GOLF.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2144, 9 May 1914, Page 12

GOLF.

1 —— —- IDt Green.] THE SCOTCH LORD'S AiJVtGE. _A poir.t worth toting in connection with ilie body for almost auy golf stroke —add -not drawn attention to by any of th» leading writers. ml -the snljjeet—is brought Before the notice of golfing readers » that charming American golfing novel, "John Henry Smith." The- jfOUttg ;S'optch ).nrd, 'wh(j'"anoiiy-. ffio/usly ts aetU'S tts t't'Scli fas:h'ienable club, is giving a millionaire hi? tat lesson in eolf, anil kas told him to make soiiie practise swings. The «Jtferty kkhi is steeping irvor fl'jo■ linll wiih his Lack Uent, and his teacher remarks: ' Keep the weight of ymu- body on your heels. . . . Bo not cuiva y<iVir i>:iclc like a letter C. K<X'j> the backbone straight kit not rigid. It is the psrot on which your body and shoulders ntlist £11111, and how can it utrn true if Jour vertebrae is ban?" If any go-K readers will iust'try the experiment of beftdiiig the Small of the back in and allowing tins abdomen to laii fcnrarci. and will then attempt a • Swing it will be noticed how easily the shoulders turn found t.he spine without dragging the hips and.tho rest of the body with them. Moreover, there wit! !;«_ iouiid no difficulty in keeping the poise of the head steady, and midway between both feet. Harry Varslou, in .his latest bosk 011 golf, points out how essential it is that the body should not sway backwards (alyay from the hole) in this upward swing or forward .{towards tiw hole) in the downward swing* To avoid this tendency to sway backward, he advocates leaning' tW'b&dy slightly towards the hole as the arms citrry the. club ■back away from the hole. Similarly the bedy must he fljaintiune.il in its steady position wiriie Lho ekib-hend is driven through towards the hole, tiro shoulders being (fragged round the spine and fating tholiol® at the finish of the stroke. He maintains that the iwsitinn tak'm up by a player upon a sheet of iuvws,naper should feft.maintained wsthin that limit tlnyntghcut the- whole of the up. ward swittg. What a Biuo Might Do. Tlrera are rumours of the possibrtitv of tho granting of a full Blue tor golf at Cambridge- next season (writes Mr. Howard in the London "Spoftsinan"). Jf S-tislt a eoßcessisn bo ntudo there ems be little question that it will have no si.ffi.aH effect on the position of golf as a public srhonl game. At preseat there is a prejudice against it mainly 011 the ground that it encourages selfishness. Tho only way in" which that reproach can be lived down is by the promotion of inter-team matches, alttl certain it is that the spirit of tho players of Oxford antl C'smbrites in their pursuit of the pastime is as far removed from selfishness as any motive power could he. Their whole season is spent in enhancing their respective chaiMes p-.f winning tlia match, That being so, and golf being/ ns popular as several other games for r.]iicl; full Bines are gsiven, there would seem to he every justi'lication for awarding the complete distinction. Moreover, t.he step might ass|st in the dissemination of the spirit of inter-team rivalry, tfhfc his indisputably a very KeaHfiy force. There is no particular reason why Eton, Harrow, and Winchester sliould not meet at golf, Perhaps it is rating- difficult to award Blues to a sido, since some members receive the honour for feeing b'Titcn. But, then," a rrnwusrl batsman is sometimes dismissed without scoring. . Violent Rats of Progress. There are philosophers wlio boltata that groat prosperity quickly acquired is apt to recoil as rapidly as jL «d< vniiced, leaving the busk of its an~ ha'ppy ■metMiim forlorn and destitute. H ever a .game fount} Itself subjected to the peril of losing its balance and wittering under tlw strain of its own violent, rate of progress, that game is suvly golf fn the stage uifough which .it is now passing, I'robably its average devotee hawll\ 1 ill to the full thn extent to which it is dflveteping. The most tangible indlfrrttions are to he cs'b* served in the 'formation of new courscs designed for cyicuioß in susli matters, smd tiro way in which these costly luxuricS nre springing: up within thirty milos of London is nothing short of amazing. Yet golf shows 110 sign o£ failing to preserve its strength and infinity of rewisirce. A little while; ;i.go the game sat the pace, and the first-class course's came comparatively sktvl.v. At flic piewflt time it is the ttmrses that aw 6#t* tree the pace. Something like 5. down u.f diitiijguislrcd quality are iii process

of formation or are ready to be forin'slly opened near the metrapolis, and the gam© is_resp«ndmg right nobly to tho call on it, Recruits are coming in so profusely that there seems to he little danger of any of the rot dubs failing to achieve their pu-rpase. Most c-f them possess the merit of a dry winter «ul, and that recommendation appears to bs sufticient to ntalc-o any .green a success. ■—London "Sportsman." Ofilngs at Hcretaunga. Golf a.t the week-end was somewhat marred by the elements. ELerctau.nga survived tJie orgeat in a most remarkablo manner ami notwithstauditlg the downpour ot Saturday the course on Sunday was in cxeellehit order. The M«(lal Match t'hut was to have been played oft Saturday liad perforce to bo'postponed until to-day. During -the week an interesting match was played between A. Duncan, i;\-amate.ir nn-.'l open champion of New Zealand, and a team of 'ladies comprised of Misses V. Collins (ox-Now Zealand champion), A. Pearce {club champion), E. Bell, V. Bell, -liid Mrs. ,F. ITodson, The morning and afternoon matches resulted in tho narrowest of vi-p-ktrieS for Mr. Duncan, who is liovv rapidly regaining his best form. The" Ladies* Medal tt-as played on Wednesday and was woji by Mrs.' Lees in the senior division and by Mrs. Irteherhert in the junior. Tlu> annual match between the Christchurch and Welliii-ftton Glttbs for the Titson Ctsp is to he played on May 30, Ai, Christcliuroll,_ and ii_ behoves players who- lijive claims to inclusion to got into form. Johnsonvllle Items. At the Johusouville 'Golf -Clu-b'fi Links to-dav tho coniimiQus bogy competitions will be proceeded with. On Saturday last the w-ealher Was too rough for the; ' majority of the players to put hi ail appearance. 11l addition to the match already arranged with Waiwetu for July 4, the Johnson ril'le -Club is booked for matches with the Kamri and Olaln Clubs. Tlio ! match with Karori is to take' place ftt .Tohnsontille on May 30 -and that with Oiaki 011 tho latter club's csurse some t-itne in J-afia.' / Tho Hutt Club. i Last Saturday proved too much for 1 the bulk of players, hut a few enthusiasts at Bt-uti- Waved the fitenjaivEs. Any ' psirsoli wl'.o eculd drive a ball and 1 ltcisp it 1-o'iv against stich a southerly 1 would show a pretty complete khow--1 I«h!<i; of tho game, The mc.rt'3 medal round-.competition : postponed' fro.ni last Saturday oil sc* ! «ni!it 01* tho storm (which by tlio way ■ brought souie thousands of seagulls to the 11 tilt Links), is to be played this 1 afternoon. " Beautiful day thortgh it was, geni oral panic seemed to have settled upqii the Hutt ladies 011 Wednesday fest in au impromptu competitioii., "t:i«i net ; score being 83 after allowing for a very i- lib'eral handicap. Most of tho player's wore having a day off. The noff bunkers at the Hutt Club's course are sot perhaps as forimdublo as they might bo made, but thev recall the story told of an elderly London ; man, who went up tit Yorkshire, for a j gftii'o and- engaged an old-time caddy. After vainly e.ndeavouring lo extricate : his hall frnm an ugly bunker, and using every dub in his kit, he turned to the cuddy ill desperation and said: ''What i shall I take now, caddy ?" ■ The veteran : eaddy, hailing from tile north, replied ! somewhat contemptuously: "Talc 1 the : 1 L') train, 111011!" ; Karori Competitions. A commenc-oiijciit was made with {.he. , Ladies' Coitipetitiou. ait the iCaroi/.i jLinksv '■ oii Thursday when about tweiitv iailios. ', attended to play. Unfortunately ram | canto. 011 iu-st after a start lwd been [ made, and the competition l had to he J postponed until Host--week, J ] Tho Men's Medal Coiiipetitioh, post.- ; polled from last .Saturday, is to be .pro-.' • c-eeded with at- Karori this afternoon. f Jottings, j The Otaki Cltib will send a tart ; ! Palmorsto-n North one -day next month t-i try co'i-wlusions Sv-ith repiro'sen-tatives ; of tho Jlanawatn Club, i About a doz.-Mi beginners put in an : , appearance at the class at the Town itnll, lift-war Iluf t, on Wednesday isight [ and gained the bonelitio? two hours' in- , str-u-ctio-ii. Some of tTie students shoived I | coitsidorablo proinise, . ; i The third round of the Dennis-toil i Cup was played At Shirley links, Christ- ■ . church, last Saturday afternoun in squally weathef. A, Humphreys beat . H. H. Knight, 8 up and 7, ' T. "\V. Kane heat 11. L-. Bowlcor, 1 up, Hum- . i/hreys and Kane play- tho final to-day. j. All official cointr,tinicatioii 4 from tlie ' United States -Golf Assocltdiioft an- , iHumces that _ the <;!ianipioiiships! . under the a-li-spiees of .the. assoc.-ia-tioli : : will bo held as follows; — Amateur ! Championship »t Kkwouek Country 1 Club, Augast Sl-.S-epteiii-ber a. bpeit' . Chawpioiiship at .M-idlotliian Country. Club, August I.S-21. Ladies' Champion- , ship at Nassau Cauitiry (.'lnb, , - her 14-19. A new player had mado a drive of which he was very proud, and lie ns- . scsscd oir measured the length of the ; carry at 263 yards. Con:ing back t<r , the pariliou he met the club nrofes-' sional, ami ca'.lej to mm: "I did 2155 I'-O'day." Ho was disgusted to {Jet the reply: "Going out, or coming in, sir?"