ON THE LINKS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 14, 27 October 1938, Page 2

ON THE LINKS

PLAYING IN A WIND. REASONS FOR FOOZLING. One reason why the average golfer does so badly in playing in a wind, or in playing from a' difficult lie, is that so often he has already foozled the shot in his mind before he even comes to hit the ball. It is no good tackling a difficult shot with an expectation of disaster. In such circumstances confidence and determination are more necessary than ever. On the other hand, it is no good rushing the shot with the idea of getting a bad business over. Take the trouble to learn the theory of the way in which each difficult shot should be played and you will be able to set about it with a smile. The shot into the teeth of . the wind always seems to trouble the handicapplayer and even among first-class golfers you will find differences of opinion as to wliat alteration should bo made in the swing of this shot. Some prefer to play the ball more off the right foot than usual, while others have the position of the ball the same as usual but keep their weight more on the left leg throughout the swing—leaning on the wind, as I have heard it described. Personally I adopt the one method with the wooden clubs and the other with the irons. For a drive into the wind I play the hall from the left foot just as I would normally do, and “lean on the wind.” I believe this to be the sounder method with the driver; owing to the face being straight, there is a danger of the shot being smothered if you try the alternative method of teeing the ball further back. This applies equally in the case of the brassie, but with the more lofted clubs I believe the method of playing the ball off the right foot to he the safest, because in this case you have the loft of the club as a safeguard against the danger of smothering the ball.

The shot through a cross-wind blowing from left to right I consider the most difficult of all the shots that have to be played in the wind. One method of dealing with it is simply to aim out to the left and allow for the wind blowing the ball back on .to the lino again. Some players seem to be very success ? ful with this. The other plan is to roll the right wrist over the left at the moment of striking, so as to bring tihe club on to the ball with the face shut, as if you were attempting to put a bit of draw on the ball and so hold it. up against the force of the wind. Firstclass players for the most part adopt the latter method, but both methods require a lot of skill and a lot of practice. Go out on the .course and try both methods. You will learn a lot. ✓ Allow for the Wind. A cross-wind blowing from right to left does not present nearly so difficult a problem. In this case stance and swing remain perfectly normal. Avoid any tendency to shut the face of the club and allow for the wind by aiming slightly out to the right. - r .

Akin to the shots that have to bo played in a wind are the shots that have to be played off sloping 'ground. The secret of all these shots is -contained in the one word “balance.” A player who lias not got the instinct of body balance may bo a fair performer with every kind of shot, but an uneven stance will find his weakness out every time.

A “hanging lie”—a lie on ground which is sloping downwards toward the direction in which we want to play, so that our left foot is on a lower level than our right—is the stance which probably gives the handicap golfer more trouble than any other. In playing from these uneven stances a good general rule to remember is that the greatest part of the weight should always be on the foot which is lower than the other.In this case it will naturally be on the left leg with the ball more nearly opposite the right foot than the left, but you must be careful not to get the right foot too near the ball, as this would cramp the swing. Now comes the important matter of balance. You must keep the same distribution of weight as you had in taking up the stance. The weight is on the left foot during the whole swing and on no account must there be any transference of weight on to the right. Any attempt to do so can only end in a disastrous foozle and a huge divot being removed from behind the ball. As in most shots in golf, the head of the club at the moment of impact should be following the line of the ground, so in this case the club head will be travelling downward. If this is accomplished and the club you are using has a sufficient degree of loft on it, the ball will get up quite high enough . In the shot from an uphill lie the procedure is the reverse of that you have adopted for a hanging lie. In this case you must keep the weight on the right foot, with the ball more or less opposite the left heel. All that remains is to keep the body and head still and endeavour to keep the club head travelling along the contour of the ground as before. In this case one can and should use a straight-faced club if a good distance has to be covered, and in any case one should always use a less lofted club than you would take for the same distance in playing from a flat stance, as the ball will be driven higher into the air and therefore will not go so far. A point that is perhaps worth mentioning is that in most shots from bad lies and uneven stances from cuppy or hanging lies, or when you are standing above or below the ball—it is a good plan to kf>ep the face of the club shut, with the toe slightly turned in. The one exception is the case of an uphill lie, for which the faco should be kept open.