GOLF NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 38, 13 August 1921, Page 12

GOLF NOTES

(By "Nibliok.")

In an article on Cricket, written by.J. B. Hobbs, and published in the Evening Post on stli August, 1921, 'there appears ir.ter'alia these lines: "The batsman; should endeavour to get well over tho balls and play so that if the.bat Jeft his hands at" the time of striking it would travel in cs*ctly the same direction as that taken by the ball." .This is exactly, .what a golfer should do, except the "get-,, 'ting well over the ball," which the make' of tho "golf club *nd the nature of tho swing of it preclude; the golf olub being longer and the swing being round tho body and not up and down perpendicularly as is the movement of a cricket bal. Mr. Hobbs also writes, "always let, the bat follow through when playing''the ball or hiltiug at it, so that it is practically pointing in the direction in which the sphere is sent." This >lso applies, especially to approach shots with iron ■ clubs when fun is required. When no run is required the club does not follow through, but is swung in a special way to get "stop" on the ball by either under xor side' epin, The article quoted ji iriteresting from a golf point of view all the ■. w»y through, but from » certain point of view it is misleading, as nobody, except, a genius, has played either/ cricket or golf naturally." There are ;certain points in both games which have to be studied, arid the ''natural way" departed from, the chief being the wrist action. It'is So "natural" to play both cricket and golf with slack wrists, and some of the biggest hits have been made by slack wristed players, but they are always inoro or less erratic, and unless in constant practice will very often find themselves "off their drive." - It is very aclvfsable'to every golfer (I will leave cricket to an expert on that game) to have a course of lev sons from a professional on "•the i wrist action alone. Mr. Hobbs strongly advises cricketers to swatch, the ball right on thu bat; that advice is perfect, as the ball ii coming to the bit. Now, in golf, the ball is stationary, and consequently does nc-t come on to tho club. Well, «dopt the converse method, watch the ball, but try to see the club head hit it. Try very hard and you will have Jew ot no topped shote. ■ • • .'

Kirkwood is still playing a first-class Bteady game, although he has not' bad the good fortune to come out on: top in any tournament. It would be interesting,to compare his score with the winners of tho various tournaments, and with the ten or twenty beat players of the world. From the information to hand it is .impossible to tabulate this, but it would seem probable that he would, through hi» steadiness, not be very far from the top.