GOLF.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16553, 12 October 1921, Page 3

GOLF.

+ AT HOME AND ABROAD. j (By 41 THE CADDIE ”). ! Eight professionals will be in Christchurch for the New Zealand championships to be held on the Shirley Links from October 17 to 22. They are as follows:—R. IT. Blair (Auckland), A. J. Sbaw, J. A. Clements (Napier), A. B. Brookes (Hutt), E. J. Aloss (Auckland), j G. B. Forrest (Invercargill), H. C. j Butters <Shiriey) and E. S. Douglas (Miramar, AVellingtou). Clements has been open champion three times and professional champion twice. Douglas has won the open event three times and the professional event once. Butters has been professional champion once. There will be 127 competitors, represent ng thirty clubs, at the New Zealand golf championships. In the qualifying round of the amateur championship there will be 98 starters and 84 in the open championship. Continued rain has delayed operations on the course, but there is no doubt- that it will be in excellent- order by the time the championships start. s? '*»* At the Australian open championship meeting at Sandringham (Alelbourne) AAL lies, formerly of Shirley, now of Riversdaie, A’ictoria, beat A. Lefevre, open champion, in a professionals’ match. lies was playing beautiful golf and in the semi-finals beat his man with' a perfect 73—out in 34 and in in 39. In the final he received two I ) strokes from Lefevre and beat the ! j champion 2 up. It will be remembered I j that Ties played with Kirkwood in an ! exhibition match at Otatara last year, I when the champion had an off day and lies won. I The national amateur golf championship of the United States, played at St Lou s, was won by Jesse Guilford, of Boston, who defeated R. A. Gardner, of Chicago, by 7up and 6to play. C. Evans, American amateur champion, and AV. Hunter, British champion, were both eliminated in the semi-final, after a series of sensational games.. Hunter won his way into the semi-final by beating B. Jones, but succumbed to Guilford. News of the death of J. Douglas Edgar, who was killed by a motor car at Atlanta, in Georgia, where he was located as professional, would come as u shock to golfers. Edgar, who was thirty-seven, belonged to Newcastle, and it was while he was attached to the Northumberland Club in 1914 that lie made his first big success in championship golf. He -won the French open championship from an opposition which included several of tho best known professionals. and he won it with a record low aggregate. Prior to that time Edgar rather disappointed bis friends, who knew lie had real golfing ability, !>‘jt who saw him fad more than once through lack of faith in himself. On this occasion he stole away quietly to France, and few knew he had gone until they saw his name on its way to the top of the list. That first decisive success made a difference in him, and after lie went to America he did very well. Two years ago he won the Canadian open championship with the phenomenal score of 278 for the four rounds, and last- year he retained it after a tie with Air T. D. Armour and A. Murray. I have been asked what T considered the ten most common faults in golf on the part of the average player, says i J. Barnes, open champion of the United [ States. From long observation, Ibe j lievo they come in about this order:--j 1. Lifting the head and right shout j dor at the moment of impact, a fault ; ! due to lack of concentration, i 2. Hitting too soon through over- j | anxiety or eagerness. 3. Lack of balance at the top of the swing, with the weight badly distributed. 4. Changing one’s thought during the progress of the swing. 5. Attempting to lift the hall with j the hands, in place of permitting the club head.to go on through. 6. Lifting the club with the right hand in place of swinging back with the left in control. 7. Pull : ng across the ball (for which 1 there are several reasons). 8. A too rapid back swing that destroys all steadiness and rhythm. 9. Standing too long over the ball until one gets rigid and strained. 10. Gripping too tightly—trying too hard, in place of using only a normal effort. ] He also gives what he cons’ders to I t be the ten most important things to j learn : # , 1. Learning to pivot—to turn your body without moving or shifting your l head. s 2. Development of right balance nt l the top of the swing, whore the weight c is distributed as it should bo. 1 3. The development of proper tim- c ing, which is the sol© answer to dis- \ tanee. ? 4. The proper relation and position 1 of the right and left elbows during the 1 swing, a most- important subject,#to be t dealt with in full. t 5. Keeping the head still while the s shoulder and arms are swinging on t through to complete the stroke (after i \ the first pivoting referred to). ; l 6. Keeping tho left arm straight— j r not onlr on the back swing, but after ! f the ball is struck. ! t 7. Lett ing weight and swing of j p the club automatically shift the weight j t from the right foot to the left without t swavine. j a B.' Learning how to play from hang- | v ing and up-slone lies. I t 9. Playing out of bunkers, traps, j r rough and other trouble. # j I 10. Making the mental and physical j e faculties work together, whore without j e co-ordination there can bo no improve- . y ment.