GOLF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23225, 24 June 1937, Page 5

GOLF

By Divot The weather conditions were fine overhead during the week-end, but a very cold wind of considerable strength was sufficiently unpleasant to keep all but enthusiasts from the links. The continued wet weather in the earlie part of the week had given them no chance to dry out, and the interclub match between the Otago and St. Clair, Clubs was again postponed. AUSTRALIAN NOTES In winning the New South Wales Amateur Championship, J. Ferrier added not only another title to ms imposing collection, but once again exemplifies that an orthodox style is not essential to reach the top of the tree in championship golf. Ferrier may achieve his scores in an ungainly and awkward manner, but the shots he makes are immaculate in their accuracy. In the third round he met a 21-year-old player in D. J. Davies, who, after a bad start, caught back all the lost ground and actually took the lead in the afternoon round In the course of the match Davies outdrove Ferrier and played his irons with a crisp power which is seldom seen outside the professional ranks. It was in his bunker play that Davies showed his inexperience, and during the course of the match he presented Ferrier with no fewer than four holes because of his inability to play v bunker shots with anything approaching accuracy. Commenting on this match, Ferrier writes; “Davies gave me a hard game all day. for his recoveries in the morning round were at times phenomenal. This was the first occasion on which , :e have mot, and the manner in which he struck the ball impressed me greatly. His swing is compact and reminds one very much of that of the stylist, S. A. Keane. The crispness of his iron shots was strange to see, as few amateurs strike the ball with such precision. Although a master of the short approach, his bunker play was weak, for each time he found the sand his recovery shot was wide of the mark. His putting was of a high standard, the smooth stroke he employs suiting the keen Royal Sydney greens. Davies, with a little more experience, should develop into a fine player and a beautiful stroke-maker. In to-day’s matches Hattersley will meet Tanner. This should provide the spectators with some long driving. Hattersley yesterday gave his opponent several threefoot putts. My only wish is that, if I am fortunate enough to meet him in the final on Saturday, his generosity will continue in that direction.” Although Ferrier did meet Hattersley in the final and won a great game by the narrow margin of one hole, the cable report was silent as to the number of three-foot putts that Hattersley conceded, but it is not unreasonable to suppose that he was no less generous to Ferrier than he was to the opponent mentioned. Hattersley is a great sportsman and generally plays even golf finals in a happy-go-lucky holiday spirit,MENTAL HAZARDS ;/ “Like the unfortunate hillbilly who wore a knee-length beard in innocent contentment for 20 years, then worried himself into insanity when asked whether he slept with it on top of or beneath the sheets,” says the Literary Digest, “the average golfers mam trouble Is mental.” Addressing the ball, the golfer usually runs through a dozen or more rules: left arm stiff, wrists cocked, right leg, braced, left knee flexed, eye on the pall, etc., etc. Then, after hooking, slicing, topping, or completely missing the ball, ne tries to discover out “what’s wrong." And that, insists Ernest Jones in his book “ Swing Into Golf.” published recently in America by Whittlesey House, is the biggest mistake most golfers make. Instead of analysing the bad shots, they should try to discover what produced the good one even a fourth-rate duffer occasionally makes. “ SWINGING THE LEAD ” A golf instructor for 20 years, most of which have been spent as professional at the Woman’s National Golf and Tennis Club, • Glenhead, Long Island, Ernest Jones has become farm ous for his “ swing the club-head method of teaching. As m current music, swing’s the thing in golf. Forget all the do’s and don’ts, says Jones, and learn how to swing. The true swing must be learned through feel rather than sight. You can’t get it by watching someone else. For what looks like a swing is often an application of the principle of leyera swing,” writes Jones, "the connecting medium between the power and the object swung has both ends moving always in the same direction. In levering, the two ends of the medium move always in opposite directions.” , . How to acquire a true swinging movement? Jones teaches it with a pocket knife attached to one corner of a handkerchief. He says: “Hold the handkerchief by the opposite corner. Then swing the knife back and forth. In a true swing, the knihj at the end of the handkerchief exerts a steady pull. As long as the swinging motion is continued the handkerchief will stay taut. If leverage is applied, the feel of the weight is net a steady pull, but a jerky, irregular motion. And the handkerchief doesn’t stay taut. When the swinger has learned to recognise the true swinging movement he should try swinging the weighted handkerchief and a club at the same time. Eventually, he will recognise the feel of a true swing in the club-head itself, without the guidance of the handkerchief. Once you get the swing, trust it. If you happen to go slightly off line, don’t - try changing the position or action of the hands. Just keep on swinging, and your game will come back,”

During his amazing career as a competitive player, the celebrated Bobby Jones probably had more faith in his swing than any other top-flight golfer. When he was off line, he never tried to introduce corrective measures through conscious manipulation in making a stroke. And, in 11 United States Open Championships In which he took pari, the Atlanta player never once scored as high as 80. The hardest thing is eliminating mental effort in swinging. You can’t deliberately think out a swing movement, writes Mr Jones. You’ve got to do it automatically. Practice has two main objectives: to train the muscles to follow a natural, swinging “ groove "• and to train the mind to think of notning but “ sensing the feel of the swing. Some shots in a round of golf have to be played from odd positions. A “swing” can be executed from any position, so long as the player has the “feel" of it. > Ernest Jones, for instance. can sit in a chair and drive a golf ball 200 yards. What if you go off your game completely? Jones recommends checking on three things: see that the club is held correctly, see that you are standing properly: make a smooth, free swing. ACCEPTED METHODS There are these accepted methods of gripping a club. Ernest Jones recommends the overlap. In the overlap grip, the thumb u£ the left hand extends diagonally across the shaft, and the pad of the thumb of the right hand rests on it. The little linger of the right hand is lapped over the forefinger of the left, In the interlock grip, the thumb of the left hand extends across the shaft in back of the right. The little finger of the right hand is interlocked with the forefinger of the left hand. In the natural grip, the hands are free, with no interlocking or overlapping. The fingers of both hands have relatively the same position on opposite sides of the shaft. • The club should not really be “gripped.” but held just securely enough to ensure control over it. As for stance, again there are three types Mr Jones advises the square stance, because it provides true balance and allows the body to turn freely in both directions. In the square stance the toes of both feet arc on a line parallel with the line of play. In the open stance, the left foot is drawn back from the line of play The closed stance has the left foot advanced nearer the line. Good golf can be played from any one of the three.

Choose the most comfortable one The stance should Rive a feeling of case and comfort. The legs should be prac tically straight at the knees, but relaxed, never stiff or rigid, The distance between feet is roughly that between the shoulders. In the matter of how far from the ball to stand the club must be considered Place the club-head in back of the ball then take your stance. Never lake your position first and then reach out for the ball. The body is held reasonably erect, with just a slight forward bond The most common error is bending 100 much. Once you have learned the most comfortable position for you, forget if, says Mr Jones. And swing. But don't think about that, cither It is just like walking. COUNTING THEIR CHICKENS It is cabled that the United States Professional Golfers’ Association has nominated Densmore Shute to meet Henry Cotton in the World’s Match Play Championship, over 72 holes, after the Ryder Cup match, in which both will compete. The match will be played over two different courses of 36 holes each. This arrangement seems to take many things for granted, but it is no doubt quite in conformity witli tiic manner in which manv other world titles gravitate to the United States