THE SCORE IN GOLF
iTS IMPORTANCE IN MATCH-PLAY
[Written by Hauiiy Yaudon, for the ‘Evening Star.’]
Mr C. J. 11. Tolley was saying last season that he thought nowadays he could play better iu a scoring competition than in a match—a complete reversal of his former qualities. As if to confirm this impression, ho has been beaten three times to date in singles’ matches on level tonus in the Squth African tour of the British team; a series of reverses which would not have been expected in connection with a golfer of his calibre, piceting unknown men.
Perhaps the truth is that Mr Tolley is suffering from the personal equation : the disposition to allow his policy to be regulated by the doings of an opponent in a match, with the consequence that his own game is thrown out of gear. There arc other players of obvious genius and power with precisely the same habit.
Instead of going for all the shots which they know themselves to be callable of accomplishing, they permit each shot to. be dictated by what the other fellow has done, with the result that the rival often makes up leeway with a stroke of unexpected excellence, and secures a half or even wins the hole.
It is deeply ingrained in the British golfing people that match play demands tactics; that the player should try to win the hole by strategy, no matter what ligurc lie takes for it. This principle has been handed down through the generations. Not many years ago it was considered a rather gross thing to mention the scores made in a match, and, to do' justice to the enthusiasts ot that era, it ought to be stated that they seldom did bother about such unnecessary and sordid details. They were content to say; “I’ve this for a half,'’ whether it was a half in (J or a half in 4. The same spirit prevails to-day among the rank and lilc of goiters. Dr William Twcddell, the new amateur champion, explained after his victory at lloylakt that ho had adopted the system ot “ playing the holes and not the man.” Certainly it answered very well. In an unusually large number of instances he won by a hole by a margin of two strokes. Somebody worked it out that if, in the final, he had been giving his opponent a stroke a. hole—and in tho supreme stage of a championship!—ho would have been two down at the cud of the morning round. There was no urgent need for him to produce shots which would secure some of the holes so easily. He did it on principle, to keep himself up to concert pitch all the while. THE LONE ‘TRAIL And tho fact is that in this way lies success iu modern golf. Mr Bobby Jones has cuulessed that he could not win mutch-play championships until he adopted the plan of ignoring the rival and concentrating on tlie task ot doing the hole in the lowest possible figure. And that policy, which has been found successful iu tiic higher walks of competition, would probably be even more efficacious in the strata of medium and long-handicap golfers, whoso instinct and training it is to adapt their shots to those of the opponent—to play down to him rather than to play up against him. if golf were lawn tennis this process would be understandable. Golf is tho only outdoor game iu which its votary is allowed to hit the ball exactly as ho pleases, without influence by_ his rival, save where personality exercises itscli, or where there occurs the rare incident of a stymie. It is, therefore, plain that the greatest unnecessary nuisance to tho player in a golf match is temperament. The man who can cut it out and play tho holes for himself is the man who wins. . , ir r. .. _ . 1... 1.4 li >i I i i i u nnc_
Mr Jones lias shown that it is possible, for be used to be one ol the most highly-strung of golfers; a young man who would throw his club away if it failed him once. It was said of him a few years ago that lie had a streak of temperament that would prevent him always from winning a match tournament, no matter what he might do in score-play competitions. Ho has lived down, that misapprehension. No difference could have been greater than his pertormaiico in the British open championship of 1021 (when, alter missing a few putts, ho started swinging the putter between his legs with his back towards the hole, like a schoolboy out to make fnn of the game), and his achievements in the corresponding event ol the last two seasons, when he won. PIONEERS., J suppose that the late Lieu tenant E. G. 'fait was the first prominent British golfer to discover the value of keeping chock oi Ins scores us a to his form, in match play, lor he recorded them faithfully in the diary which he, kept so carefully. But at that time he had few disciples in this direction. Mis interest in arithmetical evidence vas regarded only as the peculiarity ol an exceptional golfer. , Of comparatively modern first-class amateurs, the first I ever hoard say a word in favor of going lor the propel score in matches was Major N. Hutchison. At the time when he nas among the outstanding amateurs in tho country lie had an idea that it was a crood wav to beat anybody m hand-to-hand combat. There can be no doubt that tho discovery of it by the Amcucans lias done more than anything else to help them to their present position of supremacy. Tho reason that they do not like louisomes is that each individual cannot play all the shots lor hiniselE and therefore try for his “birdies in ms own wav. Dr Twcddcll has now discovered'it in the British amateur championship, and, if Mr Tolley focuses on it, he will probably win another matchplay championship.
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Evening Star, Issue 19796, 21 February 1928, Page 11
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1,002THE SCORE IN GOLF Evening Star, Issue 19796, 21 February 1928, Page 11
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