WITH DOUGLAS

NZ Truth, Issue 1180, 12 July 1928, Page 16

WITH DOUGLAS

It Pays To Study A World-beater (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Golf Correspondent.) . After his sojourn m England and his play and experience with the world's best golfers,, a study of E. S. Douglas playing his shots is- well worth the time. W/HEN m the Midlands, Douglas won " many events against fields of fine golfers. His chief victory was the winning of the Midland championship cup with scores of 68-72 anil lie haa some national players behind him. What was perhaps his best performance was at St. Anne's m the norther. i open when he holed the first nine holes m the amazing score of 32 strokes. HIS SHORT CLUBS A look at his clubs causes us to exclaim on the shortness of his wooden clubs, which are some 40 inches long. Talking over this he explained the reason. At Home the courses are so heavily bunkered that one must play controlled straight shots. When he went* Home his drives were a bit wild and one day he thought he would cut two inches off the woods, and as he says: "I've never looked back or regretted it.". He drives a beautiful ball and covers great length and his method is quite new here. . Standing on the tee, his stance is much closer than the usual golfer uses for a mashie: The heels are not more than ten inches apart, and he stands almost over the ball. His arms are held close to the body and hands are low down. His body pivot is. big and he starts off rather flat, then sweeps the club well up, shooting through with, a tremendous twist of hips and shoulders. With his close stance he keeps beau> tiful balance and there is no mistake m the way he hits the ball. Everything goes into it and he keeps it amazingly straight. Sloan Morpeth has just got a: new set of matched clubs and his first effort with them was a 69 over Titlrangi. That ought to instal confidence m them. ■> ANOTHER LADY Miss Snodgrass, of Rotorua, is the latest player to join Miss Kay and : Co. to Australia. Miss Snodgrass has' been champion of Rotorua club ' several times and has occupied high positions m the New Zealand championships. The L..G.U. officials are now trying to induce other players to go across and make up a JNew Zealand team which must comprise seven players. It's rather late to organize now, but better late than never. v ■ M. W. Horton junr., a young player of the Hamilton 6.C., created a surprise • when he won the winter show cup on St. Andrew's links. He still keeps on showing improvement ..and won a medal handicap recently "With a score of 77' net. He is playing on. a course which will pull him out and the name reads right. The N.Z.G.C. have given notice that the first two rounds of the amateur championship will be of 18 holes and the following rounds, 36 holes. Why the alteration was made is not known. And reducing the handicap limit to a handicap of 3 means that young players are going to-be cut out. . Very soon all may enter for the championship irrespective of handicap, and qualifying" rounds' will be played, as at Home. Players a certain number of strokes behind the leader will then play off for the championship proper. The 32 best amateur scores m the qualifying rounds play off for the amateur championship. . ' Golf is growing so strong In New Zealand that when the open Is played on the more central courses, a course such as above must come, giving all an equal chance, no matter what handicap they have. There are players m New Zealand to-day with handicaps gained years ago, who simply cannot play near their handicaps, yet they can enter and play m the open, on their "sympathy" handicaps, whilst younger players with slightly longer handicaps are ruled out. The younger men are thus debarred the chance of making a name for themselves m a big event. The qualifying rounds provide the best test and must come.