GOLF

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 184, 2 May 1929, Page 8

GOLF

By

“NIBLICK"

The victory of the British Ryder Cup team over America revenges their defeat of two years ago, and it would now appear as if the pendulum is swinging in favour of British golf. There was no great disparity in the foursomes, but in the singles the Britishers proved their worth. C. A. Whitcombe (Britain) has come through with an unbeaten record. This was Whitcombe’s fourth Ryder Cup match, and his victory by 19 and 18 in 36 holes over Johnny Farrell, m American open champion, was decisive, rhe greatest match of the meeting was between George Duncan and Walter Hagen, the best match player in America. Dunean must have played splendid golf to win by the largest margin of the day. Particularly gratifying was the victory of Harry Cotton* the British junior, over Watrous, who went under by only one stroke to Bobby Jones in the British open ehampionship of 1926. “One More From America.” “Blinders” are said to be the latest innovation in America (says a contemporary). They are in effect blinkers, strapped on to exclude from the sensitive golfer such distracting things as flying newspapers, flapping skirts, inquisitive birds, gently swaying brush in the rough, the hand of a friend put over his mouth to hide a remark, ‘‘Now he 11 duff it, and perhaps more than anything else, the strained nervous tension apparent in crucial moments on the faces ot those who wish him well. The device would be incomplete without ear pads to exclude the twitter of the fashionable laity which accompanies all galleries, and, of course, deafness is also assured. Golt for this man is to be nothing like the movietones, though he will still have the deep satisfaction of hearing his own muttered imprecations, if he speaks loud enough tor everybody else to hear. All innovations seem ridiculous at first, and it is what a nervous golfer sees out of the tail or his eye that spoils his putt. If an eyeshade for a rifle shot, why not blinkers for the golfer? One is reminded of the golfer who claimed to get his best instruction for the golf swing from a hole in a plank nailed to the rafters in the basement, which came down only as far as his chest. The plank was pendant between him and the practice ball, and he affirmed that it not only cured him of swaying, but that keeping his face exactly in front of the hole taught him more about hip, knee, and foot work. Remember the Putter. To those who are taking up golf as a pastime and desire to achieve a measure of success the necessity of practising all the shots that must be employed in a round is obvious, says “Divot,” in the “Otago Daily Times.” That this is so is evidenced by the number of players to be seen on almost every golf course patiently practising driving, brassie shots, and iron shots. The mashie and mashieniblick are not neglected, but the putter does not receive the measure of attention it should. When the nutting is bad more than half the strokes in a round are made on the greens. That putting does constitute one-half of the game can easily be tested by considering the par score of almost any 18-hole golf course. If par is 72 for the course this score is computed on the basis of counting the number of shots by which it possible to reach the green and allowing two putts on each green. Thus a good putter is allowed 36 nuts in the round —one-half of the number of strokes in which, to equal par, he must negotiate the course. In view of this it would seem logical that at least half the time any player devotes to practice should be allotted to that department which is in itself one-half of the game.