GOLF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12995, 9 June 1904, Page 10

GOLF.

Golf clubs ara now - nearly finished by machinery in some of tho Oatgo clubmaking places at Home. At ono time tho heads were- made from beech or apple-tree. Beech is now a thing of tho past, and tho woods used aro stonowood, persimmon, and dogwood, imported from America, as they stand harder usage than becoh. They are allowed to season for a, period of 12 to 18 months. The shafts aro mostly made of hickory, as it is looked upon as bcircj most suitable, being light, stiff, and strong.

Tiie Now York Sun has some interesting statistics of golf clubs in America. There aro 277 clubs which are members of the U.S. Golf Association. This is about half tlio total number of weil-established clubs in the States. Thero aro 30 18-liole courses within 50 miles of New York, the buildings of which arc valued at I,OCQ,QQOdoI, and the lands at 2,440,000d01. Implying to a correspondent, Tit Bits of a recent date had .tho following:—"Cases of holing in ono aro by no means unknown. There was a remarkable, case not long ago on tlio Biarritz Links, whore a ball driveu from tho teo at tho eighth hole pitched fair into tho holo, and, what is quite as wonderful, stayed there. .The odds against anyone being abjo to repeat such a feat must surely bo millions to ono. A story, too, is toldl by a well-known golfer of how ho once.drove, a long ball from the tec, and after a careful search found it in the sandbox on tlio next teeing ground, 15yda beyond the liolo ho was going for., . A useful hint for keeping tho paint, on golf balls is to put itliem for lOseo in water just warm enough to dip the finger in without pain, then anoint thqm with swoet oil, audi allow them to dry for a week. Golf Illustrated very well sums up' im articlo on whether holes should be. laid out'a ".two-shot" length or not by saying: "The character of putting greens and positions of hazards is moro important than the lengtn of holes." The part of their game the golfers strike soonest in tho season is putting. In a recent article James Braid gives some delicate advico on this gentle art. Braid is a notorious duffer at putting—that. is, viewed alongside other famous champions— but his advice is sound, and worth pondering over. He says: "Tako a rapid survey of the line from' behind the ball before shaping up. The stanco should be firm and not exaggerated, but merely comfortable. The grip i 3 utterly unimportant, except that it should be strong and in tlio fingers, and that the dominant forco should be the right hand. Then if the'eye is kept on fthe ball, and a gentle follow through allowed, it will not' be. the putter's fault if the ball docs not disappear." Braid advises all golfers who 'take to the game after the age of 30 years to use only the halfswing, and to play with short and heavy clubs.