EASIER GOLF.

Northland Age, Volume II, Issue 36, 10 September 1930, Page 7

EASIER GOLF.

SERIES OF INSTRUCTIVE ARTICLES. '<A BY H. STUART HOBSON. A distinguished physician, I see, has been doubting the healthvalue of golf. In fact, he has gone so far as to say that the effect of a bad shot is to cause loss of temper, increase blood pressure, and tends to lessen life’s span. Life-insurance experts are not so pessimistic. They like enthusiasm for golf. It shows health and energy. Thers are, of course, golfers whose game does tend to shorten their lives; I mean, those who are full of lively humour when the

opponent’s shots are not going well ; who say, “Cheer up ! We hadn’t lost the caddy yet,” or, “Bring the children next time, old man, they’d love playing with you down there in the sand.”

More seriously, there are goiters of another type whose game does tend to shorten their social life.

Men, for example, who arrive early and seek out a partner notoriously difficult to beat. Having paired up, they search for two opponents not so difficult to beat, having more regard for purses than personalities. As far as it goes, this frank desire for conquest is not objectionable ; it makes for a keen game — especially when the pair marked out tor slaughter see through the ruse, and play as they never did before. In any case, the expert pair who offer a match to a weaker combination are doing them a service, for they provide sound practice.

Consider, too, the golfer who masquarades under a false handicap —the sixteen handicap man with a startling habit of making par figures when the match depends on it. )These players, of course, deceive nobody —nor, I think, do they intend to do so. They probably earned their handicap in early life and are quite satisfied with it. Having never distinguished themselves in any of the events that led to a reduction of handicap, they are still longhandicap men in the eyes of the club, though every individual member knows what they can do when forced to it.

It is more a desire for the easy life, a pleasant round with a bit in hand, than an urge to win the stakes, that is the mark of the masquarader.

Within the memory of most golfers, there were no handicaps in many clubs —in fact, I believe there are still clubs that have no real system of handicapping. With all the players well known to each other, matches are fixed by negotiation, and based on current form. This leads to some keen bargaining —and sometimes to some amusing frankness. Ido not think it a better system than the system of handicaps, but 1 think that handicaps tends to stifle ambition. If a player had to negotiate his strokes each time, he would not be so ready to admit sixteen handicap; or rather, he might admit eighteen and finally compromise on fourteen !

I like the story of a golfer who went up to a club for a game, and was introduced to a member by a friend. On being afterwards asked by Ijis friend how he got on {ie replied, “We had a great the man I played was a brt "sharp for me. He told me Jiis handicap was fourteen, the same as mine, but I was round in seventy-four and only beat him

one-up.” As to the value of golf on the point of sheer physical health, opinions differ. My own view is that if you are fit, golf will keep fit. If you are out of condition, it is easy to overdo golf. The player out of condition is more likely to miss his shots than the player in good trim, and he is more likely to get annoyed about it.

If golf has a disadvantage it is that the exercise is so arduous and so drawn out. Few golfers can get in a few holes every dayWhat nine golfers out of ten do is get no exercise all the week, and then put in three or sour rounds over the week-end.

That is a lot of golf to play after a week of work. It is twenty miles of exeercise. A young man can do it comfortably, but the years arrive when it is not so easy. And the enthusiastic golfer does not readily admit himself beaten, He says to himself, “What! Me not able to play 36 holes a dav ? Nonsense! I’ll make a special point of playing 45 tomorrow.” The way to get the maximum from golf as a benefit to health is to practise as well as play.

A tew shots practised every night keep the golfer in trim, strengthen his concentration and determination, and bring him nearer to the point where he can play a round without making any of those shots that increases blood pressure.