GOLF IN AMERICA

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18009, 20 November 1926, Page 10

GOLF IN AMERICA

FROM NEW ZEALAND EYES

BOBBY JONES IN ACTION.

INTERESTING sidelights upon American golf, including comments upon the wonderful courses and the phenomenally long tee shots, are contained in a letter written from New York by a Wellington resident, who saw the semifinals on the Baltusrol course between Ouimet and Jones in the amateur championship, and something of Jones’s defeat bv von Elm.

** Bobby was just a little * off ’ yes- I terday (writes Mr Horton), inclined to I be short with his approach shots, and • not putting well, while Von Elm was steady as a rock, and murderous with his seconds and short game. The links were in perfect shape, the greens wonderful, while the fairways were not at all fast.

Stiffly Bunkered Course. “ Every hole was well trapped, and the average width of the fairways was not exceeding thirty-five yards, with rough and trees on all sides. The greens for holes up to 400 yards were bunkered heavily, with practically no opening to run up, which meant that seconds had to be pitched up to the green. The short fourth hole on this. Baltusrol course consists of lake from tee to green, and the latter is very small. The longer one-shot holes are bunkered practically all round, and only a few yards are open?' To run a ball on to these greens requires the weirdest accuracy. What astounded me was the length Jones, Von Elm and Ouimet got from the tee, particularly as there was so little run. Drives of 275 yards were common, with clear carries of 240 yards.

Wonderful Driving. “ I saw Von Elm's opponent hit a ball 320 yards off the first tee, and then whack his iron second through the green. At holes up to 400 yards seconds are always played very quietly with a mashie. I think the atmosphere must be rarer than in New Zealand, because I doubt very much whether Jones would get the same carry on our links. I could never Jiope to see more perfect golf than that played by Jones for the first nine in the afternoon round, especially as he did not hole any long putts. Over the thirtyfour holes he had not one over ten feet. Jones finished the first nine in thirty-three (324 S yards par 36), three threes and six fours. Ouimet stood up to this grandly, losing only one hole. The latter played perfect seconds, and was usually inside Jones on the green, but was not so consistent off the tee. Jones’s Iron Shots. “ Jones’s stance on the tee is slightly open, with feet much closer together than most players. He tees the ball fairly high, swings back slowly and deliberately, with straight, stiff left arm, whilst his right elbow is pretty high at the,top of the swing. He pivots well, and appears to get in a lot of power with his right hip. This is very noticeable with his iron shots. I was surprised to see his stance when playing shots to the green from 150 yards.

His feet were very close together, not more than twelve inches apart.

He hit with little more than threequarter swing, and finished about level with his hips, not taking much turf, and the balls appeared to travel slowly, most of them appearing about to finish short, but they did not

Like A. D. S. Duncan. “ I noticed that when chipping up to the green, from ten or .fifteen 3 r ards, they pitched just on the green, allowing for the run up to the hole, very similar to the shot played by Arthur Duncan, but the latter’s shot is decidedly prettier. Jones has extraordinary control and judgment, and I should say that no one could possibly be more quiet when playing. As far as I could see he did not speak a word to Ouimet or his caddie during the thirty-two holes played.

Seeing Golf at the Double. “ Whilst I got a tremendous thrill from watching Bobby Jones play, I want to say that it was a very strenuous business watching the game. There were approximately 5000 people following, and you simply had to run the distance from tee to green to see the game. I raced from the preceding green two hundred yards along the fairway to the right or left to see the next shot, and immediately after ran again to the green, which already had about 300 people round it, so that if you came along about the same time as the players there was very little chance of seeing the green. Once, getting there late, I climbed an adjacent tee box, but even from there I could not see the green. At the eleventh, hole in the afternoon I was just about pumped out, and sat down and rested, to join up again at the thirteenth. The teeing grounds were roped off with fixed posts. “ As soon as the last putt was made on the preceding green there was a wild rush for the next tee, and if you were not amongst the leaders you had little chance of seeing the shot played. Dominion’s Courses a Drawback.

“After seeing a number' of good golf courses in Eastern States, 1 am quite satisfied that players in New Zealand are very considerably handicapped in comparison to those here, for the reason that in the Dominion they have to contend with uneven teeing grounds, bumpy and cuppy fairways, rough approaches, and generally small greens surface, which, for the greater part of the playing season, is anything but smooth. Here the courses are perfect.”