A GOLFING WORRY

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 31, 6 February 1937, Page 11 (Supplement)

A GOLFING WORRY

LIMITED NUMBER OF CLUBS TO BE USED EDICT HAS ITS HUMOUR IS IT FOR CHAMPIONS OR FOR CADDIES? To many golfers, the cabled intention of the ruling body to limit to 14, the number of golf clubs, has its amusing side, despites its great interest, comments a writer in the Sydney Sun, who goes on to deal with the subject thus: — It may be assumed that the Idea is to make the game harder for the champions, though it may be that there is an idea make things easier lor the caddies. f The latter could hardly be a reason, however, for I know of nothing to prevent a man from having as many caddies as he likes, or even having a donkey or go-cart to transport his clubs. Anyway, 14 club sshould provide for the wants of the most fastidioust and if a champion cannot play with this number he cannot play at all. Fourteen would provide for four graded wooden clubs, driver, brassie, and two spoons, the latter of which would duplicate the loft of the number two iron, while it would allow irons two to eight to be carried, together with a sand iron, chipper a n<i putter. Scoring is Only Relative If a man, however, carries a hundred clubs and has the skill to select the correct one, I don’t see why he should not be permitted to use such skill. Of course, the idea in limiting the number of clubs to be carried s-ems to be another attempt to stop low scoring. Why anyone should want to do so has always puzzled me. Clubs sometimes think it belittles theirses that 70 should be broken, but if a low score makes golfers happy, why not? The scoring is only relative. If Jim Ferrier now takes 70 and others take 80 to do Manly, then, if he, by virtue of the improved ball, clubs and course, comes down to 60 the 80 men will no doubt come down to 70. It is general improvement in clubs, balls, fairways and greens that helps low scoring, not the number of clubs carried, provided the number is adequate. How Many Know Their Value? Few men who gaily carry a lot of clubs seem to know what each represents. If a set of irons, two to eight, is ordered the loft of two starts at 20 degrees and they should decrease in loft by five degrees. If a set were ordered with a number one iron it would start at somewhere about 17J degrees, and trie others would vary acordingly—lf me set were propertlyg raded as to loft. A number one iron is, however, seldom used though Jim Ferrier carries one lor a forcing shot into the wind. But intermediate clubs are used. Say, four and a half, five and a half and so on. A golfer is not a machine; therefore, if he Is skilful enough to swing so acurately that so little margin in loft can be effective, it seems a pity to take this advantage from him. My opinion is that the intermediate clubs are a hindrance rather than a help. As an instance, at one hole at the Lakes, Ferrier, after careful thought, demanded an 8 h club and after a per-fectly-played shot was only just on the edg of the green. He should have picked an 8 and he might have holed out. Carried Many But Used Few Walter Hagen carried a bag full of clubs but in a score of 71 found a championship course he used the driver 14 times, brassie once; midiron 12 times; mashie iron five times, mashie three times, mashie niblick four times, niblick twice and putter 30 times; so it is readily seen how few clubs he used. Just count how many clubs out of a bag of 18 or even 14 are used the time you play a good round and the smallness of the number will be surprising. . ° f course it is admitted that a series of graded sand irons would be useful, even to carry them with lofts 2 to 8, for then it would be possible to get almost any length from a bunker. The sand iron does make bunker play easier. The only perfect bunker players I ever saw, before its advent, were W. Hagen and H. Morrison, for both could chip out with a most dainty touch, whereas most others, unless exploding, lifted their heads and the ball stayed in the bunker. There is another aspect which Interferes with the liberty of the subject and is definitely in restraint of trade.