Show Tales ofa Dy Wayside lide sliCE Tee Tommy Armour open golf colt cham cham- champion champion champion pion of the United States Is some some- something somethIng I thing more than a a. fine mechanical golfer with consistent strength to his game all the way through Armour I Is Is one of U mo mot t studious and ob observing ob- ob serving types In golf golt Including ama ama- amateurs amateurs tours and pros Knowing how closely he had fol fol- followed followed fol- fol lowed hewed cause and effect in relation to Lo Lothe the swing awing I asked him what he con con- considered con con- considered considered the main general fault among Rmon most golfers and the remedy If any Failure to pivot or to turn he said The Tho average avera golfer doesn't t let his body work with the swing s And the failure In pivoting Is largely due to stiffness tenseness and lack of confidence A few days ago continued the open champion I ran across a golfer golter who ho was slicing terribly He was deeply discouraged as 15 he said he had tried everything to cure this I watched him swing awing and saw that his body was locked that he wasn't pivot pivot- pivotIng Ing tag at all There was no turn tum to the left knee and left shoulder to lot the left side Ide follow the back swing It took just about two minutes to set et this pivot working and the slice dis disappeared appeared He had been too tense to tomake tomake tomake make any turn In his despair over o er erthe the slice he was also Gripping the club about twice as tightly as ho should have done so it wax was impossible Impossible sible to get any head club h ad speed worked up upI upI upI I know one of ot the best host pros In Ingolf ingolf golf olf who might be used as M an exam exam- ole Armour went on oi He lets the left side work perfectly shoulder should hip end knee under ordinary conditions But If a critical moment comes up where much may depend on one shot he Is almost certain to cut off orr the pivot and attempt to hit the ball with onlY his hands and arms keeping the bodY entirely out of the Now you can cant can't t keep sour our body out of th swing You cant can't even keep vor or bodY out cit in th a base base- baseball baseball ball which is a 1 much simpler mat mat- matter matter matter ter than a a. olf club Just trY It some time The body turns with the b movement mO of the tho j rm erm and ball It must turn wIts with he the backward movement of the club dub head bead hut But even for a good court protes lonal golfer there is a J. J terrible tem temo- to tighten n un ur and k keep ep th the tho bodY ot oft at P P. critical moment It Is t twice as hart hard to In I I pivot at a critical cal moment us RS it Is 15 I. I with nothing luch mch at stake TT The tend un un- under under un- un under der e Is t tI tA talc a grIn and awl to Lo hit mainly Ith te the hin 1 s wrists n s and arms But Dut it cant can't bi be b done d You can take f pv nv rood pro or any Rny poM amat ur amat-ur ur and an he can po go along well enough easily h until he e elmp comes to some ome hard s nt In a 1 b bl natch under pressure Her TIers you will see fee his hiI swin change f- f it wont won't be l nearly as ea nl played Ived ved r sr r s ns natural Th The pivoting will us lly be noor Now N W your ava- ava a ate te e golfer fc Is always alvay facing a condi condI- condition condItIon tion lion of this set He lie Is h always vs tin nfl tinker ker pressure for h he Is I none x t certain lain tain phout his dUtan distan dl tan or 01 his ILI c con con- n- n rol HP Ne is always subjected to the t fn I no ItO and h corr tense So this pivoting Is nearly al al- al ways poor and Is responsible for a abig abig abig big part of his poor timing and his bad had swinging He wont won't let the left side turn naturally with the back swing If he would with the Ule weight carried to the right foot toot and right leg he ho would then be In far better position to lo hit the ball a J. J longer way wayan and an to keep It under better control But I know just how he feels So does every other golfer It feels safer not to turn and to merely hit the ball with the hands and wrists and arms anns But this locks up the back hack swing and It kills power In Ire the down downswing downs swing s ing There can be no free clastic elastic swing with a J. J body as stiff as a tele tele- telegraph telegraph telegraph graph pole Dont Don't t be afraid to pivot Let the left side turn naturally and move with the back swing and end If It does the Ule down swing will wUl usually take care of Itself If one isn't too eager to hit or too anxious to kill the ball Which Is about as sound advice as one can take home to think about and later practice |