The Stymie and the Hole,

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 26, 30 December 1908, Page 9

The Stymie and the Hole,

Some Theory and Practice ; How to Simplify a Difficulty.

(By

P. A. VAILE.)

The stymie is a fascinating shot—when yon have played it successfully. At other times, especially when the hole depends on it, there is quite a chance of its getting on your nerves, if you have enough of them —either stymies or nerves. I know one unfortunate fellow who, in an important match, was laid three dead stymies in the first nine holes, each of which cost him a hole. He now takes a great interest in the shot. Many stymies that are usually regarded by players as quite unplayable, or at least extremely difficult, are really quite easy when the art of playing the stymie is fully understood. In "Advanced Golf” (p. 169) we may read: “In any detailed consideration of the problems and possibilities of putting, a place must be given to stymies, though there is not much that can usefully be said on the matter in any .work of instruction.” With this statement I do not agree. I consider that there is much both in the mechanical principles involved and the actual playing of the stroke that is of infinite value. THE STYMIE AS ALLEY. The writer proceeds,’“Given complete confidence, the successful negotiation of

a stymie is a much less difficult matter than it is imagined to be, though in the nature of things it can never be very easy.” Again 1 must venture to disagree. Given complete confidence and that other essential, complete knowledge of what one is trying for, and a full knowledge of the best thing to try for, many, if not most, stymies are as easy as simple putts; in fact, that which, in the ordinary way, is regarded as an obstacle may be found to be a useful guide to the hole. MASHIE OR PUTTER? Tn '* Advanced Golf ” instructions are given in the letterpress as to how to cut

round a stymie, and the putter is mentioned as the instrument. Braid, ass is well known, uses a putter of the shape that I class under the heading of driverheaded putters. It is almost impossible to cut round a stymie with one ef these, for it is obvious that at the most one can get vertical spin on the ball, as from the shape of the club it is out of the question to try to hit beneath the centre of the ball’s height, which is what one must do to cut round a stymie successfully. Reference to the illustration accompanying the letterpress quoted will show Braid cutting round the stymie by a little mashie stroke, but it is played as a mashie stroke. The same result may be obtained by putting with the mashie, for if it be skilfully dene the ball gets a large amount of side roll, as shown by Figure 1. This causes it directly the force of the putth sa gone off to role sideways. There it will be seen that the Mashie D, which goes in under the ball C, is being drawn across it in the line AB. This naturally gives the ball a strong tendency to roll in the direction E.F.

The force of the putt overcomes this tendency to side-roll for some distance, but as soon as that force begins to wane, as it does at say B (Fig. ’Z), the side-roll asserts itself, and the tail is carried round in a curve to the bole as shown. The stymie is generally played by an ordinary mashie shot, as shown in Fig. 3.

The mashie goes back to A, being kept quite low, and then, after playing the stroke, finishes low at B. This M important, and is well shown in the illustration, in “Advanced Golf,” which state* that the ball has just left the efnb. Thia photograph is obviously posed as the bit ot wood on which the ball is resting has not been cut away. 1 mention this because

the difference between th poses at tom oils golfers and their in-tantaueous pten tographs is most Mistime live. In aetirnl practise few players k< < p the mashie a* close to the ground. It is, however, th* right thing to do, but at present it is not carried far enough. The letterpress of book in describing the mashi* ■rfessfce for playing a stymie says: “lb is Jiuiti an ordinary chip up. with a clean t nil wiek. rise, the fac-t being remembered khat ate green must not be duauaged. L<* spare the latetr. “the swing bank should) te low down and near to the surface, S’kuth will cheek the tendency to dig,” ”4fee render will observe that the low* iwss «;f the swing is- “to spare ” Dm f>re; ». whereas it really is, or should ba io o’btcin the most scientific result of she _■ »c«ke. Before proceeding to deal xvrth ihe new stymie strake, 1 mush say s. void about th.' construction of viiashie.s_ They are, generally speakings »<so aat-ioled and too broad in tJie soke* The result is that often the baek eitgp ci .'.de c'ub soles first (as shown in tigund 1 :.S B, vhieh is exaggerated as the figure is smxlLL This should be obviated hu "cvtljiig; -.v:iv the back edge mov<‘( as iij sbrea m figure 5).

T_i .s enables the club to tit well ifll under the ball, which in delicate stymie work is a matter of the utmost import ant-c. Maine players on account of thia defect in the mashie use their which are generally cut away mare, tai play stymies. It is. except in thiis rnr spect, an obviously unsuitable chib fat such light work. Most stymies, especially those cal linn for mashie strokes, occur quite near t« the hole. In nearly eyery ease the way to play them is by the stroke recently introduced. This stroke differs from any other stroke in golf in that i* never varies its distance from ths ground during the stroke. All otfre* golf strokes describe an arc. This strops gocn straight the whole way; paraHefc with, but of course not touching. tha green. Figure <i will more clearly ex* plain how it is played.

J is the stymie. ’Hie mashie A B is drawn back to (' I) al! the time. as elosa to the green as possible, without touch* ing it. The stroke is then played right through to E F, still keeping the matfhi* within a hair’s breadth of the green, if possible. This is the e«se»ce oi the stroke. This is the science of it. It ia not “to spare the green.’’ It is to get the best mashie stroke. It is almost incredible, yet is true, that a well-known golfer asserted that this stroke is the same as the stroke mentioned in “Advanced Golf.” wherein one receives careful instructions about the green, but none about the stroke. Pha stupidity of thb assertion is apparent when one remembers the admonition to avoid agricultural <»|K* rations on rhe green. As, in my stroke, the mashie i® never more than “the width of daylight?* from the green, it standr- to reason thatS any spade work is out of the The stroke is necessarily mostly armi work, for the hands must move nearly parallel with the head of the duh. TSte secret of the success of this stroke fax all delicate stymie work is that as the club is kept all the time as low aa it can* possibly go, there is practieaily vert* little margin of error in striking the ball —in fact, the stroke becomes almost « putt, and. which is of greater hnportr mre, the strength goes inbo nearly pure loft, and pure loft with pure back ?pim Thus it will be seen that even if thn ball were hit a Little too hard it would haw a much bet ler chance of chocking its run than would an ordinary nrxshie or cute mashie shot. Also. altln ugh one mag get practical!' the extreme of cut era this stroke with a properly constructed mashie. the cut will not, on the half landing, deflect it from it - line of as in the online. rut m»due. for th® plane of tit-* v »i<h i produced Mjl pure baek v.it, i* .n ihe ! ne of run w the hole.