HOW TO DO IT.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20477, 1 December 1934, Page 17

HOW TO DO IT.

Sarazen Makes Golf Look Easy. DEMONSTRATION AT SHIRLEY. Arriving at Shirley links shortly before he was due to play an exhibition match Gene Sarazen, the famous American golfer, spent a few minutes hitting practice shots, then went out on to the strange course and played round in 70 strokes. He made golf look easy. This achievement was commented upon by Sir Cyril Ward, the club captain, when I after the game he expressed the pleasure of members of the Christchurch Club that the exhibition had been played on the club links. lie called for three cheers for Mr and Mrs Sarazen and hoped that in future when the American spoke over the radio he would report that Shirley was the best course he had played on in the Southern Hemisphere. Sazaren then showed spectators some of the features of his masterly game. He began by saying that during the last thirty or forty years there had been many new theories designed to produce the perfect game, but the three really great players who had lived in those times all followed one cardinal principle. Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, and Walter Hagen all used the overlapping grip and that was the reason that they had been great. Mr Sarazen also used this grip, and it was only his native modesty which prevented him from including his own name among those of the really great. Depends on Hands. Ninety-five per cent of the game depended on the hands, he continued, and people must first learn how to grip before they could play well. When he won his first open championship he gripped with the right hand underneath the shaft of the club. His first round was a 70 and his second an 80. For two years he practised until he could keep his right hand up, and then came success. The left hand played an equally important part in the make up of a sound game. It should be so placed that the player could just see four knuckles. Power was imparted to the snot by a firm left side, the right hand hitting against it. But the main principle was 1 applied to every club from the driver down to the putter—swing the club straight back from the ball and straight through. By means of action shots Mr j Sarazen demonstrated that an open stance would produce slice; the right foot carried back and there was pull: while in order to drive a low ball it was necessary to stand ahead of the ball. j

The average grip used by golfers in this country and in Australia was too thin, said Mr Sarazen. Thin grips caused the player to hold the club far ; | too firmly and he advised all golfers I here to have some extra packing put on the shafts of their clubs. Master Explosion Shots. From the depths of a bunker Mr Sarazen then demonstrated how to play the explosion shot. This should be the invariable method of getting r out of bunker trouble. Chipping clean ; was dangerous and was liable to let | one down on important occasions. ; Finally he advanced on to the putt- • ing green and showed that it was essen- , tial to keep the club head along the ground. The right hand and elbow , were kept close to the body and the , putter was made to swing along the ■ line to the hole. By using a short i backswing the danger of the clubhead 5 being deflected from the correct line . was minimised. The action was from the arms, and the wrists did not wag as ’one so often saw. And as a final piece of advice Mr Sarazen showed that . by standing behind the ball the putter was given a fair chance of swinging : truly along the line. i At the end of the demonstration Sir : Cyril Ward again called for three cheers for the great golfer. TASMANIAN MATCH. British Amateur Players in Action. HOBART. November .10. The British amateur golfers played their second match with Tasmania at the Kingston Beach links to-day in wet and boisterous weather. Results:— Foursomes—AJ. Scott and J. M’Lean defeated L. Nettlefold and P Brown 7-5; D. Bourn and I. Oarnett defeated G. E. Davis and R. T. Brown 7-6. Singles—Garnett defeated Nettlefold one'up; Davis defeated Scott 3-1; I M’Lean defeated R. Brown 7-6; Bourn defeated P. Brown 2-1. CHRISTCHURCH CLUB. Improvements Carried Out During Year. The annual report of the Christchurch Golf Club, to he presented at the meeting of members in the Chamber of Commerce Hall on December 10 records a very successful season. The membership of the club stands now at 171, and it is stated that the revenue was about £.350 more than was estimated in preparing the budget for the year. This was due mainly to increased membership and a larger number of capitations | from the ladies’ club. 1 With this additional finance it had

been possible to provide for improvements, including the new fifteenth green. A surplus of £ S 0 had been carried forward, which, added to new members’ entrance fees, gave a total accretion to the club’s funds of £3Ol. The sum of £1683 14s 7d had been expended on the new watering scheme, without any contribution from the club’s funds. Referring to the results of the watering scheme and the condition of the course, the report states; “ During the year course maintenance was carried out on the usual lines, but slight interferences and interruptions with the work were unavoidably necessary, due to the installation of the water scheme. This work was carried out in the early part of the year, being completed in May last. Those fairways receiving water in the January-February period showed definite improvement, and during the winter showed less damage from frost and grub. Until the scheme has been in operation for a full year it would be unwise to pronounce dogmatically of its success, but from the progress made and the experience gained to date we feel confident of its future value in maintaining a good “ The next important work of a major nature has been the creation of the new green at Furthest South. “ The new Shirley green prepared on existing turf came into play on October 13, and is considered a much improved hole. Trees have been planted on

boundary lines, and about the cours* with a view to adding further protection and colour to the course. The removal of mounds and slight alteration* to bunkers at the first and second hole* have brought these holes more into lino with the ideas of modern golf architecture, and it is intended to cart y on this work as time and opportunity offer.” CENTENARY CONTEST. Heavy Rain Causes Postponement. MELBOURNE, November 30. Heavy rain caused a postponement till to-morrow of the Centenary golf carnival at the Peninsula Golf Club, Frarikston. The event is the amateur and professional stroke contest of 54 holes, with a gold cup valued at 150 guinea* for the amateurs and a purse of £3OO for the professionals. The American professional competitors are Paul Runyan. Craig Wood, Leo Diegel, Densmore Shute, H. Cooper, K. Y. Lafloon, Thomson and Ezar. A British amateur team is not competing, but other visiting amateurs, including J. Shelley, of Wellington, New Zealand, have entered.