GOLF

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 22

GOLF

Br "CHIPSHOT" PUTTING

CAME WITHIN A GAME

ESSENTIALS OF SUCCESS

Putting is frequently said to be a game within a game, and as far as a championships are concerned ■it is tho c winning game, states an American t authority. These, two-foot putts make <■ more difference than anything else. Bad t putting completely nullifies the effects i of a fine long game,' and. renders, it 1 almost impossible to return a .'good c medal score, or win a match without 1 several nerve-racking moments on the * greens. . ■ • . .. ... .: ■ s In putting, the margin of error al- -\ lowed is very small, and tho ball must r be truly struck along the right linos for it to.finish up in the hole. The trouble ! with most people is ' lack of consist- 1 ency. No one .can ever "be sure ( of. what will happen; one day the hole' ' is as large as a bucket, anil the next, ' for no apparent reason, it has vanished ' to the size of a pin-head. If the playe/ 1 starts off by holing a good, putt on the first green, he is generally, quite ! happy for the rest of the round. Confidence is a tremendous asset. Indeed, it is impossible to putt well with- • out it. • Most players have great difficulty in settling down to a sound method of putting, and it is very hard ■ to stick to one set style on those days ; when the ball simply will not look at : the hole. ' . Very few people have tho good for- [ tune to be born good putters, and -play ' on the greens is generally the.result of many hours' practice. ,' It is surprising ' what half-an-hour's practice a day will ! do for one's putting. There is no reason why anyone should be a bad putter/ The adoption of a sound style and a fair amount of practice will work wonders; It is often very difficult, to select a method of putting which feels comfortf able at first, but after a short time a ■ cultivated style becomes quite natural, ; and the player has only to think of hitting the ball. ' . ' • ■ An upright stance, and a pendulum swing appear to be the main 'feature's of the Americans' consistent success. One thing they insist upon, and that, ia the working of ono 'wrist against tho other., The club is taken back with a movement of the left wrist and swung through with the right. Since I adopt' ed this method about a year ago, my putting has been consistently better than it ever was'before. An upright stance has many advantages, and it is certainly much' easier to hit the ball up to the hole. "Never up, never in, "and "Always give the ball a chance,'' are maxims which all of us would do well to remember. Mora putts are missed through being short than anything, else, a boldly hit shot is not so liable to de deflected off the line, although it is very difficult to pluck up enough courage to hit the ball to the back of the hole on a 'slippery green, as the danger of running out of holing range on the other side has always to be considered. . The greatest difficulty in putting is taking the club back straight. The back of the club has an overwhelming desire to open "and shut" during tho : baekswing. This difficulty can bo overcome by the grip of the left hand. '. If tho club is held with the back of : the left hand facing towards the hole '■ an^ tho shaft gripped between the tops of the fingers and. the pad at tho base of the left thumb, the wrist is locked in such a. position that the club must be swung back straight; ' Miramar Tourney. , " . ' The Miramar Club's New Year tournament will be held this year on Ist, 2nd, and- 3rd January, and should attract large and representative -entries, as it is always an enjoyable fixture. The.Miramar open amateur championship will be open to.the 32 entrants with the lowest .handicaps, who will play off by match play over 18 holes. All other competitors will be divided according to handicap.; into . groups, of sixteen, and a competition will be held among the members of each group. The sixteen eliminated in the first round of the: championship will form a.separate group. In addition bogey handicaps and a four-ball handicap-will bo played. .'■'.' Game in Crisborne. Of special interest to members of the Poverty Bay Golf Club is the ultima- . tion contained in the annual report ] concerning the financial results of tho past year, a surplus' of £214 having [ resulted mainly from decreased rents ! and increased, membership. Anothei item of particular interest is'that'notice has been given by Mr.'S.U. Burke : for consideration of a change of tho : name to the Gisborne Golf Club (Inc.), in conformity with recent suggestions that tho title "Poverty Bay" is capable of conveying ari impression derogatory to the district. The membership of tho club now comprises 414, which is 36 greater than last .year'a "figure; the proportions of men and lady players are 219. and 195 respectively. The playing membership is actually '43 greater'than at the close of the 1929 season. Wanganui's Hopes. Wanganui will be found to the foro next season with several. of the play; ers of the younger school making history, even in the national tournament, state's the "Wanganui Chronicle." It was particularly pleasing to find players of the calibre of W. D. Eeilly and B. M. Silk, with; many years of golf still ahead of them', taking such a prominent part in the-big tournament at Hokowhitu, and if this pair can get away to the Shirley tourney they may be depended upon to play up to the high standard expe'eted of them. Taranaki Championship. . The first Taranaki champion of champions golf contest, took place on the. Waiwakaiho links, four players com- '. pcting. The title went to;A. E. Conway (New Plymouth), who, with two.' fine rounds—a 79 in bad weather in the morning, and a 73 in the afternoon ' —had a margin of 12 strokes over W. B. Glasgow (Waitara). Nino strokes further back were L. T. Quin (Eltham) and W. O'Callaghan (Hawera); R. B, Anderson (Stratford) and C. 0. Edmonds (Opunake) were unable to take ' part. Tho day was anything but a,' good one for golf. In the morning frequent heavy rain-squalls accompanied a strong wind, but in the afternoon conditions improved rather. The scores were: — . . j A. E. Conway- 79-73—152 W. B. Glasgow ..i 80-34—164 W. O'Callaghan .....-■ 87-86—173 > L, T. Quin 83-90—173 1 In the morning Conway started shak- . ily with a 5 and a"6, and then carded ; good figures for-tho remainder of the holes going out, except for a 6 at, the ' fifth and another at the ninth. He • struck trouble at the short tenth, which ' took 5, but came home in even 4's. : In the afternoon he .had 6's at the " t second and eighth, but was out in 40, - three strokes bettor than in the morn- , ing. Coming back, ho played almost? j faultless golf to be 3 under 4's for ( the last nine, the only hole at which he { exceeded the scratch score being the - seventeenth. His afternoon card read: Out .... 464, 354, 365—40 , In 343, 434, 354—33 j]