Golf THE PITCH SHOT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 93, 6 May 1937, Page 14

Golf THE PITCH SHOT

"Stymie.")

Percy Allis" Advice To Players HOLE-IN-ONE PRECEDENT

(By

Pltching: For most approaches to the greens the run-up shot is preferred to the pitch when the way is clear (Percy Allis, "Better Golf hut with himkers and other obstacles to he negotiatedj a run-up is not always possihle or safe. It is then that the golfer with a reliahle pitch shot/ in his hag is likely to come off hest. A high flight is required for a pitch shot, so that the hall descends almost vertically and with th© addition of back spin to stop it practieally deadBack spin is amparted to the ball by striking down and under it, hitting the ball on its lower surface before the groand is touched| The club should take the ground right under the ball and not behind it. A mashie, mashie niblick or niblick may be used according to the distance to be covered. The club will loft the bqll if allowed to do its work properly. The shot is very frequently spoilt by efforts of the player to scoop .or lift the ball, ducking his shoulders to do this he drives the club into the ground behind the ball and lifts the club head as it connects and the result is appaUing. • No pitch shot can be piayed with skill Or success unless the player has a eonfident belief in the lofting powers of correctly applied back spin. Alliss believes that in the stance or position of the feet Ides half the battle. For long approach shots the heels should be about nine inches apaTt with the ball opposite the centre of a line between them; the left toe .is turned towards the hole and the right towards the ball, thus buinping the shoulders round to . face in front of the ball. The elbows are kept close to the sides by means of a close-up stance and a very upright swing— both essential to good pitcbing. Must Be Firmly Hit

The ball must be hit firmly and with deeision and the follow through completed properly with no suspicion .of ecooping or lifting. Leave the lofting to the club head. In the case of shorter pitch shots the stance is more open and the ball more opposite -the left heel, also, as the stance is opened up so must the club face be opened to eounteract the open stance. The back swing and follow through must also be modified to fit in with ihe shorter distance to be covered. Hit the ball with firmness and deeision right up to the pin. No . half-hearted shot will'be a successful pitch. With firmness you get the back spin and no run on the ball. Practice these shots and you will soon fit in your* stance and swing to suit your own style and establish a confidence that alone will enable you to play your pitch shots with success, whatever bunker or hazard faces you. Geno Sarazen says: One of the chief reasons for failure in mashie play with a great number of golfere is quitting on the stroke. Don'fc try to ease up on the shot.

Hastings Club. The Canadian foursome match for the midweek players resulted in G. Murfitt and C. Vidal xeturnlng a nicely compiled card of 84 to give them a net 67 for a win. H. Blackmore and A. J. Grant 81, net 68, were a close second, with A. -F. Redgrave and H. J. Grieve next with 69J. The Thursday players again returned better scores than the -Saturday players in the corresponding match. It is hard to . account for this, but it has been most iloticeable in all the matches played this season that the midweek players return ffelatively better cards. A littie breeze the last two Saturdays is hardly sufficient to explain the *difference, and it would appear that tho playing of all matches on Saturday an fours may have something to do with the matter. y : . Medal Matcb. The medal match on Saturday resulted in»W. H. Wood topping the A grade trophy list with 82 — 17, net 70, and sharing the honours for the best gross score with T. Garrod. The run-ners-up were D. G. Sutherland and N. Appleby, with net scores of 76. The £> grade was won by J. G. Esam with a> card of 90—20, net 70, J. Leggatt and C. G, Wilkinson sharing second place wdth net 71. Inter-club Matcb.

The inter-club match with Napier proved something of a walk-over for tho older club on both the Waiohiki and Hastings links. In the four-ball games Napier seored eight wins to Hastings 's two, and in the singles 14 games were won by Napier to eight by Hastings. The total result being Napier 22 wins, Hastings 10. Last season Napier won the first inter-club contest by somewhere near the same margin, but were defeated in the return visit. Hastings players will bo putting in some solid pra,etico from now on try and retrieve themselves. W. Mattbews' Hole-in-One. A feature of the day was tho scoring of a -hole-in-ono by W. Matthews, Hastings, at the over-the-road 17th at Waiohiki in the morning game, The. usual honours procedure was reversed and Matthews was very couimendably treated as the guest of the day by the Napier Club, who have thus established a* very equitable precedent that it is hoped will settle a long standing grievance, It has long been felt that tlie penally for scoring a hole-in-onue is too heavy, and particularly so when a large* num ber of players are in attendance as o« ciub days or during tournaments. Tho c-riginal idea, handed down from tlie early days of golf, was that a golfer holing in one had to eompensate his own particular party of players, two, three or four, with refreshments to veeover them from the shock. However,

the practice has grown up for every player on the course to roll up and participate in the honours, whfither they were |in the ; particular game "concerned, witnesses, or remotoly situated at the time. Lilte jackals and buzzards they seem to smell out tlie event and* make sure of being in at the death, at the expense of the unfortunate exploit er of the ace. The Hastings Ladies' Club recently deeided to present a trophy to any player scoring a one in any games under its control.