TWO YEARS OF GOLF

Evening Star, Issue 18157, 23 December 1922, Page 5

TWO YEARS OF GOLF

PLAYERS AND THEIR METHODS. [Written by Harm Vardon, for the ‘Evening Star.’] It is constantly being said that golf nowadays is an entirely different gaiao from the one that was played with the gutta-percha ball; that the shots which, in a stiff cross wind, had to be accomplished with slice or pull spin so as to prevent them from being blown off the course, have been extirpated by the capacity of the modern small, heavy half to boro its way strongly through any ordinary atmospheric distance; that the iron shots and mashio approaches have changed because of the running properties of the present ball; and, generally, that now strokes have been evolved to take the places of those that made a golfer complete when the solid gutta-percha ball was in vogue. I always think that these supposed alterations in the methods of playing shots are much exaggerated; either that, or they are indicative of a mistaken notion among many golfers who have known none but the rubber-cored ball as to the principles that secure the best results. In the system of exceeding shots which achieve all that a player could desire, I find very little difference now from twenty or thirty years ago. If other methods have come into vogue, it does not follow, I suppose, that they are necessarily better than, or oven as good as, the old ones.

That the game has changed very considerably in regard to the distances that the shots will travel is as plain as could he. But distances are only relative; they do not affect the question as to the best methods or striking the ball. That the rubbercored ball has encouraged a new spirit of recklessness in gelt for the reason that it gives you two chances—the hit or the miss—is equally obvious. By these two chances I mean that if you hit it absolutely perfectly you expect to secure the deserved result, and if you half-top it you hopo to obtain just as good a result, and not infrequently do. But it is surely a reasonable proposition that the best way is to strike the ball accurately. With the present ball a player may win a tournament in which lie makes a lot of bad shots—more bad shots than many other of the competitors; but that might not bo a satisfactory manner of winning. What is more, such a golfer' will not succeed consistently. APPROACHING THE HOLE. In what respects have there been changes in the methods of playing shots. Having won throe British open championships with the guttapercha ball, and three also with the rubber-cored ball, the reader will perhaps accept a rather assertive premise that I have some claim to speak on this subject from experience. And it is the simple truth that the best golf I have played with the modern ball has been played on principles that were hardly distinguishable from those which succeeded the “ gutty.” Take, for instance, a rnashie pitch of 80yds. With the green level or sloping slightly towards the direction from which one is approaching, the s)K)t for pitching for the ball need not differ by more than 2yds from that which ono would have selected when the gutty was in use. The ball might be pitched 2yds shorter of the flag now to allow for a little more run, assuming the turf to be normally linn, but in other respects the shot remains the same.

And yet a great many people say that it is necessary to allow for plenty of run with tho present ball; that the mashio shot must bo a pitch-and-run shot. They may have succumbed to a habit of playing it in that way, but it is not tho best way. When the ground falls away it is, of course, inevitable that there must ho considerable run on'tho hall; but a green that slopes downhill from the player is neither amusing nor promotivo of skilful golf. I read some time ago that a famous amateur had explained tho difficulties of British golfers when visiting America by saying that there the half and three-quarter iron shots could ho pitched right up to the pin because of the “holding” nature of tho puttinggreen turf, whereas in Britain they had to bo played to allow for a run. This, again, may he a belief horn of tho rubber-cored hall, hut there is little justification for it, and it certainly does not represent the best way of claying tho shot. Tho low-flying, back-spin iron shot with little run can, as a rule, he played just as efficaciously on a good course in this country as in the days when tho gutta-percha hall was in nse. Neither the modern ball nor any other influence has made it impracticable to the person who knows it and who has ■mastered tho way of controlling the ball in all circumstances. WIND SHOTS.

As for the shots in a cross wind, 1 find them just about as they were w.tlx the old ball—certainly no less scientific. It is all very well to say, as somo acknowledged authorities do, that tlm small ball of maximum weight will boro its way through the elements and save you the trouble of juggling with tho wind. You cannot depend upon it to do anything of tho kind when the wind blows strongly—that is if you want to place your ball with accuracy. Tho regret of many of these people who deplore tho passing of “ wind shots ” is evidently created of tho manner in which they were _ wont to play such shots. With tho wind blowing from right to left, they hit the ball into it—that is, slightly to tho right—with pull spin, so that when the initial velocity of tho blow was spent, the wind would take possession of tho ball, and co-operating with the pull-spin, bring it back to tho middle of the course.

This, when it came off, gained a little distance. With the wind blowing from left to right they did exactly tho opposite, aiming a little to the left with slice spin to bring tho ball round at tho finish of its flight.

I tried these methods _ exhaustively, and came to the conclusion that they did not place the ball accurately every time, so I went the other way to work. With a wind blowing from the right I drove a little to the left with slice on the ball to come to tho wind and fight it at the finish. And vice versa in a wind from tho left—a drive slightly to the right, with pull on it to bring it into tho wind. Those seemed always the easier shots to control, and they are just tho same now as they were thirty years ago.