GOLF

Otago Witness, Issue 3829, 2 August 1927, Page 60

GOLF

DIVOT.

By

New Zealand Championships (Hamilton).— September 2,3, 5,6, 7,8, 9, 10. HINT FOR THE WEEK. Rhythm is the keynote to all good golf strokes, but the perfect swing is particularly noticeable when at length the putter is called upon to do its part. !• ar too eften we sec the ball stabbed towards the hole. Sometimes a ball hit this way gets to the cup,, but to niy mind, the stroke is a mis-hit unless the rhythmic swing is made. To set a standard style for putting would be a hopeless as well as useless task for me to attempt. Each player must adopt a style suitable to his or her build and freedom of movement. Once a particular style has been adopted, stick to it. Attention may, however, be drawn to two points- 'First, the correct position of the hands is given by placthe putter-head flat on the ground directly behind the ball. If the hands are in an advanced position the ball will be driven down when struck and will finish short. Second, if your stance is too far behind the bail top-spin is given to the putt, with the consequent over-running of the hole. Start to hit the ball six inches behind and continue on with the pendalum swing six inches after impact.

After a lapse of several years a St. Clair player accomplished a hole'in one on Saturday. July 23. H. Chapman had a day of good fortune. He won a medal competition and on going out for » few extra holes, a l of which he played well, he holed his tec shot at the seventeenth—a mashio shot of 100 yards- The occasion, coming after so long a spell, was welcomed by the field of golfers who honoured the ne°w member of the Hole-in-One Club. Of recent years the game of golf in Dunedin has advanced in leaps and bounds Ihe opening of the Belleknowes links >.t the Junction, has proved a valuable asset to a large number of young and enthusiastic players. With the worthy object of helping on this club and its members Mr J. A. Milliner devoted a couple of hours to a talk on golf rifles anil etiquette. The interest of such a talk, coming from so competent and experienced a source, was proved by an attendance of 50 enthusiasts at Patersons’ rooms. As the result this young club should b t benefited, and the members are indebted to the veteran golfer for this and many other voluntary services rendered.

One wonders sometimes lion manv Green Committees are alive to the importance of good greens. After pinyin-, perfect long shots there is nothin-, more disappointing than to be unable to hole out in the regulation two putts because of the rough state of the greens. Goo-1 fairways are, of course, very important and even good tees are essentia], but there is no part of the golf course wherein excellence contributes so mu.h to the enjoyment of every player, be he a plus or a limit player, than good greens. To have good greens it is necessary to look well ahead as these can only be got and maintained by regular and liberal topdressing. Top-dressing material has to be prepared fully a year in advance to produce the best results. On the best of the Home golf courses those responsible see to it that an ample supply of dressing is prepared even as far ahead as two years. Joshua Taylor, who has written a book on this subject, always had a surplus of top-dressing which he distributed to clubs whose keepers had not, either through lack of foresight or want of funds, been unable to prepare this growth producer. The idea is to build up the turf to a depth of an inch or more when it will remain true, will not be muddy in wet weather nor burn out in dry seasons. Such a turf holds any moisture that falls like a sponge and is ever green and fresh looking. A great mistake that the majority of green keepers in this country make is to out their greens too short. It is true that most of them do r.ot have the. facilities tor cutting more than once a week, and naturally they cut as short as possible so that the green will go till the next week. This procedure is neither good for players or for the turf. Now that light motor mowers, suitable for cutting tire greens, are available every Green Committee should endeavour to cut at least twice a week during the growing season and leave the. grass not less than |in. The grass on a green acts in the same way as the cloth on a billiard table. If a green be bare of grass no rolling or levelling can make good putting possible, and in proportion as the grass is thin so will the ball fail to keep a true course and wobble ofi the line. Mr Vaile’s theory was that the grass parted, making a sort of groove in which the ball ran true. Whatever the reason may be there is no doubt that the better the green is the better putting is possible. Nearly every golfer has noticed that on Saturdays when, owing to wet weather the greens have not been cut and have as much as of grass, that the ball runs truer. Good putting looks impossible, but on trying it the player finds that he can. when he gets used to it, putt with firmness for the back of the tin. All this goes to show that a reasonable length of grass on greens makes for better putting.

J. 11. Kirkwood, who tied for fourth place in the British open championship with a total of 293 for the four rounds, should, according to the cable message, have been three strokes better, and in second place. He poked jerkily at a number of short putts and missed them. It seems strange that so many of the best Australian players, after reaching the stage when they appear to be “certainties” for British honours, fail when in leading positions, yet when playing in championships in their own country they are the essence of consistency. Since going to America Kirkwood has had some brilliant wins in big golf against the pick of tho United States professionals. After winning tfie Australian open championship at Kensington (Sydney) in 1921 he attempted to grasp the British open championship at St. Andrews. Great things were expected of him. He began with a moderate 76, and knocked two strokes off this in the second round. The third was a 73 and placed him right nn 1937 ... E. P. Rowlatt 11. 11. Stevens “ 42.17

with the leaders. When things looked rosy for him he “crashed” and finished the fourth round in 79, his aggregate placing him in the sixth place, six strokes beinnfl the winner His next attempt wa 3 in IJZ3, when the championship was held at Iroon. Kirkwood had a 72 for the first round, a 79 for the second, a brilliant 69 fot the third and was playing excellent golf in the fourth up to the stage when only six holes were left to negotiate. He began to waver waen everything was in his favour and, instead of a 70, which was qmte on the cards, he took 75 and finished in. fourth place three strokes behind the winner, A. G- Havers. I doubt whether ■F- TI 1 t,le years I<ce P* n R over his head, fulfil the promise of-his youth. He is undoubtedly one of the finest golfers Australia ha 3 produced and how has a tidy income of £2OOO a vear as a retainer from an American golf club.

EVENING NEWS’S TOURNAMENT. final results. T o, e x LONDON, July 28. In the first round Tuck beat C. Wliitcombe at the twentieth hole. In the second round Jolly beat Melhorn 5 up and 4 to play; Smith beat 3?n 1 01 i Z r and v ; Robson heat Gaudin hole ? P H arg T a b F at P unca " at the 2 lst oie, J. H. Taylor beat Johns 1 up • Coinpston beat Tuck 4 and 3. 1 ’ Tn H *1 • , July 29 - Jn the third round Compston beat Sunth 3 and 2 ; Jolly beat Robson, 5 and > 'Mntcombe beat Jarman on the nineteen h hole; Taylor beat Large, 1 in Iton’l i Vh , itcombe a t Compston, 1 up, and Jolly beat Taylor. 1 up. bJit Jolly e q dinsly R , O1 q fina] -’ Wycombe ocat JolQ 9 up and 8 to play.