GOLF.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 June 1936, Page 3

GOLF.

• APPROACHING AND PUTTING.

I want you to know that 1 intend to refer to the short approach shot as exactly that, the short approach, and not as the chip-shot. Get this latter term out of your head, and think of it always by my own description of it for a very good though not apparent reason. The term chip-shot is dangerous, for 'in your sub-conscious mind the word chip suggests a chop. The shot is not most easily played by chopping at the ball, as I shall endeavour to show. The way 1 shall suggest has proved successful, especially so with those people who have tried previously to chop the ball up to the hole. In order to show you more clearly the simpler method of playing the short approach shot, I propose first to take the putt and work from that foundation. Many and varied, and wonderful, are the methods, both of swinging and gripping the putter. We hear of "reverse over-lan grips," gripping with the thumbs on top of the shaft, etc.; we are told to hold the club daintily, to swing it as a pendulum, to make the left-hand work against the right to ensure that pendulum stroke. One could (ill a book with details and descriptions of all the methods that have been expounded. What purpose is to be served by all these wonderful theories I .Simply this, to make the player nit the ball a short distance in a straight line. The simplest way to hit a putt straight is this. Hold your club in the usual way, i.e., with the grip used for all your other shots. Now grip the club tightly until you find your wrists locking. Now set your club behind the ball so that the face is square to where you wish the ball to go, and then, maintaining the locked wrists and tight grip, push, the club and ball toward;your objective. The distance necessary to swing your ciub in the back-swing will come to you quite quickly. You will probably iind the ball will run three or four yards with a foot-long back-swing. Locking the wrists will probably cause you also to tighten the forearms, but as this is a natural sequel, allow the forearms to remain taut. Try this method the next time, and if possible give it a try out on the practice green before yon start your round.

From the putt, Jet us go to the short approach shot. Briefly it is an enlargement of the putt, or shall I say an elongation. The only difference is that in the case of the short approach it is advisable to lift the ball into the air to a determined degree,, determined ! by the nature of the ground to be negotiated. Let us as a first example take a plain straightforward shot, with nothing but clear turf between the ball and the hole. Obviously, it is only necessary to ensure that the ball shall rise high enough, or remain in the air long enough, first to make contact with the beginning of the green to ensure a straight-rolling ball to the hole. Von may have decided either upon the mashie or the No. ?> iron. To play the shot, use exactly the same method as with the putt. Keep wrists, grip and forearms tight, and swing the club straight back and through to the hole. If the shot is over twenty yards, you will have to swing the club head further back, and you will therefore ease the tension of grip, wrists and forearms. The result of this "putting" shot will be to strike the ball slowly, causing the ball to fly, pitch and run slowly. A slow pitching ball is like a slowrunning car, it needs less braking power to pull up in a short distance. That is only common sense, isn't it ? Now, if it "is necessary, because of some obstruction, to make the ball fly still higher, or to stop more quickly, the same shot should bo. played, but with a more lofted club. If the mashieniblick is not lofted enough, use your niblick, and if that is not enough, you are in an extraordinary spot, necessitating an extraordinary shot, and you will have to aid the shot with a great deal of imagination. Naturally, to return to that normal pitching shot, with the more lofted clubs you will need more swing, to obtain, say, twenty yards, in which case your swing, adjusting itself, will become a little more flexible, except on the very short shots Now, in concluding this, 'I do not

claim that these are the methods of the expert, but they are most certainly methods that have proved most successful with players owning handicaps above the six mark. Just as it is criminally foolish to drive fast on slippery roads, so it is foolish to use advanced or complicated methods at golf. Choose the right club, and push the ball to the hole, making the game easier for yourself.

N.Z. LADIES' GOLF TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA.

L.G.U. COMPETITION WINNERS

AUCKLAND, Last Night

The executive of the New Zealand Ladies' Golf Union announces that the following players have been selected to represent New Zealand in the match, against Australia for the Tusman Cup to be played on the links of the Royal Adelaide Golf Club, South Australia, on September 3, the names of the players being given in alphabetical order only:—Mrs. M. H. Godby (nonplaying captain), Christchurch; Miss V. Fleming, Christchurch; Mrs. F. D. Ful-lerton-Smit'h, Marton; Miss P. Helean, Seafield; Miss'J. Horwell, Timaru; Miss O. Kay, Hawera.

The home iinks Coronation medal and Aotea Roa Cup competitions were decided throughout the Dominion under the auspices of the New Zealand Ladies' Golf Union. The results were as follow: —

Coronation Medal: Mrs. J. F. Brown (Auckland), 83—17—66. This was five strokes under the scratch score of 71.

Aotea Roa Cup: Miss J. Thorp (Balclutha), 99—33 —G 6, nine strokes under the scratch score of 75.