Henry Cotton’s Methods In Golf Contrasted With Others

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 222, 22 September 1934, Page 12

Henry Cotton’s Methods In Golf Contrasted With Others

TT IS, perhaps, only natural that with the rise of a new personality in golf there should be a feverish desire on the part of the public to adopt, as far as is possible, his style and his methods. Ir. the case of R. T, Jones, a characteristic of style is the narrow stance, the feet being no more than a foot apart; in Walter Hagen it is the putting method with the ball opposite the left foot; in Gene Sarazen it is the interlocking grip; in Henry Cotton it is the shortened swing. Already, I have noticed (says the golf critic of a London paper) a tendency among some of my golfing friends to cut down the length of their swings in the belief, no doubt, that even if they do not become champions, they v/ill at least become scratch players.

The credulity of golfers is amazing; they will jump at any tip, hoping that it will provide the key to the hidden secret. Let me assure them that, standing with feet close together, or the use

of the shortened swing, will no more make them first-class players, than would be the case if they stood on their heads for a given period every day. Jones adopts the narrow stance because it assists him to obtain a complete and unrestricted body-pivot; Cotton adopts the three-quarter swing because it enables him to secure the maximum of club-control, which, in nis view, is the secret of good golf. This is also the view of A. H. Padgham, another of the leading players who has deliberately cut down the length of swing. The fact that Cotton finished first and Padgham third in the open championship will probably be regarded as an irresistible argument in favour of the restricted swing. I do not agree. There is no evidence that their degree of control would be any tlie less with a full swing. Cotton and Padgham's clubhead-control is no more nronounccd than was the case with Vardon or Jones, who, with full

THE SHORTENED SWING ; HOLDING ON WITH THE LEFT HAND

shots, swung well below the horizontal. I do not wish it to be understood that I am decrying the shortened swing; on the contrary, it is more likely to produce better results than swinging wildly round one’s neck with no idea of where the clubhead is at any stage. Definite Advantages.

In the case of well-built men and late beginners, the shortened swing, with the hands going no higher than the point of (he right shoulder, offers definite advantages. First of all, bodybalance is more likely to be preserved, and, secondly, the shot will be better timed. With the short swing, however, there is always the, danger of snatching, and this must be avoided at all cost?. The smooth, leisurely swing of Cotton, with the head turned away to the right, and acting as the anchor of the movement, is-the very poetry of motion. So it is in the case of Padgham, but scarcely to the same degree, _ because of a peculiar looseness of grip which sometimes gives a sense of insecurity. Most great golfers have invented a slogan to describe what, in their view, is the essence of the all-important movement. In the case of Jones it is, “Wait for it,” meaning that the player should be in no hurry to hit, but should wait for the clubhead and body to get into position before attempting to deliver the blow. In Cotton’s case it is “Hang on with the left hand.” It is his belief that more shots are ruined by letting go with the left at the most vital part of the swing —at the top—than anything else. If at the top the grip is loose or fiabbv, it is almost a certaintv that the hands will change their position on the shaft, with the results that can well be imagined. A change amounting only to the smallest fraction of an inch is calculated to produce a shot entirely different from that intended. When next you find the ball constantly flying to the right, or failing to rise from the ground, examine the grip when at the top of the swing; make sure that you are holding on and that the hand has not shifted its position. In order to maintain this constant grip—not too tight, of course—Cotton wears a glove; indeed, so do many of the modern golfers. Right-hand “Hook.” As to the right, hand, Cotton’s grip is very similar to that of Jones, except that it is not quite so far over the shaft. But there is a great similarity in the , pronounced “hook” on the shaft formed by the first finger. This hooked joint not only gives added control, but makes for greater power of shot. Another characteristic of style is the stance and address. Jones stood nearer to the ball than anv of the other famous international players, but Cotton creeps as close as any player I have yet come across. I am sometimes left wondering how he prevents himself falling backwards at the vital moment of the swing-im-pact. Not only does he maintain a perfect balance, but he goes right through the ball with the inside-to-out method of swinging. In his putting experiments, Cotton has discovered that the method giving the best results is with stiff wrists. At no time during the backward, or forward, swing are the wrists allowed to break; _ once they do the putt is sure to be missed. Wrist-putting, says Cotton, allows so much scope for error that the wonder is anybody ever perseveres with the method. At the same time, none of the first-class players putts with stiff wrists, flexibility and movement being noticeable in each. For example, Jones, one of the best putters, takes the club back with the left hand, making use of the wrist as a hinge in doing so, and brings the club back with the right, the left hand being employed as a fulcrum for the blow. Cotton has returned to the Waterloo Club, Brussels, where he begins immediate practice, so he tells me, for next year’s championship at Muirfield, “which I intend to win or know the reason why.” His ambition in life is to go on winning the championship, and he knows of nothing now that he_ has begun the process to prevent his ideal from being realised.