THE ART OF APPROACHING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 563, 29 November 1915, Page 2

THE ART OF APPROACHING.

Under the title of "Five' Ways of Approaching,'' George Duncan contributes a very interesting article to the "Badminton Magazine." Beyond question (he says) approaching'is the most fascinating department of the whole constitution of golf. It has infinite variety, its effects are decisive in the highest degree, and it calls at once for the exercise of judgment, boldness, and accuracy of touch. There is no more soul-satisfying experience on the links, and no better sight to see, than the playing of an approach shot which comes to rest almost on the brink of the hole.

The "cut" shot in these clays of the rubber-cored ball, Duncan ventures to describe as the curse of approaching. J. H. Taylor was the first of the champions to become famous for deadly inashie play, and people mistook the underspin which he imported to the ball for "cut." Nearly everybody tried to "cut," with the result that at the present time that kind of mashie shot is a downright obsession. It inay be useful on occasion, and a suspicion of "cut" certainly helps to make a ball rise and stop quickly; the trouble , with many players is that they invest the shot with too much of that influence. They endeavour to put on all the "cut" of which they are capable. That is the tendency which, he thinks, is a mistake to this age of the resilient ball. Standing near the green of a short hole during a competition one notices that the majority of sli6ts have a pronounced measure of left-to-right spin.. Directly they pitch they break away to the right. His! personal opinion is that the approach should i>e executed with