A BLAST FROM THE PAST THAT'S WORTH FLIPPING OVER : THIS WEEKEND.

Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox

``If there is one thing in golf that has contributed to the low scores turned in by professionals it is the art of recover (sic) from bunkers. . . . So it is not astonishing that the professionals score as well as they do with their openly flaunting attitude toward trouble.''

Former Masters and back-to-back U.S. Open winner Ralph Guldahl in his instructional flip book ``Groove Your Golf,'' circa 1939.

Before there was video tape and super slow motion, flip books offered average golfers the best view of the best swings from the game's early days.

And Guldahl's observation about sand play is as solid today as when he first offered it nearly 60 years ago.

Guldahl, one of the most dapper players of the 1930s, shared his thoughts on the swing with members of Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, where he was the head professional from 1961 until his death in 1987. Now the club, led by general manager Mark Murphy and Guldahl's son, Ralph Jr., have revived and republished the flip book under the title ``Tee to Cup.''

Five thousand copies were printed and it's available in the pro shop for $12.95.

Murphy and Guldahl began working on the book last year and unveiled it along with a life-sized statue of the World Golf and PGA Hall of Fame member at the annual pro-am earlier this year that bears the family name. Ralph Jr. served as the book's editor. Guldahl was living in Coral Gables, Fla., when he put the book together starting in 1938.

``He took a couple of months off and analyzed his own swing, which didn't do him a whole lot of good,'' Ralph Jr. recalled. He was a pretty good natural player and dissecting your swing inch by inch wasn't the way to do it.''

Guldahl had one of the best games and swings of his era, which included Sam Snead and Byron Nelson. The former Texan won consecutive Western Opens, a big event in its day, from 1936 through 1939, and a total of 14 PGA events. He was undefeated in Ryder Cup competition.

Ralph Jr. took up the game, too, and he has fond memories of watching his dad play. Today he lives in Torrance and is manager of the technical service department at Elderbrock Corp., which makes high-performance automobile engine accessories.

He's an honorary member at Braemar but plays only once a year in the pro-am honoring his father.

``He really had the first modern golf swing,'' Ralph Jr. said of his father's game. ``He swung the club very much on line. His follow-through has the great extension just like any golfer on the tour today. He used an open stance on his irons and you see a lot of that today.''

The book's format may seem to be a little confusing and hard to get used to. On one side of a page is a picture and some text. Turn the page and the photo and text is upside down and backward. Flip the pages fast in one direction and and Guldahl's shot game swing appears. Turn the book over and repeat the process and you can get a glimpse of the long swing.

And it is actually a fun, quick and informative read. The photos are neat too, including snapshots of instructional panels that appeared in various newspapers.

And some of Guldahl's tips are as solid today.

For example, Guldahl writes that: ``The explosion shot is the only answer to consistent and dependable bunker play.''

Players today, from public links courses to the PGA Tour, still try to lift bunkered balls out on a cushion of sand. The current issue of ``Golf Digest'' suggests that when in a green-side bunker golfers take ``more sand and more swing'' than they think they will need.

And this is Guldahl's advice on putting: ``The slightest movement of the body, especially on the very short putts can easily change the groove of the putting stroke.''

How many times have television analysts noted stray movements of the head and hands just after a player blows a short putt?

Guldahl grew up in Dallas and learned the game studying good and bad players at Randall Park. He learned enough to become quite an accomplished player.

The legendary Sam Snead found out just how good Guldahl was in the 1939 Masters and reflected on that experience in the new version of the book.

In that tournament, Snead finished with a 280 and three-stroke lead and knew that Guldahl, who was still on the course, would need to play the back nine in 33 and shoot a then-record 279 to win.

History did not seem to favor Guldahl. But Snead recalls his opponent ``just went into a groove.''

The turning point was the par-5 13th, the final leg of Augusta National's ``Amen Corner.'' In the 1937 and 1938 tournaments, Guldahl made solid contact with a three wood, but both balls encountered a suddenly freshening wind and hopes for victory died in Rae's Creek. Guldahl finished second both years.

In '39 he went for the green again and was rewarded with an eagle.

``He had the guts to let it fly,'' Snead wrote. ``You have to admire Ralph for beating 13 and me that day.''

Now Ralph Jr. would like to have a major publisher pick up the book so his dad's advice would be available to a wide range of golfers.

But it might be hard to duplicate that natural swing.

``Mom was the envy of all the professionals' wives back then. After the round my dad would just take a shower after his round and say, `Where are we going to dinner?' And the other pros would be out on the range blasting balls just like they are today,'' Ralph Jr. said.

Senior exhibition: Lexus Challenge, Saturday-Sunday, La Quinta Resort and Club, Citrus Course, La Quinta (TV: NBC, Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m.).

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