GOLF NOTES

Grey River Argus, 20 June 1936, Page 2

GOLF NOTES

Longest Driver in World: Jimmy Thomson, the Alelbourne Centenary winner, who is credited wth being the longest driver in the world, has sent in his entry .for the British Open Chatnplonsn.ifl. Although resident in California, and a naturalised American, Thomson belongs by birth to North Berwick. That. h ( , will attract a. deal of notice is undoubted, —those great drivers have :■. fascination all their own. ****** British Amateur: ’The British Amateur will be full of interest, this year, Lawson Little may be more formidable than over, but in Ferrier and Locke he will have two contenders who will tax his very best. lii the Transvall Opon which was decided in Alareli, young Locke finished with 255, just OU(. stoke behind the champion. Sid Brews. This, coupled with his previous South African successes, gives an indication of what this wonder youth is capable of. ****** Gate Monies: Who said gate money? Horo are some staggering figures which dwarf anv others of a similar’ nature in the world. Need we say they rofer to the American Championships? The Open £11,986; Amateur £5,738; Women’s £2 (‘>B4. The entry feos for the same Championships wore: Open £5.625: Amateur £4.725; Women’s £470. Now yon can understand why the prize monc’v in dollar-land is attractive. ******* Gene Snrazen’s visit. Tiie latest information to hand re Gene Sarazen is that he is leaving for Australia and Now Zealand on July 22nd, and will be accompanied by ei.ther Aliss Helen Hicks or ALss “Babe” Didrikson. ‘‘The Golfing Ace.”

They arc calling Alfred Padgliam, 28-year-old British professional, the “golfing ace of Great Britain.” ami alternatively, “the Bobby .Tones of modern golf.” In the last six months he has won £1315 in prize-money from the four major tournaments of the British professional world. Professional at Sundridgc Park, Kent, be is the white hope of the golfing world in Great Britain’s endeavours to retain the Open title, won last year by Alfred Perry. ****** Seddon Cup: The Greymouth Club has eortnin'ly selected thc< best team available to represent it in the Seddon Cu n match. <and taking them collect!'-eiy they should put up a good gpme and ful’y extend their opponents. On handicap it is a much more eompaer team than last year, ranging from 8 to 14 Inclusive am] should have no difficulty In playing to their handicaps ar. least at Hokitika. The ladies’ team is not as strong as it' could be ami it is to be regretted that some of the b’wer handicap players arc, unable to travel ■for such an important match. The handicaps arc well sepcratod ranging from 9 to 29 inclusive and it will have ’o be Greymouth’s lucky day if Hokitika are unable to produce a much more compact team, which will also have the advantage, of ploying on its home links, and correspondingly harder to defeat. Given fine weather it will be a great day’s golf and renew friendships wh'ich have been made through the great old game, which •brings out all the host, no master which side wins. It is the game that counts and the really healthy exercise and fun layers derive from it.

******* Caliari Cup: This Ls for junior ladies and the Greymouth Club have chosen several untried playprs who have yet to show their metal in keen mafch play; but thev are young ami should at least benefit greatly l,y thc experience gained and should put up a great tight on their own hunting grounds. ****** The Field Cup: The Field Cup. is for junior men of hnndieaps 19 and over and on paper thc Grevmouth foam looks really good and playing at home .should make it very warm for the holders. There is a very good smattering of new blood which is pleasing to note, ami it is only required of them t'o play to their handicap to make Hok'itika w’th the cup they so narrowly won last year. ******* Tbje Dalgiesh Shield: It is understood ’Tint the local club have challenged Westport for this trophy on July 5. and ore now waiting acceptance of the challenge. The selection of the Greymouth team has ben simplified by thr, reduction in A. E. Hill’s handicap ’b 10, this making the team M. C. Smith, P. Warnes, W. Mehlrum and A. Hill. ******* Placing on the Farrways: There is very good article in this month’s “Golf Illustrated” which gives many excellent points in favour of the practice during flic w’ntcr months. Perhaps the locfil club would be doing the right thing in allowing this practice, which no doubt, adds to the pleasure of the game, and incidentally keeps the course in bettor ord r, r. After all golf is a panic, not a business ami any’lrng that gives more pleasure to thc majority of players must he seriously considered. Recovery Shots HOW THEY ARE PLAYED. At one tournament in which I was playing last year a spectator came up to me and said, “I do not consider you one whit a better golfer than myself apart from the short game, but I should like to know how tho deuce you continue to get down in two shots no matter whether your approach has left you on the green, in a bunker beside it, or on th(» rough on either side,” writes A. IL Padgham in “Golfing.” Well, this was hardly an accurate description of my performance, but that, spectator had got hold of the right, idea. The difference between a good player.and a mediocre one lies in the fact that one can draw out that little extra which enables him to recover position while the other has to be content to drop a shot or more each time his ball lands in trouble. ****** Play "ng for the Pin: In the recovery shots plaj’ed from round about the green, the first thing you have to learn is to play for the pin instead of playing for the green. I know how easily the. player in such a case can feel tempted to play safe rather than run the risk of making matters any worse than they are al*

ready, hut- too groat a readiness to write off bad shots as had debts will nnt win championships, nor monthly medals either. How often does it happen that you decide to play :t safe shot on to the groen, but nowhere near the pin, and see the ball land exactly where you aimed. You play the shot so successfully that you have thevexation of realising that if you had aimed to Jay the ball beside the pin you could have brought it off just as well! These second thoughts would be all very useful if the player were allowed a second shot at golf in the same, way as the tennis player is allowed a second service. As can exchampion once said: “If I were allowed to have any shot over again, what would bo tlie uso of anyone else competing in the championship?” Tt. is a sheer waste of time learning to play the shots if you are nevc<r going to

risk trying them wnen the occasion arises. Of course, there are times when to plav “pawky” is the wisp, plan, hut when there Is a. real chance of sav'ng a stroke it pays to fake the risk. Having made up your mind to do so, you must play the shot with decision; a half-hearted policy is worse than useless. "When you arc hunkered near the green, the shot to plav will depend very considerably on the nature of the bunker. Tf the ball is lying in loose, dry sand, the explos’on shot is always “on”, and here olf that is needed is a good heavy niblick 'and a full smooth swing without more footwork than can be helped. I am myself hi Lavoni’ of an open stance for this shot, but. that is not an essential ■point. Some players find it easier to cut nut the footwork hv standing with the left foot slightly forward, though £ do not recommend this. "When a. shot from quite, near the green has to be played out of long grass or when there is a high bank to negotiate, T would play a very similar sort of shot to thc shot out. of sand: hut if thc lie is inclined to he tough it is necessary to grip the club much tighter. The idea is rather to squeeze the club u n in the finger-tips so that a firm crip obtained without too much stiffness. ****** Make up Your Mind: Above al things, make up your mind what sort of shot is tlie most suitable before even taking the club from the bag. All these fluffed approaches and missed shots out of sand are the result of feeble, half-hearted dabs at thc ball, due to the fact that the player is in two minds about what he is trying to do. The harm is not merely that a shot is wasted, hut the next shot, is approached with a feeling of panic that makes it impossible to judge the shot. I know too well what can happen with a. recovery shot, from a lie in a bunker twenty-five yards from thc pin. The ball goes about eighteen inches with our ini-' tial effort, hut the second time it' travels about eighty yards. Of course, the. ideal is to play your shots so that the recovery problem docs not arise. Skill in avoiding bunkers is even more useful than skill in getting out of them. But evon the straightest hitter will sometimes find the ball taking an unlucky “kick”

from a perfect stroke, nor will he be able to avoid taking part in an occasional foursomb, no matter how little he may like this form of game, and ho must be prepared to play the recovery shots from his partner’s mistakes even if ho makes none of his own.

The chief point to remember in all recovery shots is to lie pereetly definite in making up your mind wliut club to use and what type of shot you moan to play. Don’t let the risk of running into other dangers balk you once you have made up your mind what you have to do. Learn to rely on the correctness of your judgment of the shot and you will be able to extricate your ball from any place you may land in.