Golf.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 141, 1 July 1937, Page 15

Golf.

« ' Stymie ' ')

STRIKING THE BALL "Hit It While It Is Not Looking" SOME EXPERIMENTS

(By

Duncan, the prominent English professional, is credited "With saying, "Walk up to the hali and hit it while it is not looking." He apparently follows his own teaching, m at times, in toumament play, the ball is on its way again before . the following gallery has realised that Duncan has reached his hall. He is equally quick in his putting strokes as in his field shots. Of course, this impetuous manner of play would not suit all temperaments, and each one has to play his shots, more or less, after the i'ashion he has driftcd into or in which he has schooled himself. ^But there is a large field of golfers who would henefit to a very great extent if it would hut i'ollow Duncan' s dictum to even a small degree, Consider your mind and physical condition as you approach your ball, You- have- probably walked a hundred yards or more in an easy stride, slowing up as you approach your lie;, your body is thoroughly relaxed, and just naturally erect; your club is swinging loosely in your hand. Why not hit the ball while in that comfortable condition, A glance should usually sum up the lie', direction and distance. First impressions and instinctive decisions «t,re alwaye the best. Step up to the ball with your feet just tho last small atep apart, a foot to eighteen inches. Keep the naturally erect position as ueurly as possible, swing your club bac-k deliberately and follow through casily. This hction is what all the prjicssonals teach, and which is the mesonge wrapped up in that short eppigrammatic sontence oi' Duncan — a toxt for golfers to ponder on. No, you prefor to shuffle your feet until they are ja yard apart, ypur legat like a pair of .siheer-legs, your grlp like a viee, your muscles in knots, and your mind in such a chaos of doubts and conflictions created by repeated glancea at the green, buukers, hazards and lie, that it cannot convey a clear message of action to the muscles you have already put beyond the power of response. "Play with your hands and feet," says Sarazen. Here again there is a hidden message for golfers to docipher and follow. Where do the feet come in, as we are not allowed to kick the hall? _ Try moving across a strange room in the dark, or with your eyes closed. You will find that you are feeling your way with "your hands and feet." Wliile we liave our .cyes open we depend for our balance on our vision. The eyes supply tho gyroscopie nerve centre (our own term) with all inforination regarding obstacles, up or down grades,- and balance, which are presOrvcd autoinatically, Now, with your eyes shut, the gyroscopic uerves have to depend for information on your hands and feet, and all sensations of balance are received from them. You can feel that your hands and feet are alive. That is the feeling you should have when playing a golf shot. Feel your hands hitting the ball; the club is merely an artificial extension of the hands. Feel your feet gripping the ground ana controlling your balance. Further to this, there is the great golf trick shot artist, Kirkwood, who demonstrates his ability to hit full shots with his eyes shut. How does he manage it? Simply by depending 011 hig hands and feet. A Hastings golfer who was practising short pitch shots on his lawn some time ago, tried the eifect of closing his eyes, and was astonished at the accuracy- and ease with tt-liich they were executed. It was eimply a case of finding his hands aud his feet. The eyes are gay deceivers; especially in golf. It is -naturai for them in their functions as advance intelhgence ofiicers to keep ahead 01

the troops. That is why it is so hard to keep your head down, You are working against Nature in try ing to do it. The eyes having located the ball, leave'the hands to hit, and movc on to the next focal point — the ball in flight — which, being at right anglea to tho striker's slanee, causes the head to lift or turn to asslst the eyes. Shutting tho eyea to make your real golfiing strokes, however is not advocated — it is too revolutionary — but trying a blind shot in practice to find your "hands and feet" ia a very interesting little exporiment. Hastings Glub Play. The first qualifying round for the midweek players at Bridge Pa waa marred by cold rain and a southerly wind which mitigated against good scoring. The best gross cards returned were by W. Matthews and J. H. Tcfferd (each 81), W. J. Crerar (S J) J. L. Paterson (85) and J. B. Fle.miCi (85). The medal match played in conjunction resulted in three mon tleing with not 73 — namely, W. J. Crerar, M. W. Howe and J. H. Jefferd, followed by J. B. Fletcher (75), H. G. Harvey (76). Saturday Play. The second qualifying round for the club championship was played on Saturday, but the scoring all round was not up to the usual standard, tho sodden turf and heavy greens taklng a good toll of extra strokes. The best gross card returned was that of D. G. Sutherland (80), who also topped the A grade trophy list for tho day's medal match with nett 74. A. D. Murpliy took second place on a count back with 74. -Three others, F. Murray, Y. Little and M. Waterworth, followed with nett 75 each. The B Grade list was headed by a limit player in A. W. Palmer, with nett 70, >V. T. StUrrock filling second position with 71. The week-end Stableford bogey, fourball, saw R. Wright and H. H. Edwarda to the fore with the good score of 40, J. B. Fletcher and H. A. Fannin being next with 39, followed by two of the visiting Waipukurau team, W. T. Kuru and P. Peacock, 37J. Iuter-Club Match. The Waipukurau A grade team visited Hastings over the week-end ana engaged in some interesting matches with the local players. The fourball matches resulted in Hastings proving the victors by seven games to two, three be.ing haived. In the singles Hastings won sixteen games to six, with two halved. Tho Greenwood Cup contest decided on the twelve first players was retained by Hastings, the holders, by a substantial margin. Waipukurau were without some of their leading players which considerably weakeued their team, but in the return contest later in the season they confidently expect to reverse tbe position on tneir own links. The secondary teams played at Waipukurau, where the Hastings clubs were again in the ascendancy, but by a narrow margin only. The fourball games resulted in Hastings winning by six games to three, with one halved. The singles saw Waipukurau on top with ten games to their credit and nine losses, with ono game halved. On both links some excellent play was witnessed, but the dead nature of Ihe turf and grens after the rqins debarred any speetacular golf. The Weather overhead was ideal and the sporting instmcts were wcjl servcd by good games well contested, and the general hospitality extended to the visitors. Hastings Club Handicap. Further games in the fourth round of the Hastings Club Handicap played recently resulted as follow: — V. Little beat 0. Clarkson. J. L. Paterson beat F. Cole. N. Wilson beat R Cashmore. B. M. Egan beat F. S. Candy. 0. Campbell beat A. W. Parlcinson. R. Wright beat H. G. Harvey. W. Matthews beat W. J. White. Games coneluded in the fifth round aie: — A. D. Murphy beat M. Waterworth. R. Wright beat A. E. Murley. R. D. Brown beat G. D. Sutherland. V. Little beat C. B. Wilkinson. The first round of the Captain's Trophy has been completed as follows: W. II. Wood beat G. Murfitt. L. Vesty beat J. F. Jones. 'Ihe second-round games resulted: — E. A. Tong beat L. Vesty. C. L. Vidal beat H. G. Harvey. Hastings Ladies. A inatcb between teams piclced by the captaiu and seeretary respectively of the Hastings Ladies' Club was played 011 the Hastings links on Friduy, resultJUf; in tho former winning by eight games to four, The ladies' furnishmg fund beneiltted to tho extent of the entrance fees chargod oach player.