GOLF.

Taihape Daily Times, 20 June 1919, Page 2

GOLF.

HOW TO PLAY. S\‘.'lN(‘r ON ONE PLANE. (By D. G. SOUTAR.) llarr_\: “.'urdon has described golf as “:1 -.t'unny garlic” others have de.~:eril:.ed it 3;; “:1 hard game”;‘only the other day I llL'Ll‘i‘(l it described as “:1 —— of :1 gazm.-.” I could hardly llil'.‘-_g';lllC‘ .3. pl:-1;.'e1' of V'uL'doll’s Standing applying‘ his terms literally. Golf‘ is flu‘ from being a funny ;'*;:.me. ulthcugh it has its humorous s'd<-, as we all can vouch for when I‘~"‘.‘.ll}‘.lS(‘i‘ll(‘t‘S are on tap. HO\\'<r‘~’L‘l', this article will not deal with the. humorous side of -golf, but witli golf 2.55 it is and how it shoulrl be played. Like most other ball games., golf is El simple grame when the player knows how and e\'erytlliilg goes right; but \\‘ll—:lt :1 difference when something goes wrong‘, and instead of the face. of the club meeting the hall flair‘ and square, the socket will persist in getting in the '»\':l'_\'. or the turf ri:=.es up in front of the ball, and dozens of other little things happen. W‘I:IEN BUNKERS GET BIGGER. \Vhe.u one reaches that stage, the l)l:nker.< get bigger, the fairways narrower, and the rough ‘thicker, and the shots get worse. Then is the time for the player to pause and take steel: of what h-_‘- is doing. What. is he doing wrong‘? What must he do to remedy the fault‘? What is the fault? A player, when playing badly, in-ay have half -a ‘dozen faults, but there is inv:lriably one “main” fault which, when er:lclie.ated, takes the ot.he:'s with it. That main fault may be either the g'x'.i]). sl'llllCC. or swing. For instance. :1 player with :1 faulty grip cannot have the same control to «nuble him to swing in such a way as to bring the elubhead fair and square on to the ball, which, when all has been sui<l -.m,(l done, is the whole thing in golf. ' I

Golf is different from cricket and tennis, from the fact that. the player is hitting a stationary ball, and if the club is swung properly, a. good shot must be the result. In cricket or tennis a. player may make a correct. action for the execution of the stroke, but the spin, break, or pase of the ball may beat him; but no such result can happen at golf. RESULT MUST BE GOOD. A true swing can only bring one re-sult——-a good shot. When that. fact is fully realised the game becomes easy, and the player has a true foundation to work upon. Besides he has a better view—point to study the game from. How many players grasp the fact that a bad shot is caused through a faulty swing‘? A “sliced” shot is caused through the ball receiving a glancing blow. A “topped” shot is caused through the lowest point of the swing being higher than the centre of to ball. A ‘pulled’ or ‘hooked’ shot is caused through the wrists and forearms turning in too small an area, thus cutting short the ‘‘.follow through.” ' ’_DlLes'e'>, broadly -speaking, are the main faults in golf, and the trueness of the shot is a question of degree in the fault. A slightly sliced ball that remains on the fairway does not rceeivc the same attention as the badly sliced ball that comes to rest deep in the rough. and :vet in the latter case it is only a question ot the fault being more developqcl, and the untrueness ot the swing more pronounced. The cause is the same, only more so. THE SLICED SHOT.

i A-‘~‘Sllllling that the player 11..-is grasped these essential facts, let us go a little I deeper into the subject, and, taking‘ HlO Sli€o<l Sllol’, tl"y and find out wliatl causes the club to give the full that glancing blow. V When the player has gripped the club and taken up his stance properly, ] he should find that the left arm is: almost straight, and the ball, hnmls, :*.n.tl left shoulder 11en'rly in line. They are not quite in line, the hands being two or three inches behind an imaginnyv line <‘ll’2l\\'n from the head of the alnb [U the left .‘5ll()11l(l(‘:l‘. ‘ This position should be carefully noted, as it is most important. and has n s_;'re:it influence upon't'he s\\'in;:. ONE INCLINED PLANE. The club should thell be swung upwards to the horizontal or slightly! -past. it, great care being taken that.’ the club has travelled on one inclined: plane all the time. The downward. Swing should be upon the same plane, anal at the moment. of iziipfict the elnb—l‘.(‘,:‘t(l, hands and shoulder should be as ne:lrl_v as possible in the position as de‘scribed at the stnrtillg point, the only dil‘i'erenee_. of course. being that. at the _\-fart of the S\\'ll‘ff l""~=‘ t'?!:‘-71 \.\':-\.~I sizitionary, whereas at the nioxnent of im-‘ past it. was travelling at its greatest speed. , The wrist. shoulder, and knee actioiis Should blend in with the swing of the club. Let the player pr:ne.tTise swingiilg the l club on one plane, rEg'2Tr.dless of the result of the shot. and the will be surprised at the result.