ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN GOLFERS

I have had one theory about golf ever since I was knee high to a duck: nature, with golfers in mind, shaped the right palm so that the left thumb fits into it perfectly. When the left thumb and the thumb pad of the right hand are welded together, the golfer's hands will stay together and work as one, and nothing is more fundamentally important than this.

Women golfers frequently want to know why they are hitting the ball straight but are getting no distance at all. Their trouble frequently is that their grip comes apart. Much more often than men, women will open their hands at the top of the backswing. They tend to do this because their forearms are not as strong as a man's. The constructive move, in any event, is to make sure that the left thumb and the right palm are in perfect contact with each other throughout the swing—and especially at the top of the backswing. If you have a genuinely welded grip, then, even if you are late with your footwork or some other aspect of the synchronized action of a fine golf swing, you will still produce a fairly good golf shot. What is more, keeping the two hands firmly together is the direct route not only to consistency but also to power.

from FAY CROCKER Club de Golf, Montevideo, Uruguay

PHOTO

TWO ILLUSTRATIONS

The left thumb fits perfectly into the thumb pad of the right hand. This welds the hands together.

NEXT WEEK: BILLY BURKE ON PRACTICING AT THE WALL