“Improve Your Golf.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18805, 6 July 1929, Page 33 (Supplement)

“Improve Your Golf .”

BY

GEORGE GADD

(FAMOUS BRITISH PROFESSIONAL^

(Written for the “Star.”) The margin for error in striking the ball truly is very slight. If the point of contact be above the centre the result is boupd to be a top; if it be too far below, the ball is spooned feebly into the air. The difficulties of the game are substanially increased by the fact that, except on the tee, .the ball has to be played where it lies. Though the surface of the turf may be flat and even to the eye. it is full of small depressions, and the tendency of the ball as it comes to rest is to settle snugly into one of these hollows. Like water, the ball finds the lowest level. Be an Optimist! How should these cuppy lies be tackled? The mental attitude towards the lie itself is very important, for it is very much what we make it to be. On these occasions one should be an optimist. That is to say, one should cultivate the habit of believing that there is no real difficulty and that if one plays the stroke normally the result wili be satisfactory.

A 3 soon as you begin to groan about your ill-luck the situation is ever so much worse than it really is. Unless you are confident about a stroke, you are never likely to make it properly. The closer the ball lies to the ground the more necessary it is to swing even- j ly and smoothly. It is fatal to snatch in an attempt to get under it. Hun-j dreds of strokes are ruined through t this fault. The snatching process alters the base of the arc of the swing and this impairs the power. Don't Clench the Fingers. It is equally important not to clench the fingers round the club handle on the down swing. Grip the club firmly ; by all means, but keep the same pressure throughout the stroke. There is a strong temptation to increase the tension, as we imagine that the extra force exerted will help the club to go through the turf. Another danger is to use the club as if it were a spoon or ladle in order to get the ball to rise out of the depression. The loft of the club will do this naturally, and any accentuation of the normal loft wili defeat itself. Yet another point is to see that the follow-through is not curtailed. Let the impetus of the club expend itself naturally. Avoiding the Spared Shot. It is my belief that every shot in golf has a bearing on, and is, in fact, part of another. That is to say, one with a mashie is a cut-down drive.

In a nutshell the stroke is, to a very large extent, formed by the swing which in every instance should be made on the same arc and with the same smoothness. Personally, I very rarely attempt what is called the spared shot. To use it is, in my opinion, to run an unnecessary risk owing to the fact that one is very liable to be caught in two minds. You do not know quite how hard, or rather, how lightly to strike. Hesitation, when you have once taken up your stance, is fatal. The only safe way is to hit the ball firmly. I have described the mashie shot as a half drive, but I do not mean that you should swing- the club at “half power.” Hit the ball as hard as the extent of the back swing will permit. I cannot stress this point too strongly. Many players confuse the halfshot in the matter of swing with the half-shot with the power applied. It is on this account that occasionally they go off at “Jialf cock.” Uniformity.

In all my strokes length is governed within certain limits by the swing. This, I am sure, is easier to gauge than striking power. Besides, it leads to uniform style and method. You are not in doubt as to what strength the stroke should be made. The swing automatically settles this. More chip shots are raised through slack and flabby striking than from anv other cause. This in the main is due to the fact that the club is taken too far back. When it is brought down the player instinctively realises that he is going to play too strongly, and he lets up. That is to say, his wrists become slack, and, instead of being struck crisply, the ball is given a timid halting blow. In all probability, too, the head comes up, and the result is a hopeless fuzzle. To Hit Firmly. For the chip, the club should be taken back only a very short distance, and, if this is done, it will be possible to hit firmly. Many golfers, however, swing the club for a chip of thirty

yards, enough to make a pitch of a hundred yards, and to cut the length down they have to hold up and reduce the pace of the down swing. It is in this way that they get into trouble. For strokes with the mashie and iron I say, “Watch your swing, and if you get this right, the force exerted for any shot is bound to be more or less correct.”

(To be continued.)