For golfers of all degrees of skill

During my career in golf I have seen countless poor shots caused by all kinds of errors. However, if I were asked to name the one chief error that undermines both the high- and low-handicap players, I would without hesitation nominate the almost universal striving for greater distance. Though I am a naturally long hitter, I have been subject myself to this fault from time to time, so I know from my own experience how disastrous it can be. By pressing for extra distance, you hope to gain added yardage, but what happens is that you lose your balance and your timing, and all you gain are added woes: O.B. and P.L.—out of bounds and probably lost.

When I was a young girl just setting out in golf, I knew that my appeal for the spectators was my ability to smack the ball farther than a good many low-handicap men players. All I did for a while was to try to hit the ball a mile. I made my point. I was known as a long hitter. But I was so erratic that I wasn't really much of a golfer. It was only when I got some common sense and started to build a sound swing on a sound foundation that I began to become a player.

BABE ZAHARIAS, Tampa, Fla.

TWO PHOTOS

ILLUSTRATION

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