RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33254, 18 June 1973, Page 19

RANDOM REMINDER

SWINGING SET

A somewhat bemused beginner at the game is not entirely convinced that, almost everyone can learn to play golf. From a local professional he has absorbed many of the do’s and dont’s and concludes that the whole exercise is more of a memory test than a hit and miss sort of affair. It seems that once a player has mastered the grip and stance, all he has to bear in mind, in the brief two-second interval it takes to swing, is to keep the left elbow pointed in towards the left hip and his right arm loose and closer to the body than the left . . . and take the clubhead past his right knee . . . and then break the wrists at just the right instant while the left arm is still travelling straight back from the ball and the right arm stays glued to the body . . . and the hips come around in a perfect circle.

And meanwhile everything will be mucked up unless the weight is 60 per cent on the left foot and 40 per cent on the right at the start . . . not an ounce more or less . . . and at just the right point in the turn the left knee bends in toward the right in a dragging motion until the left heel comes off the ground ... but not too far . . . and be sure the hands are over the right foot . . . but not on the toe more than the heel. . . except that the left side of the right foot is tilted off the ground . . . but not too far . . . and be sure that the hands at the top of the swing are high and the shaft points along a line parallel with the ground . . . and if it’s a downhill lie the shaft is supposed to be pointed downhill, too . . . and pause at the top of the swing and count one, jerk the left arm straight down like a bellringer yanking a

belfry rope . . . and don’t uncock the wrists too soon and pull the left hip around in a circle . . . but don’t let the shoulders turn with the hips, they have to be facing the hole—and now transfer the weight 60 per cent to the right foot and 40 per cent on the left . . . not an ounce more or less . . . and tilt the left foot'now so the right side of it is straight . , . that’s the one you hit against . . . watch out for the left hand, it’s supposed to be extended ... but not too stiff or the shot won’t go anywhere . . . and don’t loosen it or you’ll hook . . . and let the wrists uncock ... but don’t force them or you’ll smother the shot . . . and don’t break too soon but keep your head down . . . then hit the ball. That’s all there really is to it. Anyone for tiddlywinks?