SLOW IMPROVEMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1935, Page 12

SLOW IMPROVEMENT

WOMEN’S GOLF STANDARD

CONSERVATIVE ATTITUDE

(By

“Stance.”)

The statement of Mrs. R. Fryday at Stratford on Monday that there are no real women golfers in New Zealand at present will doubtless raise a protest. Nevertheless there is some truth in the assertion, though the remedy suggested is not likely to effect a great deal of improvement. Mrs. Fryday forecast that the executive of the New Zealand Golf Union intended shortly to increase the length of. courses and reduce the scratch scores.

This is : only‘carrying into effect the suggestion of Mi's. P. Hodgson, captain, and manager of the , British women’s team which has just concluded a ’ tour of New Zealand. Mrs. Hodgson’s idea, of course, is, to give women players a higher standard at which to aim, hoping by those means to produce better players. Certainly the idea is a laudable one, but in reality it emphasises only one part of the game, and that is length in the full shots. In other words the British manager is of the opinion that New Zealand women must hit longer shots.

As far as Taranaki is concerned there can be no doubt that the standard of women’s play has shown little improvement in recent years. Few promising young players have threatened the supremacy of the “old hands,” whose names have adorned the honours boards in the clubhouses for almost a decade. In this regarej, however, there has been one bright spot this season. Miss Pat Fountaine, Eltham, recently climbed into the limelight by carrying off the club championship. The writer was much impressed with Miss Fountaine’s play in the recent Eltham women’s tournament and hopes to hear more of next season.

Women have not the physical strength of men and the only way they can obtain length is by a long free swing. This is most noticeable in the pictures of the world’s two best women players, Miss Joyce Wethered, England, and Miss. Virginia Van Wie, America. Their main characteristic is the long, smooth swing. The swing and not the length of the courses is the main trouble with New Zealand . women’s golf, and the cause can be found in the ultra conservative policy of the Ladies’ Golf Union,, which steadfastly refuses tp give consideration to the conditions under which the game is played otitside the British Isles. If golf in New Zealane were a summer game , the rules regarding the playing of the ball from where it. lies would be perfectly in order, but in the existing conditions where over 75 per cent, of golf-is played in Winter time, this rule constitutes an insuperable drag on any steady improvement of play. That smooth, easy, free swing is of no avail against a series of 'lies such as are encountered on Taranaki courses in winter, and consequently players have de-, velbped .an awkward digging shot that 1 though effective in a bad lie puts a brake on the development of a swing that will raise the standard of play.

i Unless the Ladies’ Golf Union will sanction the use of a placing rule during June, July, August and part of September women’s golf in Taranaki will never show any definite improvement. A good lie is essential to the development of a sound swing. 'The Americans were the first to realise this and years ago universally adopted the placing rule in the winter.. The great British authority Bernard Darwin has stated that this has been the main cau.' of America's superiority. Any talk of the lengthening of courses is a waste of time until the Ladies’ Golf Union abandons its present attitude.