GOLF.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1925, Page 5

GOLF.

NEWS AND NOTES. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. (By “Stance.”) There is no damping the ardour of some golfers. Last week-end at New Plymouth, was about the worst the writer can remember, a driving wind with rain and sleet sweeping over the links, yet quite half a dozen fours played their matches to a finish and two of the games went to the 18th green. They all arrived back cold and drenched, but nevertheless full of spirits.

Next week the greatest event of the golfing year, the British open championship, will take place at Prestwick. I'he entry promises to be well up to standard, and will include not only the cream of the British talent but also the Americans, MacDonald Smith < third last year), Bourne and Jim Barnes, the promising French player Audry Boomer, the Australian Joe Kirkwood and JE. S. Douglas, many times New Zealand open champion. Notable absentees are Hagen, the holder of the title, and Bobby Jones, the American amateur champion.

The first open championship was played at Prestwick in 1360 and was won by Willie Park with a score of 174 for two rounds. Tom Morris won in 1861 and 1862 with a score of 163 in each case. Until 1873 the championship was always played at Prestwick, but in that year it was moved to St. Andrews, and since that time has been allotted in turn to Musselburgh, Muirfield, Sandwich, Prestwick and Hoy lake. In 1892 the 18 holes were increased to 36. Up to that time Tom Morris junr., with a score of 149 in 1871, held the record —& wonderful score considering the clubs and balls in use at that time. When the last mail left George Dunean was favourite, and in the absence of the two American cracks, Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones, will probably hold his position.

Most golfers know that the success of a stroke depends very largely on the proper timing of a well regulated awing, but what they not seem to keep in mind is the further fact that the more you strain in a shot the less chance you have to make the swing properly or to time it correctly. Of course, when a player chooses a club normally calculated for distances up to 125 yards and tries to reach a green 20 to 25 yards more than that distance away, he is bound to try to hit harder to get home. This extra effort puts entirely too much strain on him to swing evenly and smoothly and to time the stroke just right.—Gene Sarazen. At present there are vague rumours afloat at Waiwakaiho that quite a number of players, including some prominent officials of.the club, are giving a much-needed lead in the matter of golfing apparel, and that a full dress parade will be held during the week-end. It is also announced that a well-known tailoring firm is presenting a special prize to be competed for by those attired in the approved manner. The Santa Ana Club, California, lias, in addition to the 18 hole course, a special short links of six holes close to the club house. The lengths are as follows; No. 1, 50 yards; No. 2, 75 yards; No. 3, 100 yards; No. 4, 125 yards; No. 5, 150 yards; No. 6, 175 yards. The idea is to give practice and to get the mind and eye to judge distance correctly. All the holes have different kinds of approaches.

LADIES’ MATCH. NEW PLYMOUTH v. STRATFORD, Ten lady members of the New Plymouth Golf Club visited Stratford yesterday, when an inter-club match was played. Perfect weather condition* obtained, the day being sunny and without wind. The home team proved victorious, winning the match by one up. Following are the details of play, Stratford players being mentioned first: Airs. L. Curtis won from Miss DelL Miss Sangster won from Mrs. Hill. Mrs. Burmester all square with Miss Rollo. Alisa V. Sangster lost to Mrs. MaoDiarraid. Mrs. Glasgow lost to Mrs. Quilliam. Mrs. Budge lost to Miss Stanford. Mrs. Smith won from Miss Bremer. Mrs. Abraham won from Mrs. Anderson. Mrs. Boon lost to Miss Morton. Airs. Berg won from Miss Foote. At the conclusion of ths mat?h the captain of the New Plymouth lady golfers (Mrs. C. M. Hill) thanked the Stratford Club for their hospitality and the enjoyable day spent, and invited the Stratford players to return the match. Mrs. Abraham, captain of the home club, replied, promising a return match at an early date on the Waiwakaiho links.

NEW PLYMOUTH ▼. ELTHAM.

The following will represent the New Plymouth Golf Club to play Eltham, at the Waiwakaiho links during the weekend: F. E. Quin, G. M. Chong, P. Grey, F. S. Johns, A. S. Hasell, T. V. Mackay, A. Bewley, H. N. Johnson, W. C. Weston, V. E. Elliott, W. H. Fuller, H. G. Andrews, T. G. Thomson, C. H. Stephenson, H. Al. Thomson, G. Grey, S. F. Burgess, R. I. Harrison, G. Kelly. G. E. Jago, H. F. AlcClune, L. Etherington. Anyone unable to play is required to notify the secretary as soon as possible. Two-ball matches will be played in the morning and four-ball in the afternoon. The Eltham team, which includes the New Zealand champion, L. Quin, is as follows:—L. Quin, J. Quin, H. P. Dale, A Stewart, E. Bary, H. Jeffries, E. Rutherford, O. Casey, H. Turner, G. Turner, F. Fallows, N. Phillips, F. Belcher, St. L. Reeves, R. Young, C. A. Belcher, F. Wylds, E. Carter, N. Fookes, C. Moss, H. Burmester* J. Morton.

Players are requested to be ready to commence play at 9 a.m.

KIRKWOOD IN ENGLAND, By Telegrajjh.—Pr»»s As®.—Copyright. London, June 16. Kirkwood arrived by the Aquitania fit and confident. He brought a very valirable piece of luggage, namely the championship cup, which for th® past year has been m Hagen’* possession. Hagen is not defending the title. Kirkwood said, though he had not competed in many American competitions during the last few months, he was playing as well as ever. He liked

the Troon and Prestwick links, and was determined to do his utmost not to repeat his performance at Troon in 1933, when he threw away a wonderfully rosy chance of winning the championship by a patchy last round, He hotly denied the rumour that he was taking out American naturalisation. He was very proud to remain an Australian, and hoped yet to bring honour to the country to which he ©wed everything. He agreed with many British writers that MacDonald-Smith was the most formidable American competitor, declaring ‘Whoever beats him will win the Championship.” Kirkwood is going to Troon to-mor-row to commence practice on Thursday. He is hoping to arrange a tour of Australia and New Zealand towards the end of the year with Hagen, Duncan or some other world-famed player, but no definite arrangements have yet been made.

A TEMPTATION IN GOLF.

USE WITH IRON CLUB*. BaNgers oFover-swinging. ('By Hany Vardon, Six Times Open Champion.,) An annual match between teams of amateurs and professionals representing a county or a district is now included in the programmes of many golf unions. It has been remarked recently that tne professionals nearly always win these contents, and win tiiem easily. Inquiry indicates that in only one county nave the amateurs shown the capacity to hold their own. In Derbyshire, each side has triumphed twice in the past four years. Tlie amateurs deserve much credit for these performances, but 1 think it can be said with perfect fairness that the standard of professional golf in Derbyshire is rather below the average. At any rate, nobody irom that part of the country ever seems to distinguish himself in the open championship. It is usual for peopie to declare that professionals ought to be the better players seeing tnat they pursue golf as a livelihood. This may be a plausible explanation of the state of affairs, but, on examination, it is less convincing than it seems at first sight. In the cricket matches between teams known «s Gentlemen and Players —terms that are considered more or less synonymous with amateurs and professionals—-‘there is generally" felt to be a reasonable chance of the Gentlemen winning, and they succeed sometimes. Why should amateurs not be just as capable of beating professionals at golf? All the signs suggest that if a contest of, say, ten or twelve a side, representing the best British talent in each section, were to take place now, the amateurs would be heavily defeated. Those signs include the results of the various county matches of this character, and the moderate show which the amateurs make in the open championship, wherein no amateur has been within sight of victory since Air. R. H. Wethered. made that great effort at St. Andrews four years ago—an effort which enabled him to tie with Jock Hutchison, of Chicago, for first place, although he was beaten in the re-play.

PROFESSIONALS’ DISTRACTIONS, I have long since come to the conclusion that there is one influence which, more than any other, prevents the best amateurs from being the equals of the best professionals. It is a weakness that runs through amateur golf in all its grades, from the select company of plus men to the crowded ranks of han-

dicap players. It is a pronounced tendency to overswing with iron clubs. The people who contend that professionals are the better because they play golf for a living are misled by the stress which they lay upon the word ‘play.” Stated with this emphasis, the argument is specious to a degree. In point of fact, professional golfers do not play golf in anything like the same measure as professional cricketers play cricket or professional footballers play football or professional boxers engage in boxing. Rather would I say that professional golfers teach, golf for a living, derive another portion of their income by conducting a shop in which the requisites of the game are sold or repaired, and, lastly, make a little money by playing golf when they have the opportunity. This may seem a desperate story of the versatile lives which they are compelled to live, but it is the fact that many of them do not know what it is to play an average of one round a week for months together, when the days are short and teaching is at its height. Plenty of amateurs obtain a good deal more play than professionals, and could engage in a good deal more solo practice—that process which means progress —if they had a fancy for it. Certainly, it is conceivable, however, that the professional finds an invaluable goad in the fact that golf is his bread and butter.

For one thing, he is incited to seize every odd quarter of an hour for practice when his ambition is strong and there are big events in the offing. Tom Ball used to scurry out to the putting green if only for ten minutes’ practice in the intervals between lessons, and George Gadd paved the way to his rise to a prominent place in the game by putting for an hour every day for six weeks. He declared afterwards that he had ‘improved fifty per cent.” in this department of the game as a result of his diligence, and very likely he was right. Even now, when I am waiting for a pupil who is a few minutes late, I usually employ the time by practising short pitches. ADVANTAGES. It is no doubt one of the advantages of the professional that he has to think out ways of playing well and making the most of his chances to improve. It may also be one of his advantages that, in teaching so many people, he is brought into contact with all the methods that beget failure, and can therefore distinguish those which are most unfortunate in their effects. They are warnings to him.

As already mentioned, overswinging with iron clubs seems to me to be the bad temptation to which the amateur succumb* most easily. It appear* to b* born of a fieree-hearted determination to make a oluib do a little bit more than it is intended to do. ft 1* the equivalent to the desire to drive ft motor-oar faster than is good for it, With the mid-iron, the nmshie, and the mashie-nlblick, ovenswinging is rife in amateur goif. I sometimes think that the obsolescence of the oleek may be partly accountable for this tendency. The cleek, with its slight loft and shallow face, did not encourage death-or-glory hitting. The player felt that he needed to control it in order to obtain

good results; he liked best the halfswing with it. The deeper-faced and more lofted clubs seems to be stirring amateurs, to swing for all they are worth in the hope of being able to say of a hole of testing length: “I was up to-day with a drive and a mashie-niblick.” The professional, watching points for his livelihood's sake, knows that the overswing iron club fails far more often than it succeeds. He takes a longerrange olub and plays the shot quietly.