EASIER GOLF

Northland Age, Volume II, Issue 31, 6 August 1930, Page 6

EASIER GOLF

SERIES OF INSTRUCTIVE ARTICLES. BY H- STUART HOBSON. (Continued) “He only needs to notch a sev-enty-five this round to be certain ot the Championship.” That remark was made recently about a very fine golfer who was leading the field in a very important Championship. It looked as though he had the coveted prize in his pocket, for he had gone round the course in 68 in the previous round, and this round could take seven strokes more without fear of losing first place. His actual figure for that fatal final round was something over 80.

Many golfers cannot give their best when all they are asked to do is play safe.

A golfer who sees that he has to achieve a three at the last hole to halve a match is more likely to get the figure than another is to secure the bogey fcur at the same hole to win the match. There is some truth in the belief that we ourselves make the difficulties of golf. One caddy at a club f know claims that he has put a thousand golfers on their game in the last thirty years just by repeating the sage advice at every shot, “Now you just be sure you hit the ball; i’ll watch where it goes.” He may be justified in his claim for hitting the ball is all that matters with most shots.

That is certainly true ' safety shots —which are the shots that baffle chamoions and novices alike. 1 have long held a theory about Bobby Jones, whose latest achievements show what a phenomenal golfer he really is, that he can “shoot” a round of under seventy, seven times out ot ten, if he cares to take a few risks when doing it. But it is seldom necessary for him to take risks. He plays the safety shots, and is content with figures that are just about good enough to be better than the next best. That is what many players will not do —play an easy shot when that is all that is necessary. Safety play in golf is not to be confused with “pawky” play. The “pawky” shot shows an inferiority complex. The safety shot, properly played, shows that the golfer is sufficiently on top of his game to be able to simplify it for himself as he goes along. That is the secret of safety play—simplifying the next shot. Consider a hole '420 yards, say, in length, with a bunker across the course 60 yards short of the hole. A strong drive from the tee will be necessary if the second shot is to carry the bunker. It five for this hole will serve all purposes, any golfer would be foolish to attempt to carry the bunker in two. He should aim to play short of the cross hazard with his second, in a position for an easy third shot of seventy or eighty yards up to the pin.

If the tee shot leaves the ball, say, 180 yards short of the hazard, the golfer has a choice of second shot.

He can aim to be really short of the bunker, and leave himself an approach of as' much as 130 yards to the hole. That, however, is “pawky” play. The golfer is showing fear of the hazard, and his spared second shot does not

help his approach third in the least.

A good golfer here, I think, having decided that nothing was to be gained by carrying the bunker, would have aimed to be only just short of it. Naturally, he would allow himself a margin of error depending on his form, but if he aimed to place the ball 10 to 15 yards short, he would consider that to be a shot as safe as any shot could be, and it would leave him an approach of seventy or eighty yards to the pin—a very comfortable masbie shot, as easy as if the bunker had been carried with the second shot, and much easier than if a pawky second shot had been played thirty yards or more shorter.

The tragedy or the average i golfer with the spared shot >s that | he forgets the need for hitting ! crisply. I have watched an enormous number of fair to fairly-good golfers play safety shots, and they all seem to do the same thing; realising tnat all they have to do is to avoid hitting the ball too far, they hit slackly. But no shot in golf should be slack. Even a putt of three feet must be hit firmly. A chip of ten yards must have its full share of wrist action. If you take a wood club with the intention of hitting the ball twenty or thirty yards shorter than the distance you normally get the difference in the swing is only ona of degree. There is no distance that calls for a flop at the ball, instead cf a swing through it. The head of the club must come through, and the swing

must be complete, even if shorter. A safety shot needs to be taken seriously, too, but not fretted over. The golfer should make up his mind what he intends to do, and then play easily to the mark, but firmly. I am convinced that if the longhandicap golfer would chart out for himself the easiest road to the pin, and then not fall into the temptation of being slack when he had made himself ameasy shot, he would quickly become a shorthandicap golfer. (Continued)