Restricted Swing Helps To Hake Byron Nelson Age Of American Golfers

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 256, 28 October 1944, Page 2 (Supplement)

Restricted Swing Helps To Hake Byron Nelson Age Of American Golfers

What fun does Byron Nelson get in shooting par on par? With many birdies interspersed along the ancient green? What fun does Byron Nelson get with each shot straight and far, With 4's and 3's and even 2's to build the perfect scene? This must be so monotonous it gets upon your nerves, To never see a patch of rough or sand where one can brood. Would I trade all my slicing arcs and all my hooking swerves For Byron Nelson's perfect play? You bet your shirt I would.

BYRON NELSON, the Texan now at Toledo, has already cracked all past money and bond-winning records for competitive golf. Before the year is out he is sure to pass the '50.000-dollar mark, which is a Mount Everest altitude in the ancient and honourable pastime of pasting the pill. Slightly changing an old query— "Upon what swing doth this, our Nelson bank, that he has become so great?" In pursuit of this information we called upon Al Ciuci, professional at the Fresh Meadow Country Club, and one of the best instructors and smartest observers of them all. Ciuci has played and worked with such stars as Sarazen and Nelson for many years. He knows most of the answers. Here is Al's angle on the Nelson rulership of golf:

Face Closed At Top "In my opinion the success of Brvon Nelson is due to his sound golf swing. Just what does this mean? It means .for a start that he has firm, uncocked hands and wrists at the top of his backswing. This gives him a closed face. He has a solid strong right leg bearing his weight, and what is more important—a restricted pivot on his backswing. "His head is at all times back of the ball, which accounts for his body being back of the sphere until the hit and his hands move on to complete a smooth follow through. With this type of swing he can rarely push the ball off line. If any error occurs, he will hook.

"Nelson's backswing reminds me of Douglas Edgar, who you remember well. In my opinion Edgar was the finest iron player of all time. I played with Edgar in the Metropolitan Open of 1920 and I never saw anyone before or since hit so many iron shots so close to the pin and miss so many short putts. Edgar was a great instructor as well as a fine player and he started a system of club swinging that came along to Nelson many years later on. "Don't forget also that Nelson is a .determined competitor who is usually able to concentrate fully all the way through a tournament. This is just as important as a correct swing."

Jones, Snead and Others "In my opinion," Ciuci continued, "the two finest full pivots and wide backswings belong to Bobby Jones and Sammy Snead. These two were and are something to watch. Snead has all the smoothness and rhythm of Jones,-plus more power, in hands and shoulders. If Snead only had the concentrative control of Hagen and Jones he could be an all-time marvel. I've never- seen anyone get such results with such ease—not even Bobby. "Nelson's swing is easier to keep under control than either Snead's or Bobby's. His restrained pivot, his

restricted wrist action, give him better control of the club head, round after round and month after month. 1 haven't 'figures at hand, but my guess would be that Nelson is far more than a hundred strokes under par since he began play m the spring. Jug McSpaden hung on to him along money lines for many weeks, but no one could quite match Byron's dizzy consistent pace.

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"In this rating of Nelson I am taking nothing away from the stars of the past. Having played with most of the best golfers for 20 years, from all over the globe, I realise that the low scores turned in by golfers to-day don't mean that they hit the ball any better. As you know, the equipment years ago was far inferior to our modern clubs and balls, and so was the playing condition of most of the golf courses, especially the greens. Yet as the years go along, every sport that can be measured or timed shows improved play. Gene Sarazen, certainly one of our greatest golfers, is playing as well to-day as he ever aid for shorter stretches. Gene has had a flock of tournament 69's, but 72 holes make a long march for a golfer who has been around some 23 years in tournament play." "How would you compare Nelson with Jones and Hagen?" I asked Ciuci.

Only a Fair Putter "Jones and Kagen have so many championships that I've lost track," Al said. "I still think Nelson can keep on hitting his irons and woods more consistently than either. Byron makes fewer mistakes from tee to green. But don't forget that Jones and Hagen were two of the greatest putters golf has ever known—especially under pressure. Nelson is only a fair putter. Not bad—but certainly no Hagen, Jones or Horton Smith. After he retired from competitive golf in 1930 Bobby lost that smooth, flowing stroke. But he was a marvel from 1920 to 1930. After all, putting is a big part of golf. About 40 per cent of all 18-hole strokes take place on the greens on a general average. Nelson has good days and bad days around the greens. Jones and Hagen rarely had anything but brilliant play on the last road into the cup. "I forgot to say," Ciuci added, "that Nelson begins cocking his wrists just at the start of his downswing. He does this with all clubs. I read where Bobby Jones told you he did the same thing with his pitches in 1930, when he did his finest work. He was deadly then up to the pin. This gives you an idea of Nelson's uncanny accuracy with any club he happens to pick out."