GOLF NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 168, 15 June 1940, Page 10

GOLF NOTES

THE FOLLOW THROUGH. (By “Bunker.”). The follow through is, a very. _ important part in the golf svy-ing. Watch the lads during the week-ends looking at their back swing ; all back and ' no front, .1 say. That part of the swing which"really comes in as a sequence to a series of correct movements, and not a movement apart, has become in an or-, .dinary golfer’s technique just as. important to him as his . back swing; lie so often blames his lack of direction or balance to liis absence of ■• follow through. A good-looking style or follow through gets you somewhere.. It means if your footwork, is correct and your swing right round to the finish, the club will have .more speed at impact. Some players conceive the idea that the follow through is only for effect, and\to pose as for a photograph. The idea is to let the arms out alter the ball, and to give the club freedom to go through it. Only then can lie keep the clubjiead and face on the line he needs, and keep the swing going freely and fast. A Rule. .

A played a stroke in a bunker but did not get the ball out of the hazard. Before playing his next stroke, he smoothed with is club the heal marks made by his stance. This in no way improved the lie of his ball. Did A incur any penalty? Answer.—No, provided that nothing was done to improve the lie of the •ball or assist the player in his subsequent play at the hole. Von Nida in Form.

During recent weeks Norman von Nida, the New South Wales professional, has been in fine form, winning nine out of ten events in which he has competed. In a recent match played at the Concord Club’s links, von Nida had rounds of 68 (three under par) ■ and 70 (one under par). He was followed by another well-known New South .Wales professional, W. J. Bolger, whose cards were-69 and 72. Jim Ferrier’s Form.

Ferrier, the Australian open and amateur champion, who competed in the American open championship last week, must be considered the premier player in the Commonwealth. - His form in the open was- good but the American professionals, who always win in the event, now have, the game down to a fine art and there is no rule as to the number of clubs which they are permitted to carry. However, Ferrier’s play against such players as Snead, Demera, and Sarazen was very commendable. Loss To Game,

The death has occurred of Air Henry Gullen, for 28 years secretary to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, and a ruling authority of the game. A native of North-East England, Air Gullen was secretary at Ganton, Yorkshire, before going to St. Andrews, where he built up a reputation as organiser of golf championships and international ' matches. Golfers all over the world knew him, either personally or by correspondence. In charge, of touring teams lie visited the United States, Canada, Australia, Ceylon, Tasmania, New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji, and Hawaii, and part of his work at St. Andrews-was to. deal with letters from overseas asking for information on the rules of the game and other matters. Over Four Hours for Round. There is a vast difference between tlie way competitive golf is played in the United States and in Australia, writes J. Ferrier, the Australian open and amateur champion. Not only are the events conducteu differently, but also the competitors play in a style quite their own. The visitor must alter his game to suit the changed conditions. In Australia a round in a championship usually occupies from two and a-half to three hours. Here my rounds have taken'lrom four to four and a-half hours to complete. In my latest tournament my two partners and I teed up at 10 aim. and holed out on the 18th green at 2.15 p.m. We had a clear run, and did not see either the three players aliead of us or the three players behind us during the round. Golf in the United States has been made a game of extreme concentration and care. I recognise that golf calls for these two qualities, and 1 myself have been criticised in Australia for over-deliberate play at times, but concentration and care are different from the fad that makes a player take 10 minutes to select a club and play liis shot. During my round ; I‘ had to wait for that period on several occasions for a player to do that. It is not just an odd player wlio takes this extraordinary time. It is the whole field. In the North and South open championship at Pinelmrst (North Carolina) a field of 111 competitors began at 8.30 a.m. to play 18 holes. The last threesome went off at 12 o’clock. It was nearly 5 o’clock when the last putt was holed. If the field is larger than 125 plovers, the tournament officials find difficulty in getting them round the course once in one day. It was strange for me to take four hours to play a round. The long wait between shots was for a while disconcerting, but I have become more accustomed to it. Starting on th,e toe shot, the American professional begins by teeing his ball; then he takes two or three practice swings; a pause to recover liis breath is followed by a couple of glances down the .fairway before ho finally prepares his stance. Next there ar e several waggles of the club before the swine is started and the ball struck. This procedure goes on for the entire round. On the greens . much, time- is ,spent in finding the line to the hole before putting. The vounger professionals are the worst offenders. Veterans such as Gene, Sarazen. Craig Wood. Paul Run van and Harry Conner play their rounds much more quickly than, the young mien. .