Man’s arms have always been of great service to him. In the arboreal age
they helped him swing from tree to tree. Later they were useful for
transporting Christmas bundles, embracing the lady of his choice, making
political speeches, and so on. But man’s arms were never designed for
putting; this is work for the wrists. These are well-oiled hinges, easily
controlled; they can be trained to work almost automatically; they can
brush a ball a few inches or they can flick it a hundred yards; they can
caress or smite. Even in the long drive it is the turn of the wrists that
puts the pace on the ball. When professional coaches play they play with
the wrists; when they instruct the novice they spend their time telling
him how to wave his arms. There are a few exceptions.
Let us return to the ball, as the novelist “returns to his story.” We
left it two feet from the hole. To propel it so that it will strike the
back of the cup it is necessary to take the putter straight back. Stand
as close to the ball as the lie of the putter allows. Face as you please;
it pleases me to face along a line at an angle of forty-five degrees.
Having soled the club, anchor your elbows to your body, and don’t weigh
anchor for an instant. You can take the club back along the extension of
the imaginary line between the ball and the hole by bending, not turning,
the wrists, but there is lack of freedom. You can also take it back by
turning the left wrist inward, as in the full iron shot, but the clubhead
will leave the line. A third way remains—to violate one of the best
rules of golf and turn the left wrist outward. The turn must be decided
and it suffices to lift the putter and keep it on the line. Make the turn
slowly and let the clubhead swing forward smoothly.
Concerning the putt of greater length than three or four feet, I am not
disposed to be dogmatic or ride a theory to death; besides, I should
inevitably collide with that nebular hypothesis of golf known as “the
feel of the club.” But for a yard putt I don’t care how the club feels if
I can keep the ball on a straight line to the hole. O’Neill refuses to
subscribe entirely to my method. He flatters me by saying I can putt any
fashion. Even if this were true, which it is not, I can putt best in the
way indicated.