GOLF

Evening Star, Issue 21037, 26 February 1932, Page 6

GOLF

[By Slxob.]

In view of the heavy rain experienced last Saturday, all matches had to be postponed, but the local links, while they are not by any means badly in want of rain, will benefit greatly from the good soaking that they icceived.

To the young player, ambitious to excel in the game and not less to those who are middle-aged and whoso equipment is at best “ a thing of shreds and patches,” the following r.lvice of Bernard Darwin’s ‘The Game of Golf,’ Lonsdale' Library, may prove helpful, as suggesting that the best preparation for a season’s play is to take in good time a series of lessons from a professional:—“To have a sound method of hitting the ball is more than half the secret of those great finishes, whether in match or in medal play, which are _ attributed to resplendent moral qualities and the possession of ?n ideal golfing temperament. * A man may be so nervous that his hand trembles as he tees his ball, but if lie has what I may call a fool-proof style, he will often win through, despite his terrors. On the. other hand, any radically vicious method of hitting which may, despite the small margin of error, be successful enough as long as the player is confident, is apt to betray him when the pinch comes. Good style is far from being everything, but it plays the part of discipline in an army, which keeps a man advancing against the enemy even though his legs be trying to run away. It is a great standby in those agonising moments of which this game of ours is so full.” In another chapter the same writer defends an old-established golfing maxim: “The poor middle-aged beginner has very, very few advantages, but ho ought to have no insuperable difficulty in learning to go ‘ slow back.’ He is not urged on by the impetuosity of youth; surely he ought to be able to acquire a reasonably steady-going back swing, and if he does it will stand him in good stead. Not one of the old maxims of golf has so palpably come into its kingdom again as this one of ‘ slow back ’; and here again the Americans have had something to do with it. Look at the sleepy grace of Mr Bobby Jones—and, indeed, there is hardly a good American player who has not an obvious leisureliness. in his swing.

“ Let the middle-aged beginner take this to heart from the very start of his apprenticeship. He will find it easier to do so, I think, if he cultivates a reasonably long swing. It used to be thought that the more elderly must necessarily swing short, but I do not believe it is in the least necessary, though ail things are, of course, relative. To swing short is often to swing quickly and snatchily; for most people a fairly long swing makes timing easier.”

Though neither I. D. Armour, British open champion nor W. Burke, open champion of the United States, was competing, the annual Los Anglees open tournament, held this year on the Hillcrest course, attracted nearly all the foremost American professionals, who apparently found the new standard ball to their liking, for Macdonald Smith, in winning this event for the third time in seven years, had an aggregate of 281 for the seventy-two holes played, three strokes under par; while tour others tied at 285, and at least ten finished with 287 or less. The ex-Car-noustie player led l all the way, following up a 69 on the first day with a 63 on the second, at which stage he had a lead of five strokes from two Californian professionals, 0. Dutra and J. Jeffers, with whom were ranked J. Kirkwood, W. Hagen, 6. Sarazen, and L. Diegel, with C. Clark (N.J.), K. LaffoOn, L. Metz, and J. B. Hogan a stroke behind. 'At this stage A. Boomer, with 153, had lost his chance of further competition, and T. Creavy (professional match play champion) and Charles Lacey (each 150), Von Elm, A.. Manero, and Paul Runyan (each 149), and Craig Wood, A 1 Espinosa, R. Mangrum (148), E. Dudley, W. H. Cox, and Guldahl (147) had a poor chance of overhauling the leader. Mangrum, who, like Guldahl, hails from Texas, but has found more profitable employment at Detroit, came with a great rattle at the finish, his 67 in the fourth round being the best of the tournament. Macdonald Smith’s 68 might easily have beaten this, for three times his putt bit the back of the cup but stayed out, the card reading; Out: 4, 3. 4,5, 4, 3. 4,4, 4—35. In: 4,4, S, 4, 5. 4,3, 4, (1-36. 71. Macdonald Smith: Out: 8. 3,4, 5,4, 3,4, 4, 3—33. In: 4,3, 3,4, 5,4, 4,4, 4-35. 68. The winner finished in great style with “birdies ” on the last two holes, where any slip might easily have lost him 'the lead, for as can be seen from the final rounds the pursuit was very “warm.” ,

Of the amateurs, R. M'Kenzie,, of the last Walker Cup team, finished with a 72 for a total of 291, F. Lamprecht with a 74 for 294, F. Coleman with 74 for 295.

Macdonald Smith ... 209 Fourth round. 72 01. 281 R. Metz 215 70 285 L. Diegel 214 71 285 0. Dutra 212 73 285 J. Kirkwood 214 71 735 E. Sarazen 214 72 286 C. Clark ... 216 70 286 R. Guldahl 216 70 286 W.-Hagen 217 70 287 R. Mangrum 220 67 28?