GOOD GOLF IS EASY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVI, Issue 21378, 22 June 1939, Page 7

GOOD GOLF IS EASY

Iron Play Around Greens 5 How to Obtain Results I think that play around the greens is the easiest way of frittering away good strokes writes R. A. Whitcombe. A splendid drive and an accurate second shot may leave the ball only a few yards short of the green and yet the result may be a poor five or a dismal six. The cause-of the damage to one's score is usually a badly played pitch and run. or a fluffed stop shot. Let us suppose we have arrived some fifteen or twenty yards from a wellkept and watered green and that there are no obstacles in our way. The Pitch and Run Our caddie hands us our number six iron and we decide on the right stroke to play; in this case the pitch and run. Our first decision is, whenever possible, to pitch on the green, and as so much depends on the run of the ball it is essential * to inspect the surface of the turf to see how the little hummocks and depressions are likely to affect us. Once we have made up our mind as to our line we can take up our stance, which should be open and of medium width. The knees should be bent and the club should be held well down — the nearer the hole the lower the grip. The ball, which should be in line with the right foot, is watched carefully and it is determined to keep the head down until the stroke is comfortably finished. The address is made with a shut face and the club head is swung back with the wrists, the face being kept shut. The club is not moved jerkily but slowly and comfortably. The wrists are then swung through, the club head catching the ball before the turf which is slightly grazed. The stroke is finished by the arms carrying on and through. At the end of

the stroke the face of the club is still shut. By now the ball should be well on its way, having reached a maximum height of around three feet, and having been struck with sufficient back spin to ensure only a “controlled” run and not a lively jumping ball. At this juncture a word of advice. Always play this shot with one club. A five or a six iron. It makes the stroke so much easier than varying the club for different distances as so many golfers do. When Close to Green Also bear in mind that the nearer the green the narrower and more open the stance; in fact when we are very close to the green the feet should be almost touching and the body should be almost facing the hole. I have written about the “pitch and run” and I am now going into the “whys and wherefores” of most of what we have done so that we may understand exactly what we are aiming at. First of all there is the open stance. The object of this is to get the left side out of the way so that the stroke may be played without body movement. Next there are the bent knees. The point here is to stop all foot movement. And lastly there is the shut face which prevents any semblance of cut on the ball and ensures a straight and controlled run. The shot I have just described is the ideal shot when we are not faced with obstacles. At times because of obstacles it cannot be played. Between the green, some fifteen yards away, and ourselves, there may be a sinister-looking bunker. On the far side of the green there may be a bunker as well, and the green on which we have to pitch and stop our ball may look a very narrow strip of turf. There is only one shot that can help us and that is the stop shot. The ball must be pitched high in the air and when it drops it must stay “put.” Our caddie is asked tor a seven or eight iron or a blaster. Any of these clubs will do the trick, but it is best to make up our mind as to which of the three suits us best and then stick to it. Open Stance Having decided on our club we take up, once more, an open stance. The ball is opposite the right foot and the club is swung along the line of the stance which is well to the left of the pin. In addressing the ball for this shot we open the club face-wide, and throughout the swing, from start to finish, the face is kept open. The ball when struck properly will fly, not in the line of the swing, but well to the right of it. After a few attempts it should be possible to judge the line of the stance quite accurately and to make the ball fly in the direction of the hole. 11. will perhaps make the execution

of this shot easier if I describe it as a “cut” shot and not as a “stop” shot. The whole art of the shot lies in the way the ball is cut up into the air. A word of warning as to divots. In this stroke no divot is taken, the back of the club head having been skidded along the turf and the ball literally cut up into the air by wedging the club head between the bottom of the ball and the ground. To make my meaning a little clearer imagine a mushroom growing out of the grass. Try and cut its head off with the club as close to the turf as you possibly can without damaging the head of the mushroom or the turf.