MORE ABOUT GOLF FOR BEGINNERS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 9, 25 August 1939, Page 51

MORE ABOUT GOLF FOR BEGINNERS

By

Andy

Shaw

(2) OUT IN THE FAIRWAY HE fairway and the tee are almost two different worlds for the tyro golfer. Life on the tee is comparatively sheltered. Out on the grass he is at the mercy of every tuft of grass, every change of the lie, every agony of his own indecision. In the first summary of Andy Shaw’s talks to the beginners at golf, published last week, the point was made that they should reduce the difference between drivers and approach shots by using only very low tees. When he came to consider clubs suitable for the fairway he proposed the spoon as another means of promoting confidence. After seeing a ball nicely cocked up on the tee, the beginner thinks that it lies alarmingly close to earth as he addresses his first ball in the fairway. The spoon will help, for it has the same loft as the No. 5 iron and, like the brassie on the tee, gets the ball into the air and the golfer’s hopes into peea if any club does. With the ball settled snug ened warm. on the turf there is a big temptation to top the» ball or dig in behind it. In the end, to get the ball into the air, the beginner will almost invariably fall back on his right foot. He should remember that it is not his job to lift the ball but the club’s. The — job is only to swing the club. The No. 2 or No. 3 iron create different problems. Theoretically they should be easier clubs to handle, for they are much shorter; but in point of fact the blade turns very easily and gives rise to difficulties of control. When it strikes, the left hand tends to collapse, the right hand to come over, and the ball is smothered. This is caused by the right hand being too tense at impact. The initial fault is to be found at the top of the back swing. Bad wrist action makes it possible. The little finger. of the left hand pulls away. from its grip as the wrists turn, and the fingers of the right hand tighten accordingly, spoiling every subsequent action. The wrists should be rolled over, not bent.

For the No. 2 a three-quarter swing is advisable. Distance is not important, but direction certainly is. With this club it is more than ever necessary that the ball should be hit square in the centre. No grip will hold the face square if either the toe or the heel strikes the ball. In addressing, there is a tendency to fall slightly

forward on the toes-natural enough but, although it is a point of detail, the player might as well addréss the ball with that part of the club intended to hit it later; just in case it really does come back to the place it starts from. The No. 5, or mashie, demand’much the same style, except that the feet should be closer together. It is difficult to keep the blade of the club square. Any club with a deep face causes the same trouble. But the big trouble with mashie-shots. is control of

length. Players almost invariably use the same swing for every approach from any distance. The swing should be adjusted to the requirements of the shot. For a 50-yard approach, for instance, a half swing should be used-from between the hip and shoulder -and the follow through should also go only halfway. Hip movement will be governed entirely by the distance the arms are taken back. Body movement is dangerous and should not be necessary in playing these shots. The stance should be slightly open, and the closer the shot the more open it should be-that is, the right foot should be slightly in advance of the left: The ball should be between the feet, but coming closer to the right foot as the shot has to be shortened. The loft of the mashie niblick will be a temptation to beginners, but they should not tise it too much. There is the danger of underclubbing. The club is ideal for a 20yard shot and should not be used more than 50 yards from the green. A New Nicholls Item Mark Nicholls will start a new series from 2YD on Saturday, September 2, at 9.20 p.m. He will select a world Rugby fifteen, starting next week going on to three-quarters,with the full-back, then five-eighths, half-back, taking the forwards all in a lump, and finishing with an announcement of the result, % Representative Matches Southland begins what seems like being’ a vic torious tour this coming week. Their match against Canterbury at Lancaster Park on September 2, at 2.45 p.m., will be broadcast by 3YA. It is time Canterbury produced something really good, but anticipations are not optimistic. From 2.30 p.m. onward, Station 3YL will take over the racing commentary. The other representative Rugby match on the air, Wellington v. Hawke’s Bay, will be broad cast by 2YH from 2.30 p.m., September 2.