GOLF

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16908, 6 December 1922, Page 2

GOLF

THE ROYAL AND ANTIENT GAME OF 8

By

"The Caddie”

The Nelson Golt Club has decided to enlarge its clubhouse in view of the New Zealand ladies’ championship meeting, which is to be held in Nelson next year. The committee is busily occupied in improving the links. Messrs A. Brooks (Lower Hutt) and A Ham (Wellington) have reported to the New Zealand Golf Council upon the suitability of the Wanganui links for the next New Zealand championship. Mr G. 0. Suttcn, secretary % of the New Zealand Golf Association, has communicated with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, St Andrews, inviting any British golfers who may be visiting the Dominion next year to enter for the New Zealand championships. It is to be hoped that golfers like C. J. H. Tolley and R. Wethered will make the trip, but apart from that it may reasonably be expected that one o- two prominent British golfers will be in New Zealand next year. A FRIENDLY ROFND. An infallible cure for the man who has taken golf too much to heart was given by a certain golfer. “ Be the secretary of a golf club,” ho said ; “ live in a golf club for five or six years, and listen to golfing conversation all that time, and I will guarantee that you'H never want to hit a ball

The above is related by Mr Bernard Darwin in “ A Friendly Round.” iu which the author reveals a fine literary style, a delicate humour, and an intimate knowledge of golf—and its vagaries.

“ It is a great misfortune to have a mind poisoned and distorted by the game of golf,” Mr Darwin writes. One cannot as much as look at afield out of window without wondering whether one would have to play short of that hedge at the end of it.” Speaking of practice, the author says he knows a golfer who had in his house fe- hall of mirrors, before which, safely locked in : he doubtless poised anil pirouetted in Vnrdonian attitudes- to his exceeding satisfaction ! •• Eminent writers on the game,” the author proceeds, “have recommended the earnest student to practise swinging before the looking-glass, dangling before him hopes of ensuing improvement. . . . Not that I disdain the

looking-glass. lam the possessor of a> strip of glass let into the wall. The previous inhabitant of my house proloosed to take it away with him, but, foreseing its golfing uses, I successfully claimed that it was not a tenant’s fixture.

Yet J cannot think that to practise swinging in front of it is really of much value. My belief is that the looking-glass is useful chiefly, if not solely, in regard .to the jDOsition of the ball and the feet in the address.” On another occasion, after the author’s golf had been adversely criticised by friends, he wanted to believe his critics, but simply could not. When he got diome, however, and looked, blushing, in the glass, he saw that they were right! The scales dropped from lii6 eyes.

Talking of caddies, the author

• There are when we could kill the boy who fumbles with our clubs and loses our putter in the recesses of the bag- His possibilities in the direction of standiug iu the wrong place, sneezing, having hiccups. and looking as if he were going to talk to his colleague are illimitable.” “ The girl caddie, as far as a limited experience of her goes, is, by comparison with tlie boy, somewhat colourless. Sho does not comment on the game or appear excited over it.”

The author knew a golfer who gave up golf because he could not hit the ball. “ That is a common disease,” Mr Darwin writes, “ but his was a very uncommon'form of it. Ho could get the club up to the top of the swing, but ‘all the king's horses and all the king’s men ’ could not get it down again. He tugged and tugged at it. but there, contrary to the laws of nature. and like the rope in the Indian juggler’s trick, the club remained suspended. Short of mesmerism, there was nothing for it by retirement. So he retired, and gave me his clubs.” “ I have put away my clubs for the winter.” he wrote. “ I find I can get more exercise and more pleasure from gardening or Bandminton.”

PROFESSIONAL GOLFERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP. (Special to the “ Star LONDON, October 12, Most of the professional’s golf is played with a card and pen oil. and every fault is recorded against him. It is on this account that ho cagerh looks forward to the match-play championship in. which he may experience a ruinous hole and yet win. This event has just been decided, and the first

prize of £2C>O was won by George Gacld, a hefty fellow of about fourteen stone. His opponent in the final was Fred Leach, a young Yorkshireman. who as a bey went to the North wood Club, i London, twentv years ago. Leach must ! have been born under an unlucky star ; For several years he has been recognised as a fine golfer steady but still : having a flash of brilliancy, but it invariably happens that no matter how i well lie may play some one contrives I to beat him on the post. On this occasion, however, he had no excuse, i The truth was that as Tommy used to I -say in the war days lie became I ‘ windy” and went completely off his i game. In fact ho cracked and was j beaten by five up and four to play in j the thirty-six holes final. GadcL ou j the other hand, has a fine tempera - j raent for the game. He is seldom I worried and never downcast. Indeed | he plays in the amateur spirit as if it j does not matter a great deal whether Ihe wins or loses. During the war i Gadd held a commission in the Royal j Welsh Fusiliers. Whilst in training* j in Ireland he was ordered with his ! battalion to Salonica. On crossing j from Dublin to Holyhead on the mail steamer Leinster, lie was torpedoed There were over seven hundred people oil board and after having been iu the water for three hours Gadd was one of the hundred passengers win were saved. The tournament was decided at Sunniqgdale, which is close the famous Ascot racecourse and is situated in glorious moorland country. And it is perhaps the finest of our inland courses though it has not till majestic features of Gleneagles. Gadd.victory was well deserved, although he had to work very hard for it. four times having to go to the nineteenth hole to win. On three of these occasions, too, he was round in seventy one. which is -five strokes below the scratch score. But the tournament lest in fnterest owing to the absence of Duncan. Mitchell. J. H. Taylor and Alec Herd, who bad net returned from America, and the fact that Harry A ardon and James Braid bad failed to qualify. These veterans have lost their old consistency, but they remain the outstanding personalities in the game. They retain their fascination even if they cannot contrive to mak • .the shots go right m the snm-: wonderful way as twenty years STYLE IN GOLF. il Is a player justified in altering hr-* •style after having played in a particu Jar style for years?” ** Can he improve bis game by doing so?” These ar3questions that have frequently l>ee:i asked lately, due. no doubt, to keener interest that is being taken in the game and the improvement in the standard of play. Many of the older enthusiasts, although playing as wed a ever, keep slipping behind in tin race tor honours and naturally desire t * keep pace with the leaders, writes D. G. Soutar in the Sydney “ Sun.” With regard to the first question, it all depends whether the swing is fundamentally wrong. If such werj the rase a man will certainly derive a greater amount of pleasure out of the game by changing to more orthodox methods. He will play more con sist-ently, and will, undoubtedly, improve bis game. Many players and critics also have a mistaken idea wit i regard to a faulty style. There are instances of players appearing to be radi rally wrong through cultivating some peculiarity of movement which reallv only a detail and not a principle. In such a case to concentrate upon the mannerism with a view to checking it would not be difficult, and the faulty movement would soon disappear without any fundamental alteration in the swing. Vv ith a player whose swing is fundamentally wrong the case would be difficult. He jjhould obtain the correct theory of the golf swing—and there is no mystery with regard to tha*~ —find out where he is wrong and set to work to master the defects. Jt would mean hard practice for some time, and his score might suffer in the process, but his game would ultimate ly benefit. Besides, the player who understands the game and play 6 it correctly gets far more pleasure and en joyment out of it than he whose 'knowledge is scanty in that respew, lv is the difference between achievement and ha Pinning. A good deal has been said and written about a player’s natural style. It has frequently been stated that one's natural style must be the best for one. While almost every movement in the execution of the golt swing is a natu pal movement, it does not follow that a new player will do them all naturally. For instance a new player would neve.* , grip the club with his hands close together, let alone overlap them’ He wuld he certain to hit at the ball in-, stead of swinging at it. All those movements have to be practised, and when analysed prove to he the natural means tQ the end of swinging a g*blf club properly. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 )