GOLF STANCES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 7 January 1926, Page 5

GOLF STANCES

SOME POINTS WORTH REMEMBERING (By Harry Vardon, Six 'Times Open Champion.) Golf is one of the very few outdoor games in which yon have the opportunity of reflecting upon the best, possible position to take up for the task in hand. In football, cricket, lawn tennis, and other forms of sport, the player i.ts to ■move intuitively in order to he favour ably situated for meeting a moving hall. In golf, he is called upon to strike a stationary ball, so that there is ic teason why lie should not take some pains to he in a good position for hitting it properly. And yet many an indifferent golfer goes on year after year standing ■wrongly and never apparently stopping to wonder whether the cause of itis trouble is the position of his feet. Champions give heed to the stance every time troy prepare for a shot. Some do it, much more quickly than others. There are famous players who appear to experience no small trouble in obtaining a comfortable and correct stance, and who set about, the operations with much deliberation.

That is a good thing; the person who, upon reaching the ball, does not appreciate at a glance the best way of disposing his feet for the stroke that the. proposes to accomplish is well advised in thinking about the matter until he knows that, he is in the right- position during the address for achieving his nbjeet. POSITIONS .FOR DRIVING The driver being the club which we use first at most holes, let us give it prior consideration. There are two popular stances —namely, the "open,” m which the right foot is a little, in front of the left and the “square,” in which the feet are in one line. There are a few golfers who stand with, the left foot in front of the right amll still meet with a measure of success. My opinion is that the slightly open stance is the better. The. reason is that it. assists in the cultivation of a good follow-through. At the finish of the swing, the chest of the player ought t.oi be facing the hole, with the hands le\*l with the left car. It seems to me to be easier to turn into that- position when the left foot is behind tlie right than when the two feet are in line with one another. However, that is a matter of choice. Certainly it is very nearly impossible to finish properly for a straight shot when the left foot is in front of the right. Bet us consider, then, the golfer who deckles to adopt a slightly open stance. I would recommend him to place the left foot five or, six inches behind the right, or a little less than that if he prefers less. The toes of the feet should he pointing outwards in an unconstrained way, and the ball should be a few inches inside the left heel. It should he addressed so that the player can place the club behind it without leaning forward in an exaggerated manner or standing stiffly. It is difficult to utilize the foot-rule for the purpose of golf instruction because so much depends upun the build of the individual, and the length of the club in which he lias confidence, but lie must stand just comfortably and easily, with the weight rather back on the heels and neither crouching nor rigidity as a feature of his attitude. For the deck, the ball should again be a few indies inside the left lied, but the distance between the feet should not be so great as in the stance for the drive. For the ordinary mid-iron, the player should stand closer to the hall than for the deck, and turn his body slightly more towards the hole. That is to say, the stance should be more open than for the shots hitherto described. The hall will still be a few inches inside his leftlied, but the player will he nearer to it, and he will increase the openness of Ids stance by placing his right foot some six or eight inches further forward . APPROACH SHOTS j The mashie presents an entirely new study in the stance. Indeed, there is a variety of stances for different shots with the eliih in question, but we will leave out of consideration the more complicated strokes and take the ordinary pitch and-run shot which is the one that the golfer needs to master at the outset. The player will have to be closer to the ball than for the iron because the mashie has the shorter shaft. But that is not all. To an even greater extent than for the iron must the stance be open. The ball should be opposite the left heel, with the left toes in.lilting well out wards, while the right foot should he advanced so that it is some three ineheas nearer to ttie hull li.au it was for the iron. lln elfcct of these changes will he readily perceivnl. They must result in the body being turned considerably towards tiie hole. And that is the right position for the mashie shot.

I tin not know that anything need be said about the stance for a bunker shotbecause it happens as often as not that you have little choice in the matter. I he hall has a wav of getting into such awkward places in hazards that you have In adopt the posit it >vi of your feel lo the nature of the situation. As for putting—-well, any stance which gives von confidence is a n-nod one.