GOLF

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 23 January 1939, Page 4

GOLF

AT A STANDSTILL lli.v Air Mail-Own Correspoudentl LONDON, 22n dDecomber. Golf, of course, is at a standstill. There m not much fun playing on snow. Have you over tried to use a red painted ball? It is, of course, easier to see than a white one, but it never seems to come properly o ! the dub. I have heard others make the 1 have discovered what a golf champion does at these times. When I went 1 into Reginald \\ hiteomhe’s shop I found liiin at the bench putting new shafts in hi-- clubs. I was surprised. He would not have done that in the hickory era. Then I the hope was to make a shaft last as long as possible. To put in a new one entailed a serious risk of upsetting the bal- . J a nee of the club and changing its “feel.” But it is not such a tricky business with I I steel shafts. They are produced in speci1J lied weights and spring to suit the dif- . j fei’ent heads, and if you want one fur a ! No. 4 iron,«you simply order one, and it I jean he fitted with the assurance that it I will be almost identical with the one it j replaces. When steel shafts were introduced the j professional was apprehensive that they ! would ruin his business. ‘‘They’ll last a j lile time,” lie said. ‘‘They won’t break, | u.nd when a player has got a set I shall j not see him again.” i But this fear has been dispelled. All- - steel clubs do not last a life time and they '} break. As a matter of fact, they do not ; i serve as long ns the old hickory club. ’• iiicy become Tired,” and lose their driv--1 : ing power. STEEL V. WOOD I 'i Reginald Whiteotnbe has new shafts jevc-y year. He finds, lie told me, that T they become soft. This may be due to the i power which he puts info his shots. Most i players complain that they lose their snap, ; j o". as the manufacturers say, harden. I I They also tend to become brittle. This is j why they occasionally break. j Still, the old-steel club lias been a big success. • Comparatively few players have retained their wooden shafts. Occasionally one sees an odd one in a bag, but this is only because it is a favourite, and the player hesitates to discard it.