Especially useful for the middle-handicap golfer

When average golfers attend a major tournament, they are often struck by how long the top pros hit their shots and yet how easily they seem to swing at the ball. It takes effort to hit a golf ball—make no mistake about that—but a top pro's swing gives the impression of ease because his over-all timing is so precise. The power supplied by the body blends perfectly with the action of the hands.

In my case, the big thing in coordinating the body with the hands is keeping my right elbow tucked in close throughout the swing. By doing this, you tie in the action of the right side with the blow, and it's the right side that supplies the power behind a shot. To look at it the other way—if you have a floating right elbow that gives your body no chance to get its contribution in, you're just slapping at the ball with your arms and your hands. The body is dormant. The leading pros naturally have different features they have worked on and continue to work on to achieve the integration of the body and the hands, but I pass the "tucked-in elbow" on to you because it is an essential part of every fine golfer's swing.

from ED FURGOL, Westwood Country Club, Clayton, Mo.

TWO PHOTOS

ILLUSTRATION

At the moment he makes contact with the ball, Furgol's right elbow is practically glued to his side

NEXT WEEK: HOMER HERPEL ON THE LENGTH OF THE SWING