Harry’s game

IT IS 1900 and with three Open Championships under his belt and already dubbed ‘The Napoleon of Golf’, Harry Vardon had developed the most rigorous practice regime any golfer in the game’s history had ever followed and one that would not be emulated until Ben Hogan came along.

He learned early in life that the only difference between realising a dream and losing oneself in fantasy was back-breaking work. Hour upon hour was spent learning the secrets of every stick in his bag, mentally rehearsing every on-course scenario.

Throughout the history of the sport to this point, golfers had been holding the shaft of the club like a baseball bat. On his own, Harry had come up with an innovative overlapping grip that locked his powerful hands into a single unit, delivering a harder, surer strike. The ball obeyed him like a circus animal; fades and draws appeared on command and his standard shot flew straighter than bullets. All this with just eight clubs in his bag.