ON THE GOLF LINKS

Chronicle (Levin), 10 September 1946, Page 6

ON THE GOLF LINKS

Teams Match At Levin SECRETARY'S S1DE WINS A competition' that is always popular with members of the Levin Golf Club is the teams' match, and some 32 players attended on Saturday afternoon last to compete. The teams were selected by the club secretary (H. W. S. Walker) and the treasurer (W. S. Ogier), and after a most enjoyable match the se.cretary's side emerged the victors by the narrow margin of one game. The following are the detailed results, with the treasur's team mentioned first in each instance:— Singles: D. E. Clark and D. C. Hill all square, H. Bull lost to C. R. , Hosie, O. C. Lagor lost to S. F. Atkins, H. Nicholson beat C. Wallace, H. J. Hughes and H. F. McClune all. .square, W. S. Ogier lost to H. W. S. Walker, H. Biack' lost to J. Todd, L. S. Carmichael lost to F. E. Langelan, B. J. Eager beat T. J. Coutie, M. C. Wilson beat J. E. Fullarton, S. Dickinson beat W. IT. Walker, W. C. Childs lost to H. Foley, L. A. Whitham lost tp. W. Bull, R. W. Atkinson lost ■ to A. Nicolls, J. S. Tomlinson beat R. Irving and A. E. Hastedt beat W. G. Phillips. Fourball: D. E. Clark and H. Bull and Hosie and Hill all square, Lagor and Nicholson beat Atkins and Wallace, Hughes and Ogier lost to McClune and H. W. S. Walker, Biack and Carmichael lost to J. Todd and Langelan, Eagar and M. C. Wilson beat Coutie and Fullarton, Dickinson and Childs beat W. H. Walker and Foley, Whitham and Atkinson lost to W. Bull and Nicolls and J. S. Tomlinson and Hastedt beat Irving and Phillips. . Next Saturday's Match The match scheduled for next Saturday afternoon will be an 18hole bogey match, draw for play taking place at the clubhouse at 1.5 p.m. Championship Finals All competitors who succeeded in qualifying for the senior and junior championships, and who played in the subsequent rounds for the honour of competing in the finals, are to be complimented for the manner in which they played their respective matches strictly to scheduled time. The championship finals will be played next Saturday, September 15, over 36 holes. This applies to senior and junior grades. Finalists in the .senior grade are D. E. Clark and-D. C. Hill, while the junior "finalists are H. Biack and S. F. Atkins. All four finalists have been playing good- golf,- and the ultimate winners are going to have' liard games before the decisions are reached. , ._ Club Jottings Approximately 28. members bf- the Pukerua Bay Club will be playing a match against members of the Levin Club early next month,' arrangements for which are nearly finalised. The visiting club, as with a number of others in the Wellington area, has produced many players who to-day are making names. for ' -'themselves in higher company, and the first post-war game with the local side should be an interesting slant on the strength of Levin, should the. best side be available. This particular match will probably be an annual one of the home-and-away variety, and will no doubt be the forerunner of many more inter-club matches. Playing on a variety of courses throughout a golfing career is the spice of a golfer's life, and the experience' gained is hundredfold., A player can become too local minded and varied travel and golfing on other than district links is definitely beneficial. With the hoped for arrival of new golf eqyipment from overseas in time for next season, golfers throughout New Zealand will once more have their pre-war facilities and a revolutionary change may be expected, particularly in regard to playing inter-club matches with clubs a greater distance away. Hints and Advice The "half iron" shot: With falrways on the local links sodden with continual rain, one of the most useful shots in the bag is the "half iron," a strike that should "split the pin," and is particularly suitable for soft mushy fairways. A full mashie played under present conditions is too apt to lead to error, for if the club head touches the ground at all during the stroke, a large divot is taken and consequently distance is sacrificed. It is much better for the player of medium ability to play an easy lofted iron with a short pivot and short follow through. Care should be taken with the follow through, as this is -the portion of the shot which directs the ball to the green and the pin. If a fuil finish is attempted, the ball might easily be steered into the wrong path. The correct finish has the arms and club pointing directly to the hole and definitely no further. Wrists must be flexible to allow perfect club head freedom, but care should be taken not to allow the club to get out of contr-ol. ^The left hand should be regarded as the master of the swing. The right hand produces the punch, but if the left is ignored, the right gets in too soon. Pulled putts: This always means that the right hand is' doing too much of the work. The "straight back swinger," is one that does not pivot at the hips with a round the body swing of the club head, but

who draws the club head almost straight back along the intended flight of the ball.. Many golfers are straight back swingers, and it is the cause of much of their trouble. This method of swinging courts slicing, digging and topping. It tends to throw the player off his balance by causing him to sway his body. It gets his right elbow too far up and away from his side, and his hands never get in the correct position at the top of the swing.