GOLF

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 126, 24 November 1926, Page 16

GOLF

NOTES AND NEWS

BY 'CHIF-SHOT. 1

THE CLOSE OF THE SEASON

ORIGIN OF THE 18 HOLES,

Annual meetings, publication of lists of winners during the year, ami other indications all point to the fact that the 1920 golf season is almost at an end. Strictly speaking the New Zealand championship meeting murks the official close, but such a hold has the royal and ancient game that play is now continued, on some courses at any rate, right on into the summer. Long grass and, in some cases, hard ground, makes play rather trying, but tkero are many enthusiasts who persist iv spite of the call of summer games. When the grass on each side of the fairway is nearly knee-deep there is certainly a great incentive to keep straight, which is all to the good, and •when the ground is baked hard how flattering is the length of one's drives! Summer golf, in, spite of its' drawbacks, certainly has a charm of its own, and it is noticeable that more and more clubs are being compelled to eater for those of its members who wish to play all the year round. The Wellington ladies concluded their championship meeting at Heretaunga last week, when Mrs. Weston proved her right to be considered club champion for the next twelve months. In the semi-finals Mrs. Weston disposed of Mrs. Marehbanks by 4 and 3, Mrs. Sclanders beating Mrs. Stout by the same margin. When Mrs. Weston and Mis. Sclanders met in the final an up-:md-down encounter resulted, sonic good scoring, being registered. . When it, came to the eighteenth hole Mrs. Weston was 1 up on her opponent and needed but a half to" gain the championship. But she found trouble in a bunker, and it was necessary to play two more holes before the issue was decided in her favour. The winner's strong point was her long game. WHY EIGHTEEN HOLES. Tradition has made 18 holes the hallowed number for a full course, but in our great-grandfathers' time the number of holes on a golf course seems to have been entirely optional and decided by the amount of ground available. Courses with five, six, or seven holes were not uncommon, the five holes at Leith, for instance, prior to 1821, measuring respectively 411 yards, 461, 426, 495, and 435. Three rounds of the course appears to have been the usual^ quota for medal, competitions, and tedious work'it must have been. Scores of 100 years ago, when the feather balls were used, are interesting. A minute of the Eoyal JBlackheath Club in 1834 gives the scores with which Mr. Hastio and Mr. Dun bar tied for tlie medal. They, each took 109 for the 15 holes —four over 7's—and only one 5 appears to relieve the strings of 7's and B's on the two cards. It was no better when the number of' holes was increased to seven, for the winning score of the first competition held after the extension was 175—an average of seven over B's. At St. Andrews the original number of holes is said to have been six, but this was afterwards increased to 12.

Instead of gointr "round" the course and arriving back where you started, you went "out" to the "Hole of Return" and the* camo back again, playing to the same holes. It must not bo forgotten that in those days the tee for each hole was on the green of the preceding one —"not nearer, the hole than four club lengths and not further from it than Bix." The player, therefore, teed up beside the hole nearest the clnb-house and played 11 holes out, and then played 11 holes in over precisely the same ground, so that the 12 actual greens provided a round .of 22 holes. In 1764 the number of holes at St. Andrews was reduced to 10, the first four old holes being played as two. This, by the method of play in vogue there, made the "round" one of 18 holes, which is now the universally accepted number, except where space only allows for nine. There are exceptions, of course, but they are few and far between. PLAYING IRON SHOTS. The following advice in playing full shots with irons is given by '' Chick Evans, the famous American golfer:— "This do«s not require a deep, full swing. In fact, I would rather play a five-eighths stroke than a seven-eighths one. And you know my advice for a regular full stroke is a three-quarters one. My'swing with the jigger is just a straight up and down stroke working both hands as one of the six feet of straight line, with ball in between, which clubhead and hands work on. I like to feel everything just doing what it individually and naturally will. After I have played, it is a joy to know that I have not done all the work myself and have used my brain, riiy clubhead, etc. If the flight of your ball is an uneven one, it means that you are employing a jerky stroke, and both of these must be discarded. If you are not getting the line, work on your stroke so that you will, even if you have to make r. big sacrifice of distance for it. Accuracy wins more matches than brilliancy. As a matter of fact, your hands must be practically paralleling that imaginary direction line when they can. I think you can do this by holding the hands down a little low, and, therefore, getting a littlo lower circle of the hands. When I say to you that a careful measuring of the bit of the rhythm of the stroke is what does it, please try to get that music. I believe you can get better direction if you swing a little more upright, but do not overdo this so much that you cannot get a comfortable break at the back of the stroke. If you are playing in a tight match and the strain is hardest, think of relaxing even more than ordinarily for a little more relaxed condition hqlps you to get. direction and evenness of flight. I think you can say to yourself at all times that you should try hard. Never be too careless. It will be very difficult for you to get the correct style unless you hit easier This will prevent yon from forcing the shots, and even if you are off you will find yourself coming back to the helpful stroke. Never at any time allow the imaginary direction line to got out of your mind. Avoid hurried shots even in practice, and if you play a wishywashy stroke remomber you will be dissatisfied with the results." THE "TABGET" GAME. Manly is the' first clnb in Australia to play target golf. Tiro circles were marked round each putting green, one ten feet and the other twenty feet from the pin. A third white line of varying shape marked the limit of tho putting green. It was the object of each player to aim at this target with his approach shot. Points are gcored in accordance with the proximity of the ball to the hole. The scoring is: At a par 3 hole, nine points are scored for a tee shot finishing in the inner circle, eight points for a middle circle, and seven for an outer. Par i holes, a tee shot played on to the fairway counts one point. If the second shot reaches the green, the points are 6, 5, 4, and in the case of the third shot, 3, 2, 1. At par 5 holes. Tee shot played on to the faii-way counts one point. If the second shot reaches the green tho points are 12 11, 10, and third ehota, 3, 2, 1. ' Putts: If a player holes in one putt the score is two points, and if the bull is holed from outside the outer circle the player gains four points. There are no points for two or three putts. ABE MITCHELL ON THE MASHIE. 1 JEhere- is no xeal transfer of weight from, i

the right to the left foot, as in the tee •shot; therefore there is little need to stand far from the ball. By hitting down on the ball a trifle the clnbhead is almost sure to go forward straight after it in its line of flight. Take the club up quietly and smoothly, having decided how hard to hit, then come down smartly, just us you would hit v nail with a light hammer. Do not be afraid to hit the ball and a bit of the turf at the same moment, but avoid digging down. Do not try to scoop the ball; the loft on tlie mashie will cause it to rise off the ground. Many players nowadays take a niblick and hit the ball into the air, but they would be a good deal aufer with the lna.shie if only they would put in a little practice with this dub. Again, keep the feet on the ground. Many players lift the right heel before the clubhead has reached the bull. This action shows that they are swinging the body with the club. That is unnecessary. Stand easily and steadily, and make the arms do the work, with just a littte pivoting with the hips and shoulders. WELLINGTON CLUB. In the mixed foursomes played at the Wellington Club on Saturday, the best card handed in was from S. A. Lcmguet and Miss Dyer, 4 up. In the bogey handicap IX O. Whyte and lan MaeEwan tiod, 3 up. In the Ward Cup tournament matches, <V. Longuet beat D. M'Gavin, V. A. Ward beat C. W. D. Bell, D. O. Whyte beat J. B. MaeEwan, lari MaeEwan beat K. Duncan. The following matches are still to be played and should be finished by the end of November: A. C. Ashford plays the winner of C. J. Nathan and A. T. Young; E. O. Hales plays the winner of J. C. Peacock and P. Brandon; C. Richardson plays the winner of O. ,J. Wilson and G. H Robertson; R. M. Tolhurst plays R. B. Smith. Nest week-end there will be two competitions as the programme for the season has been delayed. These will be a stroke handicap (cleek competition), and a bogey match for the Victoria Cup,,held at present by J. D. G. Duncan.

"Most golfers are not going to spend many hours in practice, much as they need to and as much as it is bound to improve their games," said Ouimet on one occasion. "It is all right to tell them to do so and mighty good advice, but the trouble with it is that it will, not bo followed. Men play golf for the fun of it and you can make up your mind they aye going to play. The average club member gets off two or three times a week, and it's a moral certainty he's going to take on a friend for eighteen boles on such afternoons. It is not human to suppose he is going to hie himself off to a practice field to work on his strokes."

The winner of the ladies' Dominitm championship, Mrs. E. G. Kerr, will be remembered in Wellington by her perfect poise and well-balanced swing and pivot at Miramar in the long-driving competition. She is not so steady, as a rule, in her short game, but at Balmacewen she was very useful round the greens. In defeating a scratch player (Mrs. Dodgshun) on her handi--^i of 0, Mrs. Kerr has scored a remarkable achievement.