BRITISH GOLF WEAKNESS

Evening Star, Issue 18051, 19 August 1922, Page 11

BRITISH GOLF WEAKNESS

ERA OF MISTAKEN METHODS NOW PASSING. [Writtenby Hahrt Vardox for the ’Evening Star’]. Clearly there is something wrong with British "golf. In the recent open championship at Sandwich, Kent, players from abroad "filled four of the first seven places. Walter Hagen (of Detroit) won, James Barnes (of New York) tied for second position, Jock Hutchison (of Chicago) finished fourth, and Jean Gassiat (a Frenchman) was seventh. Considering that the overseas entrants could be counted on the fingers of two hands, this was a very heavy blow at the tiomc forces, who had over*2oo men in the field. If we did not expect a .great deal, w© certainly hoped, for something better than three places in the first seven, arid those comparatively humble places. In ‘ How to Play Golf,’ Published in 1913, I expressed tiro opinion that the standard of play had) deteriorated 'our strokes a round by comparison with r former degree of excellence. Tins soiling down of a largo estimate in cold print aroused a storm of criticism. Some people said that it was absurd for me to talk .about the quality of play having fallen off to the extent 'of four strokes a round. I know at any rate that I put forward the view only after very careful consideration; that I slept on it, and ruminated afresh on it when the proofs came from the printers; and that I could not see any justification even for reducing the calculation of deterioration ’ from four strokes to three. I fett I could toll hy ’my own golf. In 1911 I was so lucky as to win the open championship and several other events well worth' capturing; bub I realised all along that the intrinsic quality of iny goli was four strokes a round worse than" it had been ' ten or . twelve years earlier. The scores nateally were lower than in tho earlier ora, because the developments in hail manufacture and* the great progress in course upkeep could not do other than' produce lower scoring. But is regards the actual value of tho play, J could not help being conscious of my ■jwn falling off. I conPd not accomplish the shots with the same certainty and consistency as of yore. Audi yet the championship cam© my wap, and it did again in 1914. THE INFECTIOUS “’DRAW.” What, is the explanation? It is largely, ’ think, that since about 1902 we have been passing through a revolution in golfing methods followed by a’ revulsion of feeling against revolution- Let me indicate exactly what seems to me to have happened. The first effect of the introduction of the rubber-cored bail twenty years ago was to create a crazo for long driving the like of which had never previously been known. The very nature of the ball made it go farther than anybody had been able to propel the guttapercha ball, and the golfer, having tasted blood, wanted more. He was no mere Oliver Twist. He became a tiger. , Soon it was discovered, that the greatest distances could be achieves! by playing drives which flew at a low tiajectory, and to which the element of “ draw ’’-—that is. making the ball spin and run from right to left—had been imparted Young plavers of every degree of promise began to practise this method assiduously, and. a rrood many experienced golfers were lured into the calk Their desire was solely for long driving. They were encouraged to at its shrine in the way I, have indicated by the fact that, with the rubber-cored ball in use, a miss-hit shot often secured as good a result as a well-played stroke. Yon could half-lop the ball, and frequently it would l —and does new, for that mattei —run as far as if you had struck it accurately. You secured nothing out nj the guttapercha ball in this manner. Unless played correctly, ifc was the last word in recalcitrance. Finding that they had two chances, the hit and the miss, golfers took more and more liberties in trying to apply the "draw.”—or “hook” or “ pull, call it which you will—in order to obtain length. It is a very scientific shot, in certain circumstances, but to cultivate it to tho exclusion of all other shots —as many goiters did—is bad in the extreme. _ ■ I could mention players ot tremendous promise who ruined their golf utterly and irretrievably by it. What happened was that the “draw” assorted itself in theniron shots, and an learning to make the ball run they lost, the art of making it stop when a stopping shot was necessary. WHERE ARCHITECTS ERRED. Unfortunately,- at the critical juncture, links architects entered innocently auto the scheme bv deciding that cross-bunkers Omdat to be abolished. They would have virtually none but side hazards, they paid little heed to those of us among the professionals who saw the harm that was being ■wrought in the quality of golf. AVith the cross-bunkers cleared out of the way and the ground left free for haittonped shots or drives that skimmed 100 yards over the surface and scampered nearly another 150, the cult, of the “draw ” became stronger than ever. Little bv little it dawned on tho golfing world that tho shots produced in this way lacked the certainty and control uf those of a previous .generation. Little by little the trend of opinion and practice moved round again towards that kind of gol ; which aims at hitting the boll up to perform most of its journey in the air and controlling its run ns as to bo able to place the ball for the next shot. But so much harm had been done that the return to sounder methods could not be achieved in a season, or even in several seasons. Tho “ draw ” had_ become_ ingrained in .golfing constitutions. Signs are plentiful, however, that it has had its -■linings. At present wo are in the throea of the stage of revulsion; we are going bade to the best way of playing golf, and are a little unsettled after the revolution. But that tho new generation will be as goo;l as any I have no doubt. ” the winner at Sandwich, has mended Ids methods more quickly than anybody else I know. Two years ago he was all for the “draw.” This season there was not a trace of it in bis golf. Ho"hit the ball up, and placed it. If ho had not done so he would not havo gained his triumph. •