TOURNAMENT PLAY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 188, 26 August 1937, Page 13

TOURNAMENT PLAY

"Stymie."")

Look After the Shot and the Score Will Look After Itself CLUB COMPETITIONS

tBy

Why Is it that the average golfer nearly always thinks he is better at match play than In medal play? No douht a certain degree of psychology enters into the question, as the majority of players are - prone to be upset by the adverse incidents of a round, as a had shot into tne rougn or a short ptitt snissed in a medal round is all added up and included in the score. Whereas, in match play, a had shot or two inerely means the loss of a hole and it makes no differenco if your opponent has holed out in four, whether your score is six or ten for that hole — a miss is ti good as a mile With the series of tournaments approaching, a hint or two on the way a player should mentally adjust himself to match or medal play may be opportune. If a bad shot slips into your play, it undoubtedly affects you somewnere in the xegion of the solar plexus for a minute or two, "When that happens it is good policy to go slow for a little until you get your wind back. Don't play any shot until you have made up your mind exaCtly what you wish to do. Chopping or hacking at a ball you have failed to get out of a rough spot at the first effort only piles up the strokes and stirs you into a nervous fever. When that happens you might as well pack up for home by the shortest route. In match play the position is entirely different, as you can pick up your ball and coneede the hole, Which is much the better policy to adopt, once the hole is definitely lost, than to aggravate your nerves with further useless efiorts. Cairn down and forget the incident as soon as possible; in fact, change the subjeet and discuss the latest Springbok match wfth your opponent or caddy, which will ease the tension marvellously. Another occasion when it pays to '•go easy" is wben you arrive on a green after a stifi! climb up a hillock. Your heartbeat will perhaps Be accelerated and your Breathing a trlfle hard. Give yourself time to Tecover before you attempt to putt. Consider the line and conditions a little longer and you will find the extra minute employed in this 'way will make all the difference to your shot. But this it is not meant that a player should waste time or that deliberate "pointing" is being advised. If in match play you find yourself one or two down, don't let it disturb you, but just concentrate on the shot ahcad of you. In "Out of the Rough?' Sandy MacGregor, noticing his pupil on the tce studying the long fairway before him, defines his mental process and recalls him to his senses with the pat question, "What club are ,ye. using the nooj" "My driver," is the repiy. "Well, play yer driveij and thjnk 0' the ither shots when you come to them," is the advice admonished. c That is the whole gist of the game, look after each shot and the score will look after itself. In medal play it is good practice to ignor your total' until the final hole has been played out. How often has it come under your notice where a player has added up his score and finds he wants a four and a flve to break 80 or 90, as it may be. stiffens up his whole system by the. same process and he Winds up with a miserable six and seven. The samo thing happens when a player adds up his first half and finds he has taken a few Strokes more than he should. He nnconsciously tightens up or becomes over-cautious in his efforts to retrieve the position on the second half, or ho may have done a good iirst half and gets himself to do tho second half in the same or better figures — again disastrous. Far better to plug away shot by shot, playing well within yourself, no striving for distauce beyond your capability or becau.se your immediato opponent is out-driving you. Iguore him; he is only one unit of the opposition. Ignore your card; it only confuses your mental outlook. Just romember Sandy MacGregor and play your driver, your iron, mashie or putter. The immediate goal is the position for your next ehot. Forget everything elsp and the eighteenth hole will loom into view with your scorer carrying a well-compiled card iu his pocket and you with the knowledge under your cap that you have played .the game of your life. Cl\xb Competitions. Matches played by the Hastings Club dnting the week in the various club competitions resulted as follows:— Club handicap. — -V. L'ittlo beat W. Matthews (default), aud B. D. Browu beat R. Wright (default). 0 Junior handicap. — E. G. Wells beat £. D. B/own. Consolation handicap. — J. L. Paterson beat W. N. Grieve, M. Waterworth beat E. T. GifCord. Cashmore Foursome CJiallengo Cup.— R. L, McNiven and R. Casinn'ore beat S. Averill and J. B. Wilson; R. L. McNiven and R. Cashmore beat J. Blake and H. H. Edwards; I. Elliott and C. T. Taaffe beat T, Garrod and W. Kturrock;J. W. Barraclough and J. L. Paterson beat F. Cole aud H. J. Grieve; W. N. Grieve and R. Vesty bfeat R. Bridge and C. L. Bridge,*- J. H. Jelferd and S. N. Palmer beat C. Carroll and H. E. Elliott, Saturday Play. The competition for last Saturday was a four-ball bogey match piayed under perfect conditions for good scor« ing, but it was surprising to find only two really good cards returned. A. D. Murphy and B. H. Appeleby handed in a card of seven up to win by ont point from C. Campbell and L. Fishei six up. A. J. Nelson and G. M. S. Kelly four up, finished iu third position whfTe two pairs, H. J. Lougstaff and H. H. Edwards and T. Garrod and R. L. McNiven followed, with three u; each. The remainder of the field tailec oif badly with returns dwindling frorr one up to six down. In the medal match played on Thurs day R. Cashmore had an outstanding SDa Stitk ft card of 83, 14, 69, W» J

Crerar played to par 82 9, 73, to fill the role of runner-up with J. B. Fletcher, one stroke behind 84, 10, 74, in third position. The week-end match was a four-ball bogey in which the Waipukurau visitors for tho inter-club match participated to fill tlie first two places. N. Bird aud L. lleynolds were in good form to win with eight up from Erwiu and Stewart, five' up. The best Hastings scoro was handcd in by E. G. Wells and L. Fisher, five up. G. Murfitt and C. Vidai were next with three up. 1 Inter-Club Match. The roturn match between tho Hastings and tho' Waipukurau clubs wajs played over the week-end. The A divisions met at Marakeke links and tho B divisions at Hastings and at both placos the Hastings players proved superior by a narrow margin only at Waipukurau, but decidedly at Hastings. The Greenwood Cup was at stake between the first ten players at Waipukural and the holders (Hastings) retained it by nine wins to seven. Honours were equal in the fourball matches, each side winning three games, but in the singles Hastings won six game3 to Waipukurau 's four. On the Hastings links Hastings won eight games of the four-ball matches, losing one and halving three. In tlie singles Hastings won eighteen, lost three, and halved thrBe. Success at Wairoa. At the. Wairoa ladies' open tournament held on Sunday and Monday, a success was achieved* by Miss B. Struthers, of the Hastings Club, in winning the Crichton Handicap, competed for by the players following the first eight. Miss Struthers .failed only by one stroke from being included iu the first eight who played off for championship honours. Miss Struthers is to he congratulated on her win, to commemorate which, she retains the handsome Crichton Challenge Cup for one year and retains permanently a miniature Teplica and a nice crystal vase. The cup was held last year by Miss Bain, of the Hastings Club.