JOTTINGS.

NZ Truth, Issue 890, 16 December 1922, Page 10

JOTTINGS.

George Duncan (Hanger Hill) and j Abe Mitchell (North Foreland), the 1 famous British professionals, conclud- | ed a successful tour m the United States and are now back m England, j During the tour fifty-two matches ! have- been played, Duncan and Mitchell having won forty of them, loßt ten and finished level m two. Both have a title to a championship. Mitchell won a replayed tie with Leo Dlegel for the Southern States Championship, but the tie was afterwards disallowed by the governing body, while Duncan- has won the Western New York Open Championship, m which he led Walter Hagen by five strokes. "Very likely the cause of slicing is that you are beginning to turn the body at the hips for the down swing before you start to bring the club down. That will always cause the club to be thrown forward too sharply, with the consequence that it descends m a track which, at its sharp-> est point,, is outside the line of the shot that you wish to make. You thus draw- the club m towards you as you hit, which means that you draw the club face across the ball, and inevitably impart slice-spin to it "If you are pulling, it may be that you are gripping too tightly with one hand on the other, or turning the right hand over at the impact. This former is a common cause, for the left hand, if it clutch the club too vigorously, will drag the right hand over, while a grip with the right hand that is too strong will tend m itself to turn the toe of the club at the instant of striking. That is why the finger grip, made by over-lapping, seems to me to be the best." — Harry Vardon. ss ; :': :: The latest golf Invention is a roller covered with steel spikes, by means of which the largest green can be thorf- I oughly treated as quickly as a man can walk over it. The object is to loosen the subsoil, Jl '.: :s j Some day some inspired golfer will write a real golfing song which will be ! universal throughout the world. Harry .Lauder once sang a parody of "I Love a Lassie" anent his auchterlonce brassy, and the latest is a song sung at most of the jovial meetings of American golfers. The final lines run: "What shall it profit any man's soul If he gain the whole world and lose the last hole?*' I haven't got the whole song, but when it comes to hand It will be printed ln this column., In the interval, how about the budding New Zealand song writers trying a golf song? :: tt tt A. Q. Havers, the promising British professional, has accepted an engagement to go to the U.S. Havers was the pro. who was looked upon to stem the invasion last year. He is, without doubt, the best of the younger men at Home and England will be weaker without him to battle for her. Jock Hutchison, commenting on the appointment and the loss to Home golf, said he could not blame Havers for leaving. At the most his retaining fee m England would be from £2 to £3 per week, where ln America he would receive up to £26, and the prospect of more valuable matches than he would get m England. tt tt tt After he had holed out m the open I at Sandwich, Hagen, who had finished early m the afternoon, took up a poslj tion near the home green to see his opponents finish. He was ln the happy position of knowing;, what each player had to do to win and was kept well Informed as to how the most dangerous players were doing. His position was all secure up to practically the last couplej one of whom was George Duncan, who waa playing inspired golf. After Duncan had holed a 2 at the 16th some one ran across to the last green where Hagen was and said to him: "Duncan wants two 4's to tie you." Quick as lightning Hagen replied: "Yes; but mine aro down." Think over that reply, golfers, and you can understand how ho felt. • :: tt :: Tho above par will support the argument of "Fore" ln last week's "Truth." George Duncan, tho ex-open champion, was the last player to finish m tho championship. "Fores claim for ill I players to go into the hat and play as drawn, without classification, is absolutely sound and should bo adopted. Good horses don't always get the -benefit* of drawing tho rails, and the best golfers should not always got a clear course. : : .* : : : Charcoal is extremely valuable for greens m making the surface more porous and getting rid of worms. : : : : :: Two golfers, ono of them the club champion, were starting out for a game when a friend asked If he could walk round with them. "Yes." replied the champion; "if you won't tulk. You've got to keep quiet." They started. The crack hooted his drive, got Into trouble near tho green, made a mess of his putting nnd marked down a 7. He topped his tee shot at the 2nd and it just trickled off the tee. The friend was standing by. He had not Bald a word. "Dod gast you!" shouted the unlucky champion; "I know you haven't said anything, but stop your confounded THINKING!" n .:: :z The Blrkdale Club, In Lancashire, used to Impose a condition that everybody who took out v card for a competition had first to answer throe questions based on tho rules of tho game. Each answer was worth a Btroko. so that tho Individual who gave three corroct rcpllos — ho was not encountered so often n« bo Hhould have been — had an advantage of threo strokes over tho pamon who could not do any

r of .the problems • properly. : Thus it was possible to . accomplish the best score, and to be beaten because of one's deficiency m knowledge of the rules. I have been- told, however, that m the course of time the members developed wonderful powers of answering the most difficult questions; they took home books of rules provided by ' a thoughtful committee and swatted at them so diligently that the Birkdale players became renowned for miles around as authorities on the laws of the game. *.t i: :i It is truly disappointing to learn that the word "Fore!" is not generally understood. The other day, m one of those "golden ballot" competitions m which the prizes include thousands of pounds, a Turkish bath once a week for a year, a bedstead (with knobs on), feeding ybur rabbits, for life free of charge, and other temptations, people were asked to place m order the fifteen most popular games m Britain. Nearly a quarter of a million responded, and golf secured the third largest number of votes, with racing first, lawn tennis second, and cricket and football among the "also rans." . After that, lt is very disconcerting to be told that the word "Fore!" is not generally understood. Its significance ought, by now, to have sunk into the brain of everybody m the land if only by reason of that most be-Whiskered of golf jokes^-the super-beaver of the player who, on hitting a picnicker's head with a drive, had five pounds demanded of him by the injured party as compensation. "But I said 'Fore!'" protested the player. "All right, I'll take four," replied the victim. The N.Z. amateur ohampion, Arthur Duncan, added another championship to his belt last week when he won at Heretaunga. -He had to play off with his brother Ken, but though the latter rose to the occasion'he did not get high enough and had to admit defeat, the game ending 3up and 2 to play. In the morning the champion went out m 78 against 8i by-'K. Duncan, and m the afternoon he recorded 73 to the 76 of his opponent. On " a previous occasion the brothers played off for the N.Z. amateur championship, and the result was the same. "I strongly advocate what Is called the square stance. That' is, a stance such that a line drawn through the toe of each boot should lie m the same direction as the line of fire. Turn out the toes a little if you find it comfortable. . "The great advantage of this stance for middle-aged players (and beginners) is that it . does not necessitate so muoh twisting of the body from the waist as the "open" Btance, m which the left foot Is placed further from the line of fire than the right; a twisting which is impossible, or at least very unpleasant, for many players. Secondly, learners as a rule are much more prone to slice than to hook; so that, as the natural tendency of the square stance is to prevent the club head from cutting across the ball towards the left of the proper line — and so producing a slice, and consequent loss of distance — it is a far better stance than, the other for the average player." — Charles I Clarke. * \ . ::, ■ .. . ■• s; it j Gene Sarazen; the United States Open and Professional Championships j holder, who is recuperating from an i operation for appendicitis, will, this winter, tour the Southern States and the Pacific Coast with "Jock" Hutchison, the ex-holder of the British Open Championship. The' pair also contemplate entering the next year'B British Open Championship. The room which is occupied by Sarazen at his hospital is heaped high with flowers sent by admirers m many parts of the States, and he has received messages from golf enthusiasts far and wide expressing the • hope for his complete recovery. Sarazen, who Is keenly interested m boating,: is spending a good deal of his time m reading nautical books, and he plans purchasing a small craft "just to cruise around In."