GOLF

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 47, 23 August 1930, Page 22

GOLF

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THE OPEN IN-OCTOBER*

LATER DATED MEETING

MASTEETON'S WINS

Clubs1 arc all in the throes of their competitions, but so far Rugby lias rather upset fixtures, and at least one intcr-elub fixture for to-day was postponed. On the other hand the weather promises to be kind for a while, and the programmes will suffer little. N.Z. Championships. Later this year than usual, the New Zealand championship meeting at the Hokowhitu links, Palmerston. North, should be favoured with better weather than on some former occasions. October 'is * windy month, but generally the fiercest blasts have passed by the 24th, which is the date of the opening. Tho.ugh showers persist until well on in November, the ground, at least, should be dry enough for good golf; a little moisture in the air is nothing to a golfer. Entries through club secretaries close with the secretary of the Manawatu Golf Club on the 10th of nest month, so that golfers have not much time to make their arrangements. Some; owing to various causes, will not be able to take part this year, but the field should'bo a good one. Until entries close it would be unwise to pick likely performers in the amateur, but in the open the probability is that none will be missing who could affect the result, though O. J. Shaw will have to fight hard for it. Only twenty entries from professionals, and 68 from amateurs, will be accepted for the open, tha professionals being those leading on the grading list, and the amateurs those with the lowest handicaps from clubs handicapping to a standard scratch score allotted by the New Zealand Golf Association. A stroke handicap of Bis the limit for amateurs. Last places will be drawn by lot. The open takes up the first two days, and in conjunction with it will bo played the four qualifying rounds for the amateur and professional championship. The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will be taken up with the amateur and professional championships, in rounds of 33 holes. Thursday is devoted to the championship foursomes. Friday sees the semi-final of the amateur, and the final of the professions:. Saturday will bo taken up by the amateur final. The Manawatu Golf Club has spared no pains to make the course as perfect as possible. It is an excellent, though severe, test of golf, and will need four rounds of first rate golf in the open to give players a look in. There was soma particularly good young stuff at Belmont last year, and the Jellicoe Cup, for the best single round in the open, may go to one of them this time, with a bit of luck. Plenty of them reel off a wonderful nine, but an eighteen is to them as difficult to maintain form in as the whole four rounds are to the old hands. Not a Hole in One. Does a golfer whoso tee shot finds an unplayable lie, and who holes his provisional second ball from the tee, do a hole in one? This question is asked by a Mornington. golfer. He docs not, because it was in reality a. hole in 3, counting the penalty stroke. A Snappy 17. The outstanding feature of the weekend play was the Snappy score of 17 taken by a member of the "Hole-in-One" Club at the 12th hole, says the "Grey Star." Masterton in Form. Not only did the Masterton men give the Miramar team a hard shake up, but the Masterton ladies walked completely away with the Miramar ladies. Probably one of the reasons for the general seriousness with which golf is regarded in the Wairarapa is the presence there of several golfers who can set a really good standard, headed by T. H. Horton himself, who, if" he does not carry off the amateur (perhaps the open) this year, will go very close to it. In Mrs. Guy "Williams the ladies have a similar object-lesson of the right way to play golf, and so the defeat of large teams, with the wobbly tails associated with teams of more than a dozen, is not so strange after all. One ef the few Miramar men who played at his best was H. A. Black, whose 70 in the fourball, was narrowly nearly a 69, the difference being a ridiculously short putt. That Straight Left. There is a great deal about the straight left arm that is misunderstood. It is manifestly impossible to keep the left arm straight throughout the swing and finish. If the arm is straight at the top of the swing it does not necessarily follow that the shot will be a good one, nor does it even insure a direct line for the hole. Tho time when the left arm must be straight is at the moment of impact, as this has everything to do with a well hit ball. The golfer who keeps his left straight till he reaches the bottom of tho swing, and then bends its elbow, will come to grief. The straight left is found sometimes in players who have an upright swing, many of whom hold their hands high at the top of the swing, but; golfers with a fiat swing, who can bring the club round the body, are not so • likely to bend the right elbow too much at the top of the swing. First Fart of Swing. Most new players think too much of tho second part of the swing. Mako sure that the first half of the swing is right, and the second half will largely look after itself. A reasonably slow back swing, an almost straight left, a perfect grip, and a well-timed return, will get tho ball away straight. One must wait patiently for the clubhead to come round before making a lunge with the body. Concentration on the first part of the swing will correct pressing. Finish of the Swing. Golfers who finish with the hands' well up and the club well around can bo assured that the swing has been as near pcrfeo as it is possible to make it. Bringing up tho hands is more important than tho average golfer realises. The swing has been described as a sweep, and tho sweep is not complete unless the club finishes well around tho back. Somo golfers bring the hands very high up, but this is not necessary to success. It is rather a handicap, as it shows that there has been an exaggeration at somo part of the swing. At the finish it is also necessary that tho weight bo upon the left foot, which proves that the body, has done all the work required of it.