GOLF

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 17 April 1926, Page 10

GOLF

Members have got into their stride once more and enthusiasm runs very high. It recalls the experience of a few years ago when there was a very keen interest taken in the game here and a' consequent inducement to practise and improve their game. On several days since, the season opened there has been a most desirable “pressure on space,” so to speak, and fourball matches have had to give way to pairs.| It is probably not too pleasant for the former, but "the feeling of enthusiasm and of absolute pleasure in play is very nice to see* tuidl shows that the club must go ahead. It has been suggestedI—and 1 —and the idea appears good; —that when there are a number of foursomes and they are likely to be held .up, there should be an arrangement for them to start at a different tee to the pairs and so avoid congestion. Bain is badly needed in order to get the greens into really good order, for at present the want of more grass makes them in some eases tricky. Still they are wonderfully good considering the short time that lias elapsed since the club went back to fairfield. Great interest! is /being |taken in the return to some of the back country, ideal for golfing, with its sandy impressions and its perpetual freedom from wet. There players get very fine turf and the best greens actually. It is interesting, too, to note the layout as far as one can follow of the course designed by the expert from Wellington for the whole course out there. The player with a long vision and a fertile imagination, may picture all sorts of vistas of glorious golf out in the back and through the lupins. The only hope one can express is that it will lie while all the present players are able to go round and enjoy the game, though, realising as one should the great faculty golf has for keeping players young, one feels that whenever it may come to fruition players will be fit and able to enjoy the glories and the beauties of the course along thr-sea-girt cliffs, with its wonderful prospects of mountain, moor and oeean. There is no doubt the outlook from almost any part is equal to that on most links. Sometimes, indeed, one could wish that. the sun, when an afternoon round is being played, would go to rest in another direction than right in the west.

All of the Taranaki clubs have now had their annual meetings, and most have begun their season’s play. It would appear the prospects all round are very good. The presence, of a professional in several of the clubs for a week or two is certain to have a good effect. Each of the professionals brought out by the Golf Council has had a scattered list • of engagements. Would it not be better to arrange for each coach to have a series of clubs all in the same district. He could then go back after a few weeks to finish the tuition he has given or to corect any faults that may have arisen. The expense, too, would probably be lessened.

A fine card 1 of 74 was returned by Phil Grey at Nqw Plymouth in a stroke competition last Saturday. He is a great stroke player, and apparently not quite so good in match play. It is interesting to see that the (Golf Council are endeavouring to spread an improved standard of play by arranging for the professionals brought out by them to go round! to country clubs and spend a few weeks at each. It is interesting to note that no less than seventeen clubs in places outside the centres were given the benefit of the coaching and advice of professionals. Mr L. Boss, who was at Hawerai, was also at Baetihi and several places in -the South Island and in the Wairarapa. The open and' amateur championships this year will be played at Miramar (Wellington) on October 15-23.« Miramar Club has made extensive alterations and improvements to> its course during tlafpast year. Princess Elizabeth of Greece is a' golfing enthusiast, and she is shown in a. photo recently at play on the new golf course at Algiers. During the winter months large crowds of visitors flock to Algiers from the Continent to enjoy the warm sunshine.

TAKING UP GOLF.

GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S INTEN TION.

The promise of the Governor-Gen-eral, Sir Charles Fergusson, that he would take up golf has not yet been fulfilled. However, he assured! golfers at the presentation, of prizes at the Auckland Golf Club that he still intended to take up the game. He stated that when he had more leisure he would be pleased to play golf. He was a keen admirer of the game.

CECIL LEITCH GIVES GOLFING ADVICE. (By Cecil Leiteh, one of the world’s greatest golfers.) When the ball is lying in the rough the player is inclined to over-estimate the difficulty of the shot. Instead of trying to get as far as possible many players are quitle content to find the fairway. This may be a wise precaution under certain circumstances, but playing for safety does not tend to improve one’s form. It must be admitted, however, that it is almost impossible to get any length from the thick juicy grass, which is a difficulty to. be feared by every player on. an inland course during the. summer. This type of grass has an unpleasant habit of winding round) the shaft of the club and taking the sting out of the shot. To recover from a lie of this kind the niblick must be used and gripped very firmly, the player must stand well over the ball, and the swing must be of an upright nature.. A point about an inea behind the ball should! be aimed at and the action should be more of a chop than a sweep. It might be truthfully described as a stab with a full swing. From difficulties of this kind the player must use force.

AMERICA’S GOLF WAVE. FINANCING THE 'G AME. STUPENDOUS FIGURES. One of the most striking features of modern American life as seen through the eyes o£ staying any length of time ’ in the States is the amazing growth of golf among all sections of the community. It has swept,

and is still sweeping, the country like a. plague, so much so that whispered conversation on the subject of the hidden flash is of less interest than open conversation on. the many aspects of golf. A glance at some statistics compiled with reference to the finance, and the present condition of the gaine in America, almost takes one’s breath away. But for the fact' that the statistics come from an authoritative source and are reliable, they would appear almost Jncredible. , . . For example, we are informed that no less a sum than £260,000,000 is invested in property —real estate, hotels and courses' —directly connected with golf. This sum seems stupendous, so does the figure of £94,000,000, tfl© estimated amount spent annually in playing the game. On analysis, however, these figures assume a less formidable shape; in fact, they are quite reasonable. The number of active players throughout the American continent is calculated at over 2,000,000, more than double the number of players in Great Britain. These two million American golfers support nearly 4000 clubs, 250 of which are situated in New York and 150 in Chicago On this basis the capital expenditure per head is £l3O not an excessive sum by any means, and the amount spent annually by each person in playing the game, is £46, less than £1 per week. This compares very favourably with the figure in this country, estimated at £1 5s per week.

PUTTING AND PRACTICE

THE WAY TO SUCCESS. Writing in the Saturday Evening Post, J. K. Travers, one of the leading American players of t-liei older senool, has .some interesting remarks on two. essential elements, on the way to .success. He writes as fallows- —and nis remarks will be of great value, to young players: — Patient Putting Practice. —As I look back upon tile events of that day, I can see that there were two vital elements in the curriculum of my seiioo'mg. One of these was my willingness to stick everlastingly at practice, i spent nours upon tne putting green, making careful note of every motion which brought the best result. I learned that t-be most essential point of .putting is to look at tiie baq and not at the hole, to hold .the body perfectly .still, not crouching down to overcome the shortness of the .club, but in a comfortable, almost upright position, and always to use a follow-through. The stroke should be pendulum-like, made with the hands and wrists, and without sway of the. body, and the concentration of the mind upon its execution absolute, 1 speak of putting particularly, because it is far and away the most important of golf strokes and out-dis-tances all others by* a. great margin in its re\ation. to the winning of honours on the links. Think over the good

putters of your acquaintance and recollect if they aren’t Die fellows wlio are always hovering around: the top. Try to become one of them. The joy you gain from turning in a good score will be a more frequent experience, and you wil l , know you are becoming proficient in the most useful but most neglected department of-, the game. The other element which stands out in my early training was. the instrucs tion given by Aleck Smith. The two are closely related. Smith was, and ‘stiill is, not- only an especially able instructor. but he, has always been a glutton for the practice phase of golf. When he found that I was really ambitious to accomplish something in golf, he used all the force of liis commanding personality to impress upon me that the pne .spot in this world where a man can't get by through sheer luck is on the golf lings. I mean by that what he meant' —that no one can get by for any length of time. The element of luck hovers over every shot made on the course, but it works both ways. It you as often as with. you. Sometimes it happens that the fates stick with one plaver through an entire tournament and land him a, winner. But it is a. transitory gory. It doesn’t Inst. He doesn’t repeat. “Let me tell you something about this game, kid,” Aleck would say. “If you want to learn how to play ’it, practice; and then after you have practiced for a, while, practice some more. The next step is practice. When you’ve practised long and faithfully, and,have voiir shots just where you want them, you’ll find you’re .sitting on top of the world if vou just observe one little point—keep, on practicing.”