion continues, the left knee willgradually bend in toward the right and the left heelwill rise bringing the left foot into a position whereit touches the ground only on the inside, from theend of the great toe to the ball of the foot.

This action of the left leg and foot will not be aconscious effort, but the result of keeping the spinestill and turning under it. Try and get this veryclearly in mind : you turn under the spine, while holdingit still and in its original position.

You will find—without any attempt on your partto accomplish it—that as the hands swing back andthe body turns, the left and right shoulders, besidesgoing down and up respectively, are rotating. Asthese indicated motions continue—without the leasteffort to get the hands around the body—the handswill be stopped when they have reached a point aboutthe height of the right ear and the club shaft willdrop to the position shown in the photographs by asharp bending down of the wrists and the wristsonly. This wrist motion—and it is the wrist actionof the golf stroke—has been prepared for all the timeyou were swinging back, if you followed the lineindicated and did not allow the least change to takeplace in the position of the hands on the grip of theclub. The left wrist was turning over all the time(you did not try to turn it) and was being preparedfor the quick drop into position. It is this drop of thewrists, without slackening the grip or giving way

anywhere, that sets the tension for the down stroke.It is the percussion cap which fires the loaded gun.

Remember clearly that there has been no consciousturning over of the left wrist in going back. It wasthe position of the left wrist in the grip that, followingthe line of the back swing, made this action in-voluntary and hence natural. If you have swung thehands straight back and have kept the left elbow

HARRY VARDONTop of swing for drive

from bending more than was absolutely necessaryto take off undue strain, and have twisted the bodyto the right to the proper degree, then, when youdrop the club into position with the wrists, it willjust miss the back of the head and finally come torest almost touching the back of the neck, close tothe base of the skull. It is a good idea, in practisingthis movement, to let it touch, in order to know thatthe club is on the right track. When swinging freelyin this manner the club head can be seen out of the"corner" of the left eye, surely an indication thatthere is no stiffness in it nor anything mechanical.

Now, note carefully, you have not carried thehands around the body a single inch by any inde-pendent movement of their own. They have simplybeen swung backward and upward—it was thetwisting or turning of the body at the hips and therotating motion of the shoulders that have taken thehands to a place that allowed the club shaft to be

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G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

HARRY VARDONStarting the back swing for drive

dropped by the wrists to its correct position. In noother way can the club be swung directly to this point.If the hands are swung around the body and theshoulders are allowed to work properly, then thedropping of the wrists will bring the club shaft out-side the point of the right shoulder instead of insideand close to the neck. This position is wrong, takingVardon, Braid, Taylor and others of the great golfersas examples of correct methods, and the down swingcannot be correctly performed. This point will bediscussed in a later article.

Furthermore, a deliberate swing around the bodywith the hands will bend the left elbow, which isdistinctly and fundamentally wrong, and is not doneby the great players.

Always remember, that while I have describedthe parts of the back swing in detail, they must bedone in one unbroken movement when swinging atthe ball, and done without stiffness (again remember-ing that proper tension is not stiffness). To get themin order and feel the reason for each part in relationto all other parts, they will, of course, have to bedone slowly and carefully. Once getting the idea,the rhythm can be worked up to.

The action of the right arm has not been goneinto, for the reason that it has worked correctly if theoriginal position of grip has not been allowed to

change. It has bent at the elbow in response to thechanging position of the hands, the right going aroundthe left and coming in toward the body, shorteningthe distance from right shoulder to hand. If theleft arm has been kept as straight as possible, withouttoo much strain, the right arm has been compelledto accommodate itself to this condition. The rightelbow has only gone back to the position it wouldnaturally go back to in making the movement de-scribed. Any deliberate attempt to get the rightelbow back, will result in cramping the right arm andwill take the club head off the track it should follow.

When you have arrived at the top of the swingin the manner I have described, your hands will beinside the limits indicated as necessary for control,and a person standing at your right will see that avertical line dropped from the "heel" of the lefthand would strike the ground at a point inside yourright heel, as shown in the photographs. The leftarm will be extended, practically straight, the leftarm pit will be closed, but from this point the leftarm will not touch the chest.

All the positions I have described as taking placefrom swinging in this manner are quite correct,according to the ''books," and are correct as a matterof fact. You have reached these positions and havecorrectly placed yourself by not trying any com-plicated movement such as a conscious preliminaryturning over of the left wrist. Your methods havebeen the simplest possible: you have merely followedthe "lines of least resistance."

I have laid stress on the keeping of the left armstraight—a point the books and professional golfersdo not go into, so, far as I know— but it is, neverthe-less, a very important factor in the correct golf stroke.

Mr. Walter Camp, the famous Yale authority onsports, the "Father of American Football," has,I understand, written on the subject of the straightleft arm in the golf stroke. I have not read hisarticles on this subject, but I am satisfied that sokeen a student of all things athletic as Mr. Camp,has correctly seen the reason for this feature of thegolf stroke, as exemplified by the players whom hehas studied. So I feel that I am in the very best com-pany when I call attention to this particular feature.I will give my own thoughts on the subject, and willbe interested to read later Mr. Camp's article and seeif we agree. I would advise all to read Mr. Camp'sarticle, as anything he has to say is always wellworth serious consideration.

Don't bend it at the elbow: or as I have saidbefore, bend it as little as possible. The turning ofthe body, with the hands going straight back, willremove any tendency in this direction. I emphasizethis point for two reasons: in the first place, a straightleft arm gives a sure guide to bringing the club headback to the exact spot from where it started; secondly,it is the foundation upon which the wrists acquire

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their tension as they drop the club back of the head,giving them that tremendous spring which I pointedout above is the only wrist action in the golf stroke.The straight left arm is the one sure guide that thispowerful release of wrist tension will be deliveredat the proper time and in the proper direction, as-sisted, of course, by the other parts of the bodycoming properly into the stroke. The left arm, fromthe shoulder to the wrist joint, is the pivot on whichthe hands, wrists, arms and shoulders work in thegolf stroke, or perhaps, one should say it is the rudder,for it steers the work of these members.

To impress on your mind the fact of the straightbackward swing of the hands, and also the fact thatthe left arm can be kept straight without discomforttry the following simple exercise. Take stance andgrip, keeping the head still and the eyes on the ball.Without moving the hands or the arms, but allowingthem to go with the movement of the body, turn thebody at the hips, to the right, to the point to whichit turned in swinging back, easing the left leg and foot.When this position has been reached, raise the handsstraight up from the ground, retaining a firm grip,until they are about the height of the right shoulder.Now raise the club with the wrists (don't bend theleft elbow and notice the right hand go around theleft and that it bends the right elbow) until the shaftis raised as much as it can be without absolute strainon the left wrist—but get all the tension you can.In this position the shaft will be pointing upwardand backward at an angle and will pass opposite theright ear. Now, turn the shoulders, letting the leftgo down and around under the chin and the rightup and back. This will bring the club shaft intocorrect position back of the neck. The hands willbe at the height of the right ear, the left arm straight,and the right arm and elbow will be correctly posi-tioned. Right here, let me say, that any attempt tokeep the right elbow down, in and close to the bodyis wrong: has caused a lot of misconception: and hascramped the style of many a golfer. Let this arm worknaturally and it will take its proper place easily andautomatically (see the position of the right elbowin the photographs).

When you have performed this simple exercise,you will find your hands are where they ought to be:that a line dropped as indicated will strike the groundinside the right heel: and that they have reachedthis position without any swing around the body ofthemselves. They have been taken around the bodyby the turning of the hips and the movement of theshoulders. You will further notice that you have nothad to bend the left elbow to get the club to a hori-zontal position, back of the neck. It was the bendingof the wrists and the movement of the shoulders thatdid this, and it is the bending of the wrists which con-stitutes "wrist action" in the golf stroke, and putstension in them, ready for action in the down stroke.

If you have not allowed the body to sway inperforming this exercise a very valuable sense of theaction of the left leg and foot will be obtained, aswell as the stiffening or tension, of the right leg andhip, so you will know when they are working right inthe actual swing.

The really valuable thing about the foregoingexercise is to prove that you can place yourself cor-rectly: therefore, it follows, you can swing to thecorrect position by following the methods whichhave been pointed out. At first, possibly, and veryprobably, this position cannot be reached com-fortably, when swinging the club back, but continuouspractice will loosen the muscles and enable you toget to the proper position easily.

Another way to get this idea of the straight swingback of the hands and the keeping of the left armstraight clearly in mind is as follows: Take an objectdirectly in line back of the ball, or have someone standat a safe distance back of it, out of range of the clubhead. This will be to your right: but it is a line fromthe ball which must be taken, not from yourself.Stand and grip correctly, and allowing the body toturn in the proper way, and the shoulders to respondfreely, try to swing the club head straight back to

GEORGE DUNCANTop of swing for drive

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the object or person back of the ball. Look at the clubhead while doing it, and see the track it takes andwhere your hands go. You certainly are not tryingto get them around the body: still they will godirectly to the correct position at the top of the swing,and the wrists will drop the club shaft into quite thecorrect position when the hands stop at the rightheight. This is the very simplest method I can thinkof to get the idea of the straight back swing of thehands into your mind, and to convince you that if youdo swing them so, the club will go in the proper track:always providing you allow the body to turn cor-rectly and the shoulders to work properly. Further-more, by this exercise, you will loosen the swing andget rhythm into it.

What must be apparent to you now is the sim-.plicity and naturalness reflected in the easy move-ments of the great golfers that is at bottom thereason for the power and accuracy of their strokes.They never assume unnatural and strained postures,rather, every position they take holds latent the cor-rect position that is to follow it.

REMARKS

While I have said that the grip does not relaxwhen the wrists are dropped, or bent, at the topof the swing, this does not mean that a ''death grip"is ever taken or maintained. The very fact that thewrists can be bent freely, with the hands kept inposition, indicates the grip is not too tight. Thewrists must be allowed to work as freely as is consistentwith keeping proper tension. The manner in whichthe wrists work will be a safe guide as to whetheryour grip is of the proper tightness.

The hands must not be opened to drop the clubback of the neck nor must the grip be so tight as tocramp the wrists in this action. It is all a matterof getting sufficient control in the grip without tootight a grip. Certainly one must have strength in thegrip, for without it no power can be applied.

The most careful observation has shown me thatVardon, Taylor and Braid do not allow the slightestchange in the position of their hands on the club totake place. Any change in tension which may takeplace during the swing is unconscious, is inherent inthe swing.

By following the track of the back swing as it hasbeen described, it will be found to be perfectly easyand natural to keep the hands always in close contactwith the club grip, and there will be no necessity ofopening them at the top to drop the club to thehorizontal.

They are always in position to do their work atexactly the proper time, and no thought will be neces-sary after a little practice. Their work will be doneinstinctively.

To prevent any misconception on the matter ofthe opening of the hands, it is well to say, that with-

out any conscious opening, the left hand will slightlyopen at the back, i. e. the little and third finger willnot be gripping so very firmly as to prevent thisslight relaxing. The point I am trying to fix in mind,is the danger of trying to open the hands deliberately.

It is undoubtedly a fact that the ball can be"struck" from quite a different position to that shownin the photographs of Vardon, Braid, Taylor andDuncan, but, as Taylor says, "It may be a game, butit is not golf." It may be that one can get to the posi-tion these men are in at the top of their stroke, in away different from that which I have set forth, buthe will have to waste energy to do so: will have toforce the club back into the right track somewhereduring the swing, and will thus lose the smooth ac-tion so necessary to timing the stroke.

The great feature of Vardon's play, is the exceed-ing smoothness of his stroke. There is no wavingof his club anywhere, it goes direct to the top of theswing and as directly back to the ball. The swingI have indicated, will take the club to the top of theswing smoothly and easily and will place one in a posi-tion to deliver the swing at the ball with power andsnap, if he has followed the track and has not allowedthe tension to relax.

This tension is momentary, it cannot be sustainedfor an appreciable time, but nevertheless, it must bedistinctly felt at the top of the swing.

While the golf stroke is made with all the powerthat can be applied, this power is limited and con-trolled by the conditions. It is in no sense a sluggingproposition, but a swinging blow, or hit, with a lotof snap in it just at the ball.

Before one is ready for the down swing, he shouldaccustom himself to the grip: once acquired it willbe perfectly easy and comfortable. A feeling of controland unity of action of the hands is engendered, andit will never be discarded (as witness the greatestplayers in the world).

The stance should be taken carefully and cor-rectly until habit will cause one to take it instinctively,when addressing the ball.

Then the motions of the back swing should begone through in detail, until the club can be takento the top of the swing with an easy, natural, swingingmotion, following the track described, with the left armkept fairly straight and the wrists bent to get the tension.

Then he is ready for what Braid has aptly called"the bursting of the tension": in other words thedown stroke, the impact and the follow through.

I was very careful to say in my introduction to thisseries of articles, that I wanted the analysis which Iam making, to be judged as a whole, in its completedform. I again repeat this, as only in the "finalanalysis" will the reason and relation of all the thingsI am trying to make clear be apparent.

As the immortal Bunsby said, "the bearing ofmy observations will lay in the application of them."

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THE TRIUMVIRATE ANALYZEDThird Article

By J. ALBERT SCOTTArticle and photographs copyright by J. Albert Scott

THE DOWN SWING

THE first two articles in this series dealt withwhat I have called the fundamentals of thegolf stroke; its foundations or essentials.

But the down swing cannot be considered as a funda-mental; it is rather the application of them, the resultfrom cause.

To one looking at a good player driving a golfball, the down swing seems to be a very sudden affair,simply a bang at the ball, but this is not so, it is theresult of the previous piling up of the forces I haveset forth as the fundamentals. Nothing is reallysudden; things seem sudden only because we do notforesee them; they disconcert us only when we arenot prepared for them. A pistol shot is sudden, inthe sense that it happens quickly, but it does not makeus jump if we are prepared for it. It is lack of com-prehension and preparation that makes a particularthing seem sudden.

So with the golf stroke, the seeming suddenness, isonly seeming. The "bursting of the tension" hasbeen carefully led up to; we are ready for it, andknowing just when it is to occur, we can direct andcontrol it. We do not "shoot an arrow into the air,to fall to the earth, we know not where;" on thecontrary, to continue the simile, we have carefullyaimed the arrow at a definite object, have drawn thebow string to full tension, and when the arrow isreleased, it is directed and controlled in its flight.

Assuming the grip, stance and the back swing tobe thoroughly understood, that the club can be takento the top of the swing by an easy, natural, swingingmotion, the hands following the track indicated, thusbringing the club shaft into position back of and overthe neck, with the momentary feeling of tension, youare ready for the down swing, you have anticipated itand will be able to control and direct it, not only tothe point of impact with the ball, but on throughthe whole sweep of the club.

It may appear to be a foolish piece of advice, butas an actual fact is anything but that:— " Never startthe down swing until the back swing is completed."It is the doing of this very thing when swinging at theball that causes a lot of the trouble, even when one hasacquired a really good golfing stroke. The entirerhythm of the stroke is upset by this too eager desireto hit the ball, for the tendency is always to start thehands down before the club-head has dropped to posi-tion back of the neck, so essential to setting thetension, and the result is a jerk in this premature

downward movement making the application of powerpractically impossible. Instead of a smooth swing andpowerful impact, the result is a jerky hit, no co-ordination of the different parts of the body—simplya "jumble."

It is like trying to reverse an automobile whilegoing ahead at full speed.

At the top of the golf swing, there must be adistinct stop, without pause, a sensing of the endingof one series of movements before beginning another.There is no stopping with a jerk, no starting downwith another jerk. Reverse smoothly and follow themethods I will try to make clear, and the full powerof the stroke will come in its natural place, at thepoint where the club-head meets the ball. It is herethat all the forces you have been preparing will cometogether and exert their power at the same instant.Everything which has been done, has been in prepara-tion for this end. Every adjustment and action wasfor the purpose of allowing your full power to beapplied without the restraint of tight or knottedmuscles, or interference of any part of the body, butrather to bring them into the action smoothly andwith their full force.

As the hands were the leaders in the back swing,so they are the leaders in the down swing. The downswing is made with the hands. That is to say, theinitial impulse of the forces of the body which has beenprepared by the movements described in the backswing, is the starting of the hands toward the ball,in precisely the same manner one would throw a stone,after drawing the arm back to get the momentum.So far as any other part of the body is concerned, noconscious movement, no attempt on the part of theplayer to make any other part of the body move, toforce any other part into the stroke, must be made. AsI have said before, as the hands lead, the rest of thebody must follow, and the sequence will be in the sameorder as in the back swing; hands first, arms andshoulders next, and then the body, legs and feet, fol-lowing in due course. The hands are the "executive"connection between player, club, and ball. It is withthem and through them that all the other parts ofthe body must exert their forces. To follow thedescription of the stroke this must be clearly under-stood and appreciated. It is the hands we must keepunder control, permitting the rest of the body torespond naturally by not forcing it into the stroke.Don't misunderstand me, all other parts of the bodymust be allowed free response to the action of the

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HARRY VARDON DRIVINGJust after hitting the ball

hands. Holding any part of the body back from itsnatural response to the swinging of the hands, is justas bad as forcing that part into the stroke.

Much has been said about keeping the head stillduring the golf stroke, and certainly, on this point,there can be no question; it must be kept still.Stillness, however, does not mean rigidity, any morethan tension means stiffness. Too many try to keepthe head still by stiffening the neck muscles, a practicethat is wrong, as stiffness in the neck, will causestiffness in the shoulders, which must be allowedfreedom. Rather relax the neck muscles. I havebecome convinced from my study of the play of thegreat golfers and from a careful analysis of the posi-tion of their bodies at different parts of the stroke,that the head is not the point or part we should con-centrate on keeping still. In saying this I do notmean to imply that the head will not keep still orthat it should not. It does, of course, keep in thesame place all the time until after the ball has beenhit, and this is particularly noticeable in Vardon.The particular part of the body to concentrate themind on keeping still, is a point mid-way betweenthe shoulder blades, at the spine. Imagine that atthis place there is a "ball and socket" joint, on whichthe shoulders can turn to the right or left, and can goup and down—for this is what they must do inswinging a golf club. In the up swing the left shouldergoes down and around, the right shoulder, up andaround; in the down swing this movement is reversed.It is on the "ball and socket" joint, which I have askedyou to imagine, that this action takes place. Now,presuming the shoulders have moved around thepoint indicated, in the manner described, and the neck

muscles are relaxed, the head will remain still; therewill be no tendency or cause to move it; it cannot,unless you try to move it.

The photograph of Braid, showing him just afterhitting the ball, admirably illustrates this point, infact, absolutely proves it. So too, does the illustrationof Vardon, at the same part of the stroke, althoughVardon had not quite reached a position to bring itout so strongly as we see it in the illustration ofBraid.

Before describing my impression of the mannerof actually making the down swing, it was necessaryto prepare you by all that has gone before, so thatthe actual swing, as I will describe it, may be fullyunderstood.

Having reached the top of the swing, and havingdropped the club to position with the sharp bendingdown of the wrists, and having surely waited untilthe back swing was completed, now, without anythought of the action of the club, or any thought ofthe action of the body, swing the club at the ball withthe hands, and swing under the head. So far as swing-ing at the ball is concerned, this swinging the handsunder the head, is, to my mind, one of the vitalthings to keep in mind, it is by swinging the handswell "inside" in this manner, that the good golfersget the punch in their strokes. This punch is one ofthe very noticeable things in the swing of the golfersof class, is the dividing line between the "class"player and the ordinary player. It prevents what

JAMES BRAID DRIVINGJust after hitting the ball

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Vardon cautions his readers against, the ''mowing"motion, that is swinging a golf club as the farmerswings a scythe, a horizontal sweep from back tofront. The swing under the head will give a verticalswing, so far as the hands are concerned; the sameas they were swung in going back to the top of theback swing. The constant effort of the golfer whowishes to keep his ball on the line, should be to swingthe hands straight back and then straight forward.No effort should be made from the position at the topof the swing to swing them out in front and around.This action will take care of itself, for the body willuntwist in response to the swing of the hands, just asit twisted in response to their action in swinging backin the up swing. This untwisting of the body androtating of the shoulders, will again bring the clubhead in line with the ball; the arms and shoulders willfollow the lead of the hands; and right here willbecome apparent the reason for keeping the left armas straight as possible, and as I have been careful tosay, without undue strain, or stiffness.

The swing to the ball from the position at the topof the back swing, is around the end of the left arm,the "heel" of the left hand. The right hand wentaround the left hand in going to the top of the swing,it will again go around it when swinging at the ball,and if the left arm has been kept fairly straight, thenyou have a definite and safe guide back to the pointof impact.

To consider the action of the club-head, in rela-tion to the hands and wrists, I would suggest as ananalogy, the action of the hand and arm in drivinga nail with a hammer and the action of the hammerhead. When a carpenter drives a nail, he places thehammer head on the nail, to get his "aim," thenlifts the hand straight up. The wrist bends, and theforearm follows the hand and wrist, the hammerhandle arriving at a vertical position, or slightlybeyond that position, by these combined motions,only stopping when the wrist has been bent as muchas possible, when the hand, wrist and forearm, are allin a state of tension. He then swings the hammer withhis hand; or rather, he swings the hand and thehammer swings down with this impulse. The headof the hammer having a greater distance to go thanthe hand, increases its speed until the impetus thusgained will cause the hammer head to pass the hand,and the wrist to "snap" the hammer against the nail,with all the power of the hand, gripping, and theforearm, driving.

Here is an almost perfect reproduction of theaction of the golf club; which was swung back bythe hands in a circle some forty inches greater indiameter than the circle taken by the hands andconsequently travelled at a much greater rate ofspeed, but when the hands were stopped at theheight of the right ear, the speed and weight of theclub-head caused the wrists to bend sharply, setting

J. H. TAYLORAt practically the finish of a drive

up the tension. Having reached this point and surelyrestrained any downward movement of the handsuntil the back swing was completed, you now do whatthe carpenter does with the hammer: swing theclub with the hands at the ball. The tension of thewrists will start the club-head travelling at a greaterrate of speed than the hands; it will catch up withand pass them travelling so fast that it will cause thewrists to snap into the impact; will carry the club-head well through the place where the ball was, andwill finally cause the wrists to turn over, the righthand going around the left as the hands go up andaround in response to the force of the swing.

This is the "snap of the wrists," and it is not aconscious effort, but an "effect" from a very definite"cause." It will surely take place, if all has beendone that has been described. You do not "put yourwrists into the stroke," when hitting; you simplycannot keep them out if they were bent down at thetop of the stroke, and the down stroke was not started

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HARRY VARDONFinish of drive

too soon. That point cannot be made too strong or toooften repeated: don't start the down swing too quickly.

You will now see the reason for having the hands,feet, and body so placed as to make this action comeinto effect at the right moment and in the rightdirection. It will also be seen, why no consciousrelaxing of the grip must take place, as any distinctletting go with the hands at the top of the swing, willdestroy the tension so necessary to starting the club-head travelling on its journey to the ball. If thegrip is relaxed, then there must be an effort to re-grip and an effort to start the club. The hands will,sub-consciously, do their work if properly adjustedin the first instance and then allowed to work natu-rally. It is only in direction that they must beseverely kept under control. If this one point regard-ing the hands is kept in mind, that they must becontrolled and kept in the correct track, going to thetop of the swing and back to the ball in the downswing, the other things will automatically adjustthemselves.

It is just as the carpenter wields his hammer.He concentrates on hitting the nail after taking holdof the hammer. He "aims" at the nail, swings thehammer up and then swings at the nail, and never

thinks of whether his hand is tight or loose, he simplytries to hit the nail, and the tension of the hand ispurely automatic.

When swinging at the ball with the hands andswinging under the head, keep the point spoken of asthe "ball and socket" joint in mind. Don't allowthis part of the body to move.

I have said that, with the exception of the hands,don't try to consciously get the arms, shoulders, orany other part of the body into the stroke. In factthey must not be allowed to anticipate their naturalorder of action. If the right shoulder is allowedto exert any influence on the beginning of the downstroke (this is by far one of the most common faults),it will push the "ball and socket" out of position,and with it will go the head and the left shoulder,both being pushed to the left, and the stroke will bea failure. If the right shoulder comes into action toosoon, the balance of the body is disturbed. Thereis an instinctive, sub-conscious, effort to regain thebalance; the hands will be thrown out of line andwill be dragged into the ball, ahead of the club, in-stead of holding the club-head true to its track anddirecting the powerful snap which is the result ofthe impetus gained in its course some forty inches inextension to the course taken by the hands. Thislong sweep of the club-head must be directed at alltimes by the hands, therefore, nothing must beallowed to divert them from their course. Everythingmust be subordinated to the work of the hands, mustbe made true assistants to them, and each part mustmaintain its proper place and do its proper work atthe right time. This is "timing the stroke," and thestroke will be timed, if the player does not try to forceor press it.

One of the things that impressed me, when I sawVardon, Braid and Ray, play for the first time, wasthe way the right shoulder went under the head; thetremendous amount of power they seemed to getinto their strokes with the right shoulder. If theswing is made under the head, the right shoulder willcome down, forward and will go under the head,following the lead of the right hand and arm, and theplayer will be looking over this shoulder, at the spotwhere the ball was, for an instant, (see photo ofVardon just after hitting the ball) will be in thisposition easily and naturally, and then the powerof the swing will carry the shoulders around with itand the head will straighten up and the chest will betoward the direction of the flight of the ball. Theaction of the left shoulder has been in unison with thatof the right, working in an opposite direction; it hasgone up and around.

Now for the point I want to bring out strongly:the "ball and socket" is just where it was at theaddress; at the top of the back swing; and whenhitting the ball. It has not moved.

The shoulders have revolved around it in the

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course of the down swing (as they did in the upswing), the right shoulder has gone forward, but theleft has gone back. The hands and arms have atone time been reaching forward to the full stretchof the arms, but they have come around and back,the point of revolution, the "ball and socket," inthe meantime remaining perfectly still. Everythingelse has, during the stroke, changed position. Thehead remained still until after the ball was hit, thenit moved, but if the stroke was correctly made, thisone point remained perfectly still. The head wascompelled to move, after the ball was struck, to allowthe right shoulder to go forward and around, follow-ing the hands and arms. If the head is held stifflyin place after the ball is hit, then there will be a"hunching" of the shoulders, a lack of freedom in thefollow through. In fact, any determination to keepthe head immovable, even after the impact, willeffect the whole stroke. Keep the point of revolutionstill all the time, and have the head so placed in thebeginning that the hands can be swung under it.Don't try to do more than this with the head.

The club has been swung with the hands, underthe head. We have seen how the club responds tothis action and why. The arms and shoulders havebeen allowed to follow in their natural order and havebeen prevented from anticipating their action. Thebody has untwisted to its position at the address,and the wrists have snapped with the pace of theclub-head, and further the club-head has been directedback to the ball by the straight left arm. Theimpact has taken place. Now what happens, andwhy?

We will have to go back to the top of the swing,the starting point of the swing of the hands in thedown stroke. When we start the hands on the downswing and determine to swing them under the head,we must at the same time, determine to keep themgoing straight with the ball after it is hit as far as wecan reach, straight along the line on which they weretaken back, i. e., a line in prolongation of the lineacross the feet, the line of flight, straight toward thehole, and at the same time keep the point of revolu-tion, the "ball and socket" still. Do not allow thispoint to go forward;—the right arm and shoulder willgo under the head, the left shoulder will go around andback, and when the arms have reached out in the direc-tion of the hole, as far as they will go, without per-mitting the body to go too, they will swing upwardand around the body, and the club shaft will be overthe left shoulder and back of the neck. With a full,free stroke, the club-head will finish below the hori-zontal, and in such a position that it can be seen out ofthe "corner" of the right eye, as it was seen with theleft eye at the top of the swing. This is the "followthrough" and it takes place naturally, if the pointof revolution is kept still giving the arms and shoulderssomething definite to work on. If the body is allowed

JAMES BRAIDFinish of drive

to sway, then there can be no real follow through,any more than there can be a firm and powerfulstroke. A lever must have a fulcrum to work on:so must the golf stroke have a definite point tocenter on.

If the photographs, used to illustrate this article,are examined carefully, the point I have spoken ofas, the "ball and socket" joint, will be seen to haveremained in the same place it was at the beginningof the stroke. The hands have been allowed a fulland free follow through, the entire right side hasbeen allowed to go forward, but the left side has goneback, the left foot and leg seem to be pushing the bodyback from the direction in which the ball has beendriven, and it is quite evident that no attempt to"get the body into the stroke" has been made, so faras allowing it to swing forward is concerned. On thecontrary, it seems as if these players have made avery determined effort to keep the body out of anyforward movement. (The photograph of Braid, justafter hitting the ball, shows him almost straining theupper part of his body backward.) The entire swinghas been one of the arms (the hands, of course, lead-ing), the rest of the body acting as the pivot for thisswing of the arms. By this I do not mean that the

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G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

other parts of the body did not exert power, every part of the"machine" did exert its power, but all these forces were deliveredthrough the arms and hands, rather than through any forwardmovement of their own.

Like water, which inherently has no power, other thanweight, but confined in a reservoir, flowing through pipes anddelivered from the nozzle of a hose, will have sufficient powerto knock a man down, or to tear mountains to pieces, depend-ing on the amount of tension (the height of the reservoir abovethe point of delivery and the size of the aperture through whichit is forced); so too, in the golf stroke, it is the delivery of allthe forces of the body (prepared in the manner described inthe article on the up swing), through the hands.

HIP, LEG AND FOOT ACTION

The action of the hips, legs and feet are of the utmostimportance in the down swing, as they were in the back swing,but once more we find them responding in a perfectly naturalmanner through cause and effect. Things we are told we"must try to do," we find doing correctly of themselves. Inthe back swing, the right hip went up, as well as around andback, thus putting the right leg in tension. When the downswing of the hands takes place, the right side is allowed tofollow the right arm and shoulder. This takes the right hiparound, but it will go down as well as around, forcing the rightleg to bend at the knee, the knee to turn in toward the left legand point toward the line of flight of the ball, and the right footto turn on the inside, from the ball of the foot to the great toe.This action of the right foot and leg, is the reverse of the actionof the left in the back swing. Both actions are caused by turn-ing "under the spine" while holding it still, as described in thearticle on the back swing. As the knees bend and "knuckle"in, in both the back swing and the down swing, they must notbe allowed to sag, or work loosely; they will be like the wrists,working easily, but full of snap. In the back swing, due toturning under the spine, the right side is put in tension and theleft in compression. In the down swing, this condition is reversed,the right side is put in compression and the left in tension.

To the point of impact, in the down swing, the action of thehips, legs and feet has been exactly reversed, to their action inthe back swing, but after impact, a change takes place, thelower end of the spine is allowed to go forward, slightly, butthe point between the shoulder blades is kept still, it is thepivot point of the entire action of the whole body in the downswing, everything works on it and around it. At the moment ofimpact, the hips are thrust forward, or rather the right hip isdriven forward and presses against the left, forcing it slightlyforward, and thus we get a feeling of the muscles of the lowerpart of the back being forced into the stroke. Mr. EdwardBlackwell, the famous Scotch amateur, reputed to be the longestdriver in the world, says that he wants to feel his back musclesworking, that if he does, he is surprised if he does not get a longball. It is only by swinging as I have indicated, with the hands,under the head, keeping the point mid-way between the shoulderblades still, the right shoulder, side, hip and knee, going downand forward, with the impulse of the swing of the hands, £hatthis sensation can be obtained. If the club is swung out andaround, then this compression of the right side does not takeplace, for the right shoulder, side and hip will also swing around,relieving tension, rather than inducing it, causing a sweepinghit, rather than a driving blow.

be practically vertical. If only the twisting motion of the hipstook place, then it would be practically horizontal. The twocircles are blended into one inclined circle, by the motions of thebody working in harmony, without a break in the operation.

From the top of the swing to the finish, the club-head hasbeen taken in slightly more than a complete circle. This circle,so far as the hands alone are concerned, is a vertical circle.But the twisting of the body at the hips, the revolving of theshoulders, all natural movements, consequent to the originalpositions and the swing of the hands, has caused this circle tobe an inclined one, at what angle I will not attempt to say.If only the hands and arms were allowed to work, then it would

The vertical swing of the hands, the straight forward move-ment after the ball is hit, is shown at the finish, in the same wayit was shown at the top of the back swing—they have departedfrom the straight line only so much as the turning of the bodyand the rotating of the shoulders took them. They are slightlymore around the body, than was the case at the top of the backswing, and for this reason: In the back swing, the body had tobe kept more severely under control, than it had after theimpact. The tension had to be maintained and controlleduntil it had accomplished its work. After the impact and thefull reaching out of the hands toward the direction of the flightof the ball, then some relaxation took place, which allowed of amore free sweep of the club around the body, than took placein the backward swing of the club. But even after impact,there was no complete breaking down of the tension, no collaps-ing, but a distinct sense of control was maintained until thefollow through was completed. All the photographs of thefinish show this. I took the photographs before the players hadhad time to "let go" of the tension and relax the body. Thephotograph of Taylor, especially, shows the maintenance oftension and control, long after the ball was struck, so far as theword long, in connection with time, can be applied to the golfstroke. It is used in a relative sense, only.

I shall now recapitulate slightly on the down swing. Waituntil the back swing is completed, until the wrists have droppedthe club into position, which will give you a sense of completecontrol and will prevent the much dreaded "fast back." Thenswing at the ball with the hands, and swing under the head.After impact, "stay with the ball"; that is, keep the hands andthe club-head going straight after it as far as you can reach,without letting the point of revolution or "ball and socket" goforward. Do not try to relax the grip at the top of the swingand don't try to tighten it at the moment of impact. The grip,as described, will do all these things at the proper time and inthe proper place; that is the reason for it.

Devote your attention to swinging at the ball, but aboveall, do not try to "get the body into the stroke." Getting thebody into the stroke, by any conscious effort on your partmeans pushing the right shoulder into the work ahead of itstime, and that means disaster.

Keep your eye on the ball. That means look at it whileyou are swinging the club back and continue to look at it untilthe club-head has driven it away, and you are conscious of look-ing at the spot where the ball was for an instant. If you dothis, and swing in the manner described, you will see your rightshoulder go under your head, and thus you will know you havenot looked up too quickly. "Look at what you are going to hitand then hit what you are looking at—while you are looking at it"

Before concluding this analysis of the driving stroke of thefamous golfers—and I hope I have made myself clear on thepoints I have attempted to explain—I would like to add a wordabout the position of the body at the address. It will be remem-bered that I said the principal reason for the left foot being backof the line of flight and having the ball opposite, or nearly so,the left heel—about three inches to the right of the left heel, as amatter of fact—was to automatically begin the turning of thebody to the right. This is exactly so; but this position servesanother purpose, hardly secondary to the original reason given,and that is, it takes the left side of the body out of the way afterthe impact, and permits the arms free and full opportunity tofollow the line of flight of the ball. To prove this in a satis-factory way to yourself, stand with the toes of both feet touchingthe line across the feet (see stance photo- (continued on page 52)

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G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

52

The Triumvirate Analyzed(Continued from page 26)

graphs), and try to swing the hands andclub straight forward along the line offlight, keeping the point spoken of as the"ball and socket" from going forward inthe slightest degree. Immediately thehands commence to go forward, after im-pact, a feeling of strain is felt in the left hip.There is a constantly increasing restraint,and one of two things must happen; thebody will sway forward or the hands swingaround to the left and away from the lineof flight, too quickly, and there is no"follow on." Either of these actions willeffect the stroke, not of themselves, butbecause they are the result of previousincorrect action. The sway will usuallyresult in a slice or the "heeling" of theball; the turning over of the hands tooquickly, as the ball is being hit, will cause a"pull." You will then find, that by takingthe left foot back from the line across thefeet, no difficulty in swinging the club andhands straight forward. The feeling ofrestraint on the left hip will not occur.But drawing the left foot too far back fromthe line, will result in a "slice." You musttherefore discover by experimenting theright degree of "open stance" for yourself,then stick to what you find is right." Bemoderate in all things."

If my efforts to analyze the methods ofthe great golfers, have helped you, I amglad. If you do not agree with me, cannotget good results from following the linesI have indicated, which are correct frommy point of view after a most careful studyof the "Triumphant Three," as well asothers, at least give me credit for anhonest effort to shed some light on a verydifficult subject. I have not intended toindicate at any time, certainly I have neversaid or thought, that the golf stroke was aneasy thing to accomplish correctly. But byintelligent study and practice, we can all dobetter.

I suppose it will be the same until theend of time. One day we will be in theseventh Heaven of happiness, we have"got it at last," and the very next day wewill be in quite an opposite frame of mind,will raise our voices in grief and lament,and will damn to the uttermost ends of theearth all the writers who have ever daredto attempt to lighten up, what, at the time,will appear to be one of the darkest mys-teries on earth, the thing which at timeswe love the best, and at other times hatewith a hate that passes understanding, theone and glorious game of all games, GOLF.If you feel that you must damn me andothers who have tried to help you, do asthe Chancellor in Charles Dickens's "Pick-wick Papers" did, he "damned hisself inconfidence" and thus escaped contemptof court.

(There will be further articles from Mr.Scott in the future.)

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G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

MR. SCOTT'S ANALYSIS REVIEWEDBy ROBERT STANLEY WEIR

Photographs Copyright by J. A. Scott

UNDER the caption of The Triumvirate Anal-yzed there appeared, in GOLF ILLUSTRATEDfor March, April and May last, a series of

articles purporting to be analytical of the methods ofBraid, Vardon and Taylor, and I may add Duncan,which, in common, I am sure, with all the readers ofthis magazine I have read with much interest. Thewriter of these articles, Mr. J. Albert Scott, has con-fined his analyses to the plain tee-shot with the driver,assuming, possibly, that the swing with iron clubs doesnot radically differ from the swing with the wood.If Mr. Scott has neglected for this reason to make aspecial study of the iron play of the champions it is,I think, to be regretted. Iron play presents theclearest and most evident revelation of any player'sessential style and a close study of the triumvirate atwork with their iron clubs might have modified certaingeneralizations as to their methods contained in Mr.Scott's articles.

For the zeal and obvious sincerity of Mr. Scottas a seeker after golfing truth there can be nothingbut praise; and for the soundness and excellence aswell as the freshness of much that he has put beforehis readers there can hardly be two opinions. Thathe is a careful observer is shown by the originaldiagrams which establish that the open stance reallygives the player a middle position quoad the ballalthough one, apparently, in rear of it (GOLF

ILLUSTRATED March, page 38). His analysis of theoverlapping grip is the most detailed and accurateI have read, although I might have added as one ofits special merits its automatic provision of an openright palm. The discovery that tension is muchpromoted by a minimum of relaxing in the grip I alsoregard as very valuable. Good, too, is the likeningof the golf impact to the throw of a stone underhand.Mr. Croome, I think, gave it to the world first; muchbetter is it than the simile of a carpenter and hishammer. The stone-thrower follows through; thecarpenter cannot. Very wise, too, is the advice:never to begin the downward swing until the upwardswing is completed. The only fault with the stereo-photographs is that they are too few.

Mr. Scott having devoted himself exclusively inthese articles to a consideration of the plain drive thereis perhaps a certain danger that some will considerthat stroke the key to the whole game. It must beremembered, however, that even from the teeing-ground there may be more than one kind of stroke;while the manipulations required for the use of dif-ferent clubs on a windy day, on rolling ground, on

sun-baked or rain-soaked turf, on fast or slow greensare of no small variety. A consideration of the plaintee-shot and of that alone is a very incomplete studyof any player's game. As Mr. Scott's articles stand,the caption The Triumvirate Analyzed is much toobroad. Their plain shots from the tee or through thegreen with driver disclose but a small part of theirsuperb play.

I must remark, as I begin, that there is one as-sumption, indeed there are two, underlying Mr.Scott's able articles, that may not, I venture to say,be entirely justified by facts. One is that Braid,Taylor and Vardon play their tee-shots with the woodin the same way; the second is that there is only onescientific method of executing those strokes. Nowthere is no doubt that Braid and Vardon as uprightswingers are to be distinguished from Taylor as aflatter swinger; while George Duncan's clubs moveon a plane still more vertical than even those of Braidand Vardon! Braid and Vardon certainly lift theirclubs and hands higher than their co-triumvir Taylor,and advance the right foot less by inches; moreover,they give decided bends to their left elbows in theswing-back; which Taylor does not. Edward Rayhas shown in Inland Golf, and a very sharp observeris Edward Ray, that Vardon drives largely for carry,Braid and himself for carry and run. Taylor, it iswell known, plays for a maximum of run. These factsgo to show that the champions cannot be classifiedunder one stereotyped style. There is, in point offact, no special triumvirate drive or method. Thethree do not fit one groove. I have observed thatMr. Scott has rather less to say of Taylor than ofBraid and Vardon and pictures him less. The reason,I venture to say, is that Taylor does not fit into thegeneral scheme of description, that includes the othertwo; and Mr. Scott has been unconsciously influencedby the fact. For example, the stances of Braid andVardon are shown, closely resembling each other; butnot that of Taylor. It is quite clear that the fourplayers named do not adopt the one style and yet allare unquestionably great golfers. One descriptioncertainly cannot properly apply to them all. I mayas well point out here that the "straight" left armwhich Mr. Scott commends and would have us believeto be a mark of "triumvirate" play is not a featureof Vardon's style: as witness his decidedly flexedelbow below and at page 108 of his book "How to PlayGolf." Nor, unless he has recently changed his form,is it a feature of Braid's as witness the pictures in"Advanced Golf." Taylor alone exhibits an unflexed

33

HARRY VARDONLeft arm flexed at elbow, right elbow extended, the hands high,

noticeable pressure remains on left foot

J. H. TAYLORUnflexed left elbow, hands raised to minimum height; swing lessvertical than Braid's, Vardon's or Duncan's; right elbow close in

elbow in his well known style, for there is a sugges-tion of flexion in Duncan too. The only points onwhich I should be inclined to say that the triumvirateabsolutely agree are two: they bring their wristsunder the club-shaft at the top of the swing, and theycontrive to time the stroke accurately. Apparentlyadopting a common grip they differ in the use of it;differ in stance; differ in height and plane of swing;differ in foot action; differ in manner of follow-through. I venture the assertion that an intelligentgolfer like Duncan or Sherlock or others that mightbe named could, with back to the teeing ground, tellby the course of the ball by which of the triumvirateit was driven on experiment.

I feel obliged to remark, in the next place, thatany formal or serious analysis of the drive or otherstroke should be presented in clear and unambiguouslanguage. I would not insist that the technical termsof physics or physiology be employed but, certainly,loose and inaccurate terms should be avoided. Thismuch is due to the game itself and to beginners. It iswrong, therefore, to describe the triumvirate as takingthe club ''straight back" or "straight forward." Theseexpressions are quite inaccurate and therefore mis-leading to the inexperienced. There are, of course,no "straight" motions in golf: all is of arc and curve.What Mr. Scott means by "the straight backwardswing of the hands" nobody can precisely tell. Thisshould be a matter for detailed, careful guidance; for,in the backward swing, the stroke as a whole is madeor marred. Mr. Scott has singularly little to say of

the start of the swing, the truth being that the essen-tials of golf are not all revealed to eye or stere-opticon.

Again, the casual advice to swing "straightforward"—to "keep the club-head going straightafter the ball as far as you can reach" I regard asdangerous advice although it has often been givenbefore. It shows disregard of the circularity of theswing, which "reaching" would tend to destroy.Better advice would be: Preserve the circularity ofthe swing: Do not keep the arms too long in the lineof flight; for, after all, the part of the swing thatreally matters is a very few inches before and afterimpact. Mr. Travis made that clear long ago.

"Straight left arm," too, means nothing; anunflexed left elbow would be intelligible. Besides, inso far as it suggests an outward extension of the leftarm, it is very misleading.

Another inexactitude of expression born of failureto distinguish between cause and effect is containedin this sentence:

"At the moment of impact the hips are thrustforward or rather the right hip is driven forward andpresses against the left forcing it straight forward, andthus we get a feeling of the lower part of the backbeing forced into the stroke."

Then follows a reference to the saying attributedto Mr. Edward Blackwell that he "always wants tofeel his back muscles working." The great Vardonalso, somewhere writes about this hip business withoutexplaining why or wherefore, and I have known

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G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

JAMES BRAIDLeft elbow unflexed, in this respect more like Taylor than Vardon

or Duncan

GEORGE DUNCANThe most upright of swingers. Square stance, slightly flexed left

elbow; hands very high necessitating extended elbow (right)

golfers sedulously trying aimlessly to accomplish it.How is it brought about, for neither Vardon nor Mr.Scott tell us? It is brought about by keeping thehead and body in the same plane, for an appreciablemoment after the impact, that they held before it.The head is turned sideways, often looking after theball, but still bent down in the attitude of havingone's ear to the ground; it has not followed on; theimpetus of the stroke, restraining a follow-on, causesthe left hip to go forward. This feature is particularlynoticeable in the play of Vardon, Mr. Blackwell and,I may add, Mr. Jerome D. Travers. For the samereason the muscles of the back feel the impetus; butneither those muscles nor the hips enter into thestroke; on the contrary, they resist it; hence thesensation of "back muscles working" and hips thrustforward.

All that Mr. Scott says about the hips being thrustforward and the back muscles working should havebeen ascribed to the importance and necessity ofkeeping the head in one plane.

But the most serious errors in Mr. Scott's golfingphilosophy are his conceptions of the backward swing.His errors are three (the usual number of shininggraces or deadly sins), and relate to the hands, thewrists and the body. The motions of these are ofcourse closely inter-related; for the golfing swing isone not three; but it is more convenient to discussthem apart. To make sure that I do not misapprehendthe unity of the back swing as Mr. Scott presents itI give my version of his theory succinctly as follows:

The hands are swung "straight back" to aboutthe height of the right ear; the wrists then allow theclub to drop quickly behind the head; but the actionof the hands as they move up to the level of the rightear is not independent; their action is caused by theturn or twist of the body; the club is not moved bythe arms of themselves; it is the body that directsthem. This is a condensed summary of Mr. Scott'stheory of the back swing and, as I am most anxiousnot to misrepresent him I shall quote, by permission,from a letter written to me by a mutual friend who isfavorably inclined to Mr. Scott's heresies, as I cannotbut think them, and has written to me about somepoints on which I was and still am sceptical. Doubt-less he is of opinion that it is I who am heretical.It will be manifest at least, that my esteemed cor-respondent understands Mr. Scott pretty much asI do.

"A very simple experiment," writes my friend,"will show you what Mr. Scott means by say-ing that the arms are not taken around thebody by any independent action of their own.Take a driver and address a ball with the openstance. Then, directly back of the line offlight, but out of reach, place some objects.Swing the club-head directly at this objectallowing the body to accommodate itself to thismovement of the hands and arms by pivoting.You will note that whereas you have made noattempt to get the arms around the body theynaturally follow that direction under no im-

35

G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

pulse of their own but under thedictation of the body twist."Of course, I think there is a psycho-

logical explanation of the situation sup-posed by my good friend. The arms areaccustomed to go by a certain route andthe body to twist in a certain way. I amasked to place an object out of reach andyet to swing at it. My arms and bodynaturally treat the whole experiment asa joke and go by the accustomed path.However we shall deal with this body-twist thirdly and lastly in this homily.Meanwhile, let us hope we understandeach other or rather that we understandMr. Scott.

Let us, first of all, consider Mr. Scott'sidea of how the British Triumvirate takethe hands back. They take them "straightback," we are told, to about the heightof the right ear. And yet he considersthe heel of the left hand as pivotal ofthe hands: (April Number page 20) asthe point around which the hands turn ongoing to the level of the right ear. Mr.Scott does not perceive that the pivotingof the hands round the heel of the left hand, usually referred toas the turn of the wrist, may be done with greater or less turning,resulting in more or less horizontal swinging; of which moreanon. He bids us swing the club "directly backward" and yetdeclares in another place:

"It was the twisting or turning of the body at the hips andthe rotating motionof the shoulders thathave taken the handsto a place that al-lowed the club-shaftto be dropped by thewrists."

When Mr. Scotttells us to swing theclub with the hands(his description of thetriumvirate f r e -quently taking theform of instruction tothe reader) I have noquarrel with him, butwhen he repeatedlyinsists in other partsof his writing thatthis is done by body-twist I find a seriousinconsistency in hislanguage. However,I am chiefly anxiousto understand histheory and I am sure,with my friend whoseletter I quoted, thathe holds to the body-twist as the realmotive influence ofthe swing-back.

I shall return tothe question of body-twist in a momentdesiring first to dis-pose of Mr. Scott's

JAMES BRAIDThis left springing finish indicates veryfree wrist action. Observe the left foot

heresy as to the hands. If Mr. Scotthad stuck to the notion of the heel of theleft hand being a pivot for the hands hemight have come upon the truth. But heleaves that after casual mention andreiterates that the hands go "straight upto the right ear." But he quite omits todescribe the manner of the going. Solong as we grip correctly, he tells us, thehands will go up correctly. Well, onewould say that if the movement of thehands depends for direction upon the gripit does not depend upon body-twist; un-less, indeed, Mr. Scott means that itdepends upon both. Well, let us say itdepends upon both; the refutation will bethe same; for we find that Braid, Vardon,Taylor and Duncan, using the same gripby choice and the same body-twist bynecessity, do not place their hands at thesame place at the top of the swing. Braidand Vardon come nearest to Mr. Scott'sstandard of the right ear; but Taylor'shands are below his right ear and Duncan'sabove his! Obviously there is somethingwrong with Mr. Scott's theory for we find

there are differences in the triumvirate at the very start of ouranalysis. Taylor's hands are barely up to his shoulder, whileDuncan's are over his head! It would be idle to say that the dif-ferences are due to differences in physique, when the reason liesplain before us. What is the reason? It is that the great playersnamed do not turn the left wrist inward at the beginning of theswing to the same degree. An early and rapid turn of the leftwrist as in the case of Taylor produces a flat or horizontal swing; atardy turn gives you the almost vertical swing of Duncan;Braid and Vardon, about equal in this particular, turn their wristsmore than Taylor but less than Duncan. Body-twist then hasnothing to do with these different planes of swing but wrist-turn has. The arms, therefore, guided by the initial turn of thewrist, hand or forearm, must have a certain independent actionof their own, according to the style of the player. These varia-tions in style which are quite as interesting as resemblancesshow that the masters of golf do not play in one stereotypedfashion.

There is another doctrine of Mr. Scott's, one with regardto wrist action, which I think either quite mistaken or unfortu-nately expressed—the teaching, I mean, that at the top of theswing the club-shaft should drop quickly and sharply at the in-stance of the wrists. We are all agreed that the wrists shouldcome under the shaft at the top of the swing, but is not this arelatively gradual movement from the beginning, as explainedabove, when accounting for the different planes in the swingsof the masters of golf? Taylor is very careful to warn his pupilsand readers on this point. The turning of the wrists on the wayto the top of the swing "commences" he says, "at the momentthe club-head leaves the ball and finishes at the top of theswing." Mr. Scott seems to see a very different method adoptedby the triumvirate, including even Taylor, as a few citationswill show:

"————— the hands will be stopped when they havereached a point about the height of the right ear and the club-shaft will drop to the position shown in the photographs [the topof the swing] by a sharp bending down of the wrists and thewrists only.

"It is this drop of the wrists without slackening the grip orgiving way anywhere that sets the tension for the down stroke.

"——— when you drop the club into position withthe wrists, it will just miss the head, the back of the headand finally come to rest (?) almost touching the back of the

36

GEORGE DUNCANThe hands have almost gone full circle,and the body is admirably restrained.How these wonderful players differ instyle! What they agree on is the invis-

ible timing of their power

G O L F I L L U S T R A T E D

neck close to the base of the skull."Over and over again we meet with

reference to the dropping of the club or,worse still, the dropping of the wrists.Once more, I am most anxious not tomisunderstand Mr. Scott and certainlynot to engage in a logomachic dispute.Let me say, therefore, that if by droppingof the club or of the wrists Mr. Scottmeans the completion of a swing initiatedby the wrists or hands—a semi-circularswing of the hands without sudden bendor break in it but which brings the wristsunder the club-shaft at the finish, a swingwhich is a beautiful curve from start tofinish and is, so to speak, all of a piece, Iam in full accord with him; and quarrelonly with his choice of words. But if hemeans by a drop of the wrists what isordinarily understood, i. e. a flexing of thewrists, I must entirely dissent. And yetI am free to say that although the feelingat this point is that the club is bent, to theeye it has all the appearance of a drop.I have asked onlookers to say, in myown case, whether I am bending ordropping the club, and although I maintain the firmness ofcontrol that goes with strict bending, observers frequentlyplump for "dropping." The eye and stereopticon, as I haveremarked, often mislead. I must also admit that "dropping" isperhaps more "apparent" in the swing of Vardon and Braid.In Taylor's swing there is no suggestion of dropping the wristsat all; they are obviously bent and under constant control.The swing is strictly all-of-a-piece.

We now come to what I consider the most extraordinary ofMr. Scott's heresies and shall strive to convince both him and hisreaders of his errors. Mr. Scott propounds the doctrine, as I andmy friend, whose letter I have quoted, understand it, that thearms, as they go back are, so to speak, "under the dictation ofthe body." Let us have a few quotations from Mr. Scott that wemay be quite sure of his contention. After describing the "dropof the wrists" to which I have just referred he goes on to say:

"Now, note carefully, you have not carried the handsaround the body a single inch by any independentmovement of their own. They have simply been swungbackward and upward—it was the twisting or turningof the body at the hips and the rotating motion of theshoulders that have taken the hands to a place that al-lowed the club-shaft to be dropped by the wrists to itscorrect position. In no other way can the club beswung directly to this point. If the hands are swungaround the body and the shoulders are allowed towork properly, then the dropping of the wrists, etc.etc." (April, GOLF ILLUSTRATED page 21).It is necessary to make allowances for Mr. Scott's way of

expressing himself at times. Nobody contends that "the handsare carried round the body." They usually remain at the right-hand side. It is sometimes contended with more truth, that theclub goes round the body. Nor does anybody seriously contendthat hands or arms have an absolutely independent motion oftheir own. Being well socketed to a serviceable trunk, usuallywarranted for at least three-score years and ten, they are in ameasure subservient thereto. But when Mr. Scott argues that"it is the twisting or turning of the body at the hips and therotary motion of the shoulders that have taken the hands up"I confess I rub my eyes and read him twice, nay thrice, to makesure I read him aright. In no other way, we are told, can theclub be swung directly to the point where the wrists are dropped!Is it the hips, then, or shoulders that do the swinging? Have

HARRY VARDONThis finish suggests a perfectly timed andenormous sweep by powerful and swiftarms, with less nip or snap than Braid

the arms a purely passive action? Surelythis theory as stated is the extreme ofphantasy. That there is a close andinterdependent co-ordination between apartial rotation of the body and the move-ment of the arms, for that matter of thefeet and legs as well, is elementary; butto contend, in effect, that the body isthe master of the swing and the armspurely passive instruments (for I can makenothing else of Mr. Scott's statement) isthe most extraordinary golfing propositionI have yet read. The most cursory ob-servation shows that the body alone, byrotation, cannot make the club traversean arc of more than ninety degrees; thatthe hands alone cannot quite reach a semi-circle, and that we need body, arms andwrist combined to complete the golfingcircle. Mr. Scott says in one place:

"The body must be twisted to the rightand it is only a matter of letting it con-tinue to do so as the club is swung backto get it fully and in the proper way."

Continue to do so. That is impossible.There are limitations to body rotation and

this Mr. Scott seems to have completely overlooked. Curiously,Mr. A. C. M. Croome in GOLF ILLUSTRATED for March comesperilously close to falling into the same pit as Mr. Scott. "Swingis body-action produced by the pivoting of the trunk round afixed back-bone," says Mr. Croome in an article entitled "AnAppeal to Nature." But how far, let me ask Messrs. Scott andCroome, can a humantrunk comfortablyand without doingextreme violence toitself pivot round itso w n back - bone?There may be con-tortionists who canexceed a small quar-ter-circle but imita-tion of them is not tobe commended. Mr.H. S. C. Everardlong ago summed upthis whole matter,with the help of adiagram, in ChapterV of his book on Golf.The wrists, the arms,the loins and back, hepoints out, are theseveral sub-divisionsof golfing powerwhich are mutuallycontributory and blendinto one harmoniouswhole. "Driving willbe good or the re-verse according tothe accuracy withwhich they synchro-nise at the psycho-logical moment ofimpact."

If any further wordneeds to be added by(Continued on page 49)

J. H. TAYLORThis finish shows great economy of move-ment. The sweep has been very swift butconcentrated. Having done the work theclub indulges in no flourishes. Taylordiffers from his fellow-players in almosteverything but timing

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MR. SCOTT'S ANALYSISREVIEWED

(Continued from page 37)

way of refutation of what has been imputedto the triumvirate I will point out that thereis absolutely no room for variation in thedirection of body-twist. One may swingmore or less flat or vertically, turn thewrists more or less in but, like the openingof a door, loin rotation is fixed. What,then, determines the varied angles at whichBraid, Vardon, Taylor and Duncan takeback their clubs, the varied heights of theirtops of swing if not the arms or at least thehands? In fact the pronator of the forearmis the rudder and initial power of the wholeback-swing, making it horizontal or verticaland saying whether it shall go beyond, belowor beside the right ear or other feature.The rotation, twisting or turning of shoul-ders, body and hips varies, not in direction,but only in degree. It has a limited radius;while the arms will give you the extrav-agantly full swing of Lady Margaret Scottor the restrained one of J. H. Taylor.

Pondering Mr. Scott's theory of body-twist and wondering what led him to adoptit and others to approve I have arrived at apossible explanation although not a justifica-tion. It is this. The partial rotation ofthe shoulders in the back-swing coincidesexactly with the movement of the arms;save, possibly, for the bending of the wristsat the top, which, though it should blendsmoothly almost imperceptibly with thewhole cyclic swing, seems to be an additionto it. Shoulders and arms, then, move inunison. This coincidence of movement hasI believe suggested this theory to Mr. Scottand I daresay the eye and camera have givenit apparent confirmation. The fact is,however, that the hands move much morerapidly than the shoulders; for they coverseveral times the distance in the same time.Measure the arc the shoulders describe;measure the arc the hands simultaneouslydescribe and you have the precise relativityof the two movements—a nice problem forany physio-golfer who could give us thearithmetic of it. This time-relation is thesource of Mr. Scott's theory; but thededuction that the body swings the arms isfallacious. The body cannot swing thearms faster than itself; nor for a greaterarc than itself describes. It coincides withthe arms; possibly it may suggest or"dictate," as my correspondent says, theline of retraction; more it cannot do.

I have now concluded as far as availabletime and space will permit the ungracioustask of criticism. It may be thought I haveput too much stress upon mere verbal ex-pression, but really, in that respect, I haveexercised restraint. It is of the highestimportance that the movements of golf-action be accurately and not loosely de-scribed. An excellent example of simple butscientific description of The Golfing Swinghas been given by Mr. Burnham Hare in hislittle volume published by Methuen & Co.Remarking upon the difficulty of describinga series of exceedingly complicated move-

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ments in language that admits of but oneinterpretation, Mr. Hare, in his analysisof the back-swing, shows that as far as thebody and arms are concerned there are twomovements which begin simultaneously andproceed in strict conjunction. They con-sist, first, of the more or less gradual prona-tion of the left hand, wrist or forearm, in-fluencing the whole arm and both arms untilboth wrists come to their proper placeunder the shaft at the top of the swing;second, of the forward rotation of the leftshoulder. As I have pointed out the firstmovement permits of much variety as toplane and height of swing; the second can-not well exceed ninety degrees. These twomovements explain in what respects thetriumvirate agree and differ. Chiefly theymust agree in ''timing of the stroke"; butI believe Edward Ray is quite right insaying that neither he nor his confrèresstrike the ball in precisely the same way.To analyze the triumvirate, indeed, woulddemand three separate and distinct analyses,and still a fourth would be required forGeorge Duncan, and a fifth for EdwardRay.

POSTSCRIPTUM

Mr. Scott is excellent in this perfectlysound and orthodox sentence: As the handswere leaders in the back-swing so they areleaders in the down-swing. But I cannotreconcile the first part of it with the theorythat body-twist is the agency that takes thehands or arms back.

It is much simpler, avoiding such termsas body-twist, body-turn, etc., to speak ofthe partial rotation of the shoulders. If theshoulders are turned, loins and hips mustconcur.

The injunction to swing under the headis simply a variant of keep the head still,keep the "eye on the ball." It is hardly animprovement because, taken literally, it isimpossible. What is really meant by allthree is keep the head in one plane of swing.

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