PUTTING "TOUCH"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 164, 29 July 1937, Page 13

PUTTING "TOUCH"

"Styniie. ")

Cotton'i Steadiness in British Open Championihip HASTINGS CLUB PLAY

(By

* The British opeh ciiltfhpionship for I93t Waa a triumpli i'of thc liiyjiie playert, despite fi big tepr©sgHtaiiGtt of ihe best of tHS Ameri«&h golfers, including such redeutitkWe figures as DenfemoreSbute, Sti'azen, Hageh, GUldahl and others. Henty Cottoii, Vrtio was aot pAtticulatiy pfOminent iii the eaiuy iounds, by steady golf, matoitained toS poSition, while tlie l©adHig players siipped and fell bacx. Then, with an outstandiflg last arouad of 70* Cottoa jumped into tbe lead to Win by two strokes. nearest oppondnte Were aiso Britistt piajreri, the two WMtcoffibe brOtherg- in s&dottd sAd fourth |dae6B Witfc Lacey separating them. The nearest American player wm Densmoti ShUt®. In the ' 1 chainpionship of tlie world*' ConteSt, foiii i'Ouilds ox toattih play 0.11 & juontioii course betwceii. (Jotton aad benio, tiie Engiisk proiessioilai agaoi pruVetl tiie vietor. 'liio first two rouiids or piay wero iven, but in tiie third xouud v^Ottoii flhished IWO Up aiid weni cii to piay briliiant golf in tlio last rouiiUj wiiiuing very ueoisivsiy by slx up wuili iive to piay. Wlierein lies Ootton's superiority may well be asXed, ±or with the galaxy vi valent engaged, with any one of tho iuO or more pxayers capaoie of doiiig xojnds of 70 oi better, be decisiveiy out-played ihe lield both at medal piay cn tbe trying UarnGustie COUi'se and itbe ebosen oi the Americans in Deusinore Bhute over t'oUf foUUdiS Of mateh play. _ Tbe simple answer to tbis qs puttmg. >Ve are toid be was ahv&ya a fdvouriio •witb Ms British OesOcibfcea* as tbey yere awar-e be bad recovered bis "put' ting toucb." In tbe Moon Park Lonjdon tournament, played prior to tbe opeu championsliip, be covered tbe four xottnds in 279, one ander 70, taking *n all 119 putts, or 25 under the regulation par of two putts per. green. Bobbv jonee at bis best aimed to average four below par for putting, but Cotton, in fbit tournament, average 9£ per round under tbe putting par. Prom thii .cfcn be evolved a goiflng axiom: all otber i'actors bein'g "equai, putting is tbe docid'ing factor. Wbat is tbe "putting touch"? Many bave tried to answer tbis and tbey juight just as Vell b'ave tried to expdain "taste,,i for wbat deligbts onf . jnUtt's palate is notbing to anotber^s. Tjie drtt'erent metbods of stanee, grip, ; control and strokiiig tbe biiil b&ve been gi.ven, yet we see poissibly one player in a bundred wbo can be tetmed a xeally cofisistently good "putter," and' ptirbups oue in ten even modefately eo. We see gotsd all-touiid golfets iu otber pbases of tbe game wbo are poor piitters, yet duffers wbo are good putters. Tbese good piitters cannot explain it to tbe sbtisfaetion or bened tbf otbers. It just seems to be a coiublnation of gOod judgiiieilt ii estimating strength, line and control, plus execution. A player ,wbo is considered a flrstclase exponent of putting says wben be is on bis putting be has no hesitation. He instinctively sees the wbolo line tbe ball ehbuld follow. His gttp is lagbt and sensitive; tbe club almost slipping from bis fingers. Witb an easy 6wing tbrougb tbe club-bead just strokes tbe ball along tbe line be bas visitalieed into tbe bole. Whai eoald be more simple and yet wbat is tbere in it tbat can belp attotber player. An easy stanee, a light grip, a stead unbuftied sttokBi, tbe ball stttick on tlie downward swing and tben tbe individnal judgment for strengtb and line, plus "toucb." One mlgbt as well ask u juggler bow be CObtfOls tbe spinmng objects of bis turn. He cannot explain bis "touCb.'# Eacb iMividual must just "Gotton-enn as best be may. Ween-eud. MafccL Tbe Hastings Club 's game f of tbe week-end was a fottf-ball bogey Wbicb was, as last week, woa by a jnnior pair, comprised tbis timo Of C» T. Taafiu and D. H. Grieve witb a score Of iive up. four weeks ago tbey acted ae ruu-ners-up, but it iB suspected tbat tbey have bad a few games on tbe quibt an tli« meantime to Impfove tbeif eombination. Tbey were followed closely 'by a bunebed field of four otber patoa witb scores of fouf up. The elfect^ of T. Gatfod (1) and W. Matthews (4), in finighing with four up from tbeir close marks, was a flne one. Tbe ' ' BlygainiJ pair, C. Campbell and G. Murbtt, weta tbere once agam, PrOsident's Hbield. Tbe President Gbield is for competition over three rounds of medal play on handicap. Tbe lowest nett Uggregate scoxer for tbe three round h ■wili bold tbe sliield for a year in addi» lion to reeeiving a b&ndsome trophy. Tbe ecoring on Saturday was oxeeptioa* ally good, four piayors returniiig nett 70's, two Others 71% and stiil tbrew otbers 72 %. E. A. Murley (4) 70, Won tbe day % medal round in tbe A grade, I). G. tioutborland (6), 70, taking sec ond plaee on tbe count'back. T Garrod (1) 72, nett 71, Was thifd anu agaxn demonstrated bis ability m roturning a score below the course par of 73. He recorded ' ' birdies ' ' at the eightb, 17th and iBtb boles. Hls eai% reads.as follows: — Out'i 555334543—37. II i: 445344344—35 TotaL 72. B. A. Murley % eard atso reads well for a gross 74. Ha recorded " birdies n at tbe seCtmd and 10th an-d an ' 1 eaglo ' " Out; 54533U553— 39. Ini 245354335—35. Total, 74, The otber close-up ecores in tbe A grade were V. Lxttle, 84 — 13: 71, t>. tt. Newbigiix §4—12: 72, and W. A. Wil soxx 76—3; 72. Tbe B grade tropby was won by W. B. Nicoll with i'i — 21; 70, wbo beat II. de Benoe 88 18; ,'i) on tlie eoiint-bat'k; J. W. Palmer, 94—12: 72., iilled the tblrd r' lcc.