BOGEY AND MEDAL PLAY

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1935, Page 9

BOGEY AND MEDAL PLAY

WHICH GAME IS THE BETTER TEST? EACH KIND HAS ITS ATTRACTIONS (By “Stance.”) , GENERALLY golf competitions take two forms—medal play an match. This refers to important-events and not special club competitions, in which are included bogey, stablefords, and Canadian drive foursomes. Big national titles are al decided upon either medal or match play, all the others being ony van tions. Though the really great are masters of both forms there ai many good players who excel in one or the other and not at botl. The reasons for this are rather interesting. . . . .

Though there may be differences of opinion on the subject it, is now generally conceded that the medal or stroke round is the supreme test of golf. AU open championships take this form and are played over 72 holes, or four rounds. Every man is playing for‘himself against the rest of the field in a contest where one bad hole may prove fatal. Match play is-the more ancient form, and in this the problem is, or should-be, simplified. There is no field of 80 to 100 players to contend with;’ there •is only one, and,the task is ,to deal with him and as quickly-as possible. This sounds simple-enough in theory but in practice it does’ not always work out. Match play'can. bring about more., interesting situations arid remarkable recoveries, and in addition possesses a flair that medal play appears to lack. The prospect of the man-to-man encounter seems to appeal .to the average l follower far more than does the the more mach-ine-like play 1 that ; brings success in medal play. .

Sweetzer was in an. unbeatable mood; he reeled off a 68 to relegate the great Bobby to the sidelines. Bobby’s temperam’nt was that of the shotmaker and not that of ■ a - man who revels in a man-to-man encounter. Of a-different type are Walter-Hagen and Lawson Little. This pair revel in match play and-worry not whether the game is one of 18 or 36 holes. They have a flair for this form of the game and appear to possess the Happy knack of - being able to produce that -little bit of brilliance at the critical moment that car;' just- turn defeat into victory. - ‘ '

The ideal' medal player is . one .of what is generally described as the shot maker type.. Players . coming under this category ‘ are ’ usually steadiness itself; they are seldom 1 off the line and are adepts with them mashies and putters. Young players are often better at this form, of the game. The classic example is Bobby Jones. For years he was; recognised as the best shot maker in America. . ■ He could measure strides with the world’s best professionals with success; he had won an American open championship, but in the match play of the- amateur championship he failed. For six successive championships he paraded but could not even reach the final, and it was 1925 before he won his first amateur crown. In the three years previous he had won an open and been runner-up twice. The big field of stars in the open never worried him; he worried them far more. He was confident of his ability to produce the medal rounds, and he produced them.

Take Little in the last British amateur championship. - He was . not playing really good- golf; his rounds 'from a medal , point of view were in most cases crily those, of an ordinary good ’ player, but never did' he • really.' look like being beaten. He' was- always capable *of producing golf good enough to? win. ’ If his opponent 'reeled off a .succession'of pars Little was with'him; if his opponent'was producing golf of an indifferent type Little’s was not a, great 'J deal ‘ better.

In match. play he had attempted to play the man but without success, and he proceeded to try another idea. .He ignored his opponent and just set himself to reel off one of his usual medal rounds and let his opponent do his worst..

This plan ' succeeded. Once he. had broken through and taken his first title he only twice suffered defeat in. match play. • George Von Elm beat him with a series of devastating putts in the final, of the American amateur championship in 1926, and Johnny Goodman vanquished him in the first round at Pebble Beach in 1929.

Nevertheless, to the finish of his competitive career Jones had a constant fear of an 18-hole game. Experience - had taught him that in these days of intensive competition anything can happen over-18 holes, and : there were occasions v.'hen a perfect round in par would not prove good' enough. He had one bitter experience of this early in his career. Playing Jess Sweetzer in the amateur on one occasion—Jones was round in 70one under par—but his was all in; vain.

From the. foregoingit would appear as though’ a ' great . deal depends, upon the players’' temperament’ and general attitude to the game- It would seem fatal for the stroke maker type to attempt to play. . the man, and. conversely for a player with a flair for the man-to-inan encounter to attempt to settle down to a medal round in match play. Every golfer has to find out from • experience which form suits him best, and then stick to it.