DRIVE IS MOST IMPORTANT SHOT IT IS CLAIMED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18380, 4 February 1928, Page 7

DRIVE IS MOST IMPORTANT SHOT IT IS CLAIMED.

EX-CHAMPION RELATES HOW HE TESTED IDEA. It has been my belief for a long time that the drive is the most important shot in golf, writes Willie Macfarlane, former American open champion. This is counter to the theory so often advanced that the short game is more vital. I had the opportunity of proving my theory, and T spent one of the most surprising afternoons of my life. I played Arthur Stebbins, whom I gave a stroke a hole. In the morning we played at Hudson River, where t allowed him twentv-two strokes, and beat him. In doing it I set a course xecord of 66. After the match he said, “ The big difference in our game is the drive. I’ll make you a little bet I can beat you without any handicap bv using your tee shot while you use mine.” It seemed an excellent opportunity to test my idea. We drove our best, and I managed to beat Stebbins by only a single stroke, 78 to 79. The difference in the drive cut about eleven strokes from his game, and added about eight to mine. The whole thing was a most amazing experience for me. Under modern conditions a good professional player is using a mashie for most of his second shots, for he does not miss many tee shots. Yet here I was using a brassie or a niblick playing his ball

{ ! »»ut of the rough. It was a strange | experience .for Stebbins, too, an experi- ! ence indicating that the mediocre | driver gets a lot more use of his clubs. { “ You fellows must find it monotonj ous as the deuce,” said he. “ I use ! the brassie, spoon, iron. You chaps, i after the drive, have only to get your 1 mashie shot close enough to the pin i to try for a birdie.” i Yes, I found that round of golf an i entirely new experience. You hear ! a lot about Bobby Jones’s great putj ting, but the run of golfer who shoots JSo would be well down in the 70’s could he get Bobby’s crashing 275yds ] tee shots. (Copvright, 1928. in all countries, by ! " N.A.N.A.)