GOLF.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17036, 9 May 1923, Page 2

GOLF.

By “The Caddie”

FIXTURES. May 12—First zound Scales Cup, Avondale. May 12—First round Borthwick Vase, Shirley. May I.2—Medal Handicap, Hagley. May 18—Britain v. America, at St Andrews. May 19—Avondale v. Kaiapoi. June 14—British Open Championship at Troon. June 18—-Professional Tourney at Gleneagles. July I—-French Open Championship a t Dieppe. July 9—American Open Champion ship at In wood. September—N.Z. Open and Amateur Championships at Wanganui. HAGLEY CLUB. The home and away match with Kaiapoi was postponed on Saturday owing to the unfavourable weather. The committee ot the Hagley Club are now trying to arrange a match against Kaiapoi on Thursday week and a return match on the following Thursday. Last Saturday members ot the club played a one club competition, the winner being P. C. Harris, who with ,i handicap of 12 returned a net score of 82. He ivas closely followed by V. Hamilton, whose score was 96-12-84, wind D. Appleby, 104-20-84. A medal handicap match will be played at Hagley on Saturday. On Tuesday' the links will be placed at -the disposaf of visiting graduates of Canterbury College, who will be in Christchurch, at that time in connection with the jubilee celebrations of the college. A notice has been placed at- the college, whereon those desiring to avail themselves of the offer of the Hagley Club may sign their names. The present period of wet weather has enabled the professional to the club (A. J. Sliaw) to cope with 'liis large orders for clubs. There has been a big demand by members for clubs this season. * • Invitations have been received by the club from the Geraldine, Herorata and Ashburton Clubs to play in matches on their links during the seaThe Timaru Club has sent out a notice inviting members ot the Hagley Club* to take part in their inter-club competition on June 4. Teams will consist of four players. As the Peace Memorial Cup and Canadian Foursome matches are played at Hagley on that dav it is doubtful if Hagley will be represented in this competition. AVONDALE CLUB. No matches were olayed at Avondale last Saturday. The first round of the Scales Cup competition will be played on Saturday. Following rounds will be played within subsequent fortnights as mutually arranged between the contestants. Rain has done a lot of good to the Avondale course. Four or five of the greens were recently top-dressed and the rain will bring them back into play very quickly, so that they will soon be ready* for use. CHRISTCHURCH CLUB. Concurrently with the second qualifying round ot the Borthwick Vase competition, stroke handicaps were played at Shirlty on Saturday. The senior medal match was won by M. Macbeth, whose card showed * 77-2-75. R. J. Hobbs won the junior division with v card ot 92-15-77. The ioilowing qualified for the eight places in connection with the Borthwick Vase: —AA . B. Purchas 153, B. C. AY hit com be 154, ,C. A Seymour 156, E. M. Mactariane 156 and H. AY. Macfiuiane 156. The last three places will be decided by an additional round this week, to be played by the following, who were each 157: —D. Reese, AY. C. Wynne, G. AY. Haverfield and C. J. Ronaldson. In the United States Golf Association there are now enrolled 584 clubs, a gain of 51 in 1922. The eligibility list, those whose handicaps entitle them to playing in the amateur championship, total 206, as compared with 325 in 1921. Every effort is to be made to keep the number under the 200 mark. The receipts last year, due to the charging of admission at the amateur and open, came to 40.000 dollars, of which sum 23,000 dollars was taken for admissions. The steel shaft question received much consideration from the executive committee of the U.S.G.A., but it has not been legalised. This year a num ber of amateurs will try out the steel shafted club and report to the committee their findings. For one full season no definite action will be taken regard ing the steel shaft problem. Ivo AVhitfon, the amateur champion of Australia, returned a very fine card of 71 at Sandringham on a recent

THE ROYAL AND ANTIENT GAME OF

Saturday. This equals his record for a round at Sandringham. Although ha has never had the pleasure of breaking his record, he has returned no fewer than eleven cards of 71. His figures at Sandringham were : —Out: 354444443 — 35. In: 445434444—36. Total 71. It is stated by an exchange that Colonel Quill has evolved the following method of gripping the putter:— “ Grasp,” he says, “ the club in the fingers of the right hand delicately, yet firmly; cover the fingers of the right hand w*ifch the forefinger of the left hand, which then in position will lie on the shaft between ring and middle fingers of the right hand : both thumb* down the shaft; middle finder of right hand practically’ does not grip. If tho foregoing directions are carried out, and this putting grip given a fair trial, L am confident that golfers will find that their performances in the putting green will be move often a pleasure than a pain.” Mr Hilton experimented with the grip and found it eminently sound, as lie considered that it ensured a firm, solid hold of the club handle, and precluded the probability of the two hands working? against each other, which is probably the secret of accur*. ate putting. Again, says Mr Hilton, it serves to keep the left wrist rigid, or in other words, to minimise the probability of a too free turn of the elbow; joints, which is responsible for so much inaccurate work on the putting greens. ‘‘The only difficulty encountered was in arranging my hands and fingers in this, to me. unaccustomed manner. I found that 1 had to go into a corner of the green and carefully arrange that forefinger of the left hand ij» such a position that it would place the middle finger of the right hand more or less out of commission. But 1 quickly. realised that the difficulty maiqjy arose owing to a habit I have of first taking hold of my putter with the left hand, and when applying the right hand to the grip. With the principle of Colonel Juill, it is essential than one should take the ‘ first ’ grip rritii the light hand, and then dovetail in the fingers of the left hand, in accordance with his instructions.” The reason for the supremacy of tho American golfer is due t othe fact that lie invariably “plays for the pin.” Threes at four holes are ever in hia mind, and he gets a number of them. He gets them by putting his approaches near enough to the pin to have a chance of getting dow n his Jong putt, and in a proportion of cases that long putt- is holed, it is generally considered that as far as the long second shots with the iron are concerned the British amateur is at least as strong as his American cousin. The trouble \s that the Britisher too seldom holes that first.putt, and counterbalances those by occasionally three putts. Thirtysix strokes on the greens is still considered satisfactory bv a first-class player in England; it is not good enough for America. The commonest cause of bad putting is failure to hit the ball clean. And since the physical part of such a simple and effortless stroke possesses no difficulty of any kind, it is obvious that failure to hit the ball properly rs due in its turn to such faults as looking up too soon ©** snatching at the stroke—ffliat ns to say, the faults which are themselves nothing but the symptoms of a mental attitude—over-anxiqty or over-nervous-ness—which in essentials is nowise different from the feeling which paralyses the bad soldier on the day of hattle. The only antidote is practice of the right kind, practice carried to such an extreme as to form a. habit—habit so strong that it wifi have the effect of making the player carry out- certain movements in the same prescribed way ever under the strain of violent emo-

LADIES’ GOLF NOTES. 3

The Akaroa (Ladies’) Golf Club will be opened to-day w ith mixed foursomes. The Richmond Hill Ladies’ Golf Club played its monthly L.G.U. medal match last Thursday, which resulted in a win foi Mrs Leithead in the silver division, and in a tie between Mrs V. Hamilton and Miss Beaven in the bronze division. The L.G.U. medal match, played lasi AVednesday at Shi rely by the Christchurch Ladies’ Golf Club wa-s won iu the silver grade by Mrs Kingscote. Airs I ythgoe and Miss Cameron Smith tied io. first place in the bronze grade. The tie has not been played off as arri nged owing to weather conditions. An inter-club Boyle Challenge Cup challenge has been received by the Christchurch Ladies’ Golf Club from the Lyttelton Ladies’ Golf Club, and will be played at Shirley next Tuesday. The teams, four a side, will be Airs

Brown, Mrs Avers, Mrs Preston, and Miss Edna White-Parsons (Lyttelton), ami Miss Wilkin, Airs Robert Francis, Mrs iLvsted and Miss Enright (Christt 1 inch). with Miss Rose Gerard, (emergency). The challengers will be the quests ol the Christchurch Ladies’ Colt' Ciub at lunch and afternoon tea. Play to begin at 1 o’clock. All -gtilf matches Imre had to be* postponed since last Friday, when hen .; rain set in. The rain will do an immense amount of good to shj t nothing oi the rest from play, which the links of the separate clubs have received. Mrs Cut William* has been put out of her first English Indies’ open championship in the first round. Our feeling is one o-t disappointment, but this i*. dispelled by the knowledge that these rebuffs are to be expected and to be met. They bring our the best in us it we have the right spirit behind our disappointment-s. ATMOSPHERE. “Why the golf rig, old man? 1 didn’t know you golfed.’’ • I don’t. This get-up is mainly t.o impress a bank president I’m going to strike for a loan.” I hear the sound of laughter gay From happy children ’mong the hav; I know ho cause for such display — Life's grey and. ashy. The future’-* hopeless; let me say, I'm off my maslnie. GOLFING MITTENS. In cold weather it is almost impossible to keep one’s hands warm without some protection. Those players who do wot wear gloves when playing golf will find golfing mittens a comfort. These aheukl be made of soft wool, and should hanre a long cu-ff to go over th.} jersey eutff. They are quite simple to knit, and when fixiisfi-ed. resemble an ordinary glove which lias had the palm et& out and the fingers and thumbs cut off. An ordinary caff is knitted and about half the stitches are then cast off ; the remaining stitches are then knitted for about an inch and u half, when sufficient must be east off to allow for the thumb ; again the re mainder are knitted until a sufficient length to cover the whole of the back of fihe hand ; these are then cast off and loops orooheted for three fingers and thumb. A loop round the fore finger will be found to interfere with the grip. This is the only form of Covering for the hands which does not interfere with the grip of those players who do not play in gloves. While oc the subject of gloves, it is as well to point out to those who are unable to play without them, the importance of carrying a pair of cotton ones tor use in wet weather. The soft chamois leather kind are utterly useless when wet. but a cotton glove affords a bet ter grip the wetter it becomes. MISS CECIL LEITCII. SLACKING OFF. It is a remarkable thing that, if you deli Vie rarely “ slack off ” when several holes to the good, how difficult it is to come again." A player three or four holes up on his opponent, and thinks I won’t beat him too unmercifully, .1 will drop a hole or two so to encourage him, and then romp away again.” This kind of thinking and doing has been the undoing of many a player. The lessening of concentration seems to have an hypnotic effect when you want to resume your proper game, and try as you will to prevent it, you will continue to play indifferently, un less you have great determination and will-power to cast off this evil influence, which holds you only temporarily in its grip. If you are one of those who like to'how mercy (a kindly trait), my advice is win your match first and then, if you like to be generous, leave your opponent the gratification of telling the " old. old story,” “ I lost the snatch, but I won the bye.” THE MIND WINS IN SPORTS. A strong determination and confi denre that cannot be beaten down are far more effective than physical condition and physical speed and skill. “ The man that won't lie beaten never can be beaten. ’ Make this your motto at golf, and never let the thought away troni your mind. Even if the match stands at 4 down aaid 5 to go. redouble your efforts in the last five holes, and tear them, one by one, from the op ponent's grasp. High spirit will fre quontly overcome genius; that is to sav, the man who will not throw up the sponge can overcome many handicaps and win. Mental state lias been a de riding factor always in the golf game, ami if you go out to play a round feel ing confident, not merely saying so. that you can beat your opponent, it grorth a good big handicap to you.