Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-06-04
GOLF GOSSIP


In this golf column | have so
often begged the average player TO
devote nine tenths of his practice
time to the ordinary strokes and
leave the fancy shots for the other
tenth, tnat | am almost ashamed to
mention the fact again. Yet l am
not alone in this, for listen to what
X. +. Howard says in the Sports
man. He asks which are the most
acknowledgement clubs in the
bag of the average golfer.
Obviously. this is an interesting
QUESTION. The instruments which en-
joy the greatest amount of use are
calculated. by the very circumstance
of their popularity, to suffer the
maximum quantity of abuse and mis-
use Eat least where the embry6tic
hero of the links is concerned), so
that We can only put our fingers.
together with our thumbs, ON the
clubs to which we have most FREE
quent recourse, and resolve that
such important items in our outfit
shall be mastered before all others.
it stands to reason that we shall inn
prove at tremendous pace. Nothing
could be simpler than the logic that
the profitable tools with which to
practice are those of which we avail
ourselves with the greatest freedom
in the course of an 1S-hoIe round.
Common Sense
The rational person who wanted
to learn how to manage bicycle
would not devote his chief attention
to study of the art of riding with
one wheel up in the air, one foot on
a pedal and the other foot on the
saddle, after the manner of public
performer. The ordinary man would
be very pleased to make certain in
the first instance that he could sit
comfortable and avoid tumbling. 1t
is curious that, in golf, very many
players possess the ambition to be-
come skilful in the more difficult
shots before they are proficient in
the use of the simpler ones.
1t may be a natural and even
worthy desire, but its utility is open
to serious question. The chances are
that while they are concerning them
selves about intentional slices and
pulls of problematical value and even
more doubtful realization they are
neglecting the ordinary shots which
they are called upon to play dozen
or more times in round
\ Probably the driver and the mid
iron are the clubs to which the aver
age golfer resorts most frequently.
TO be sure, there is the putter, but
that is often nuisance rather than
IA helpmeet. There are times when
lit has to be used very great deal,
but not from choice. Seldom is it
an alternative implement; in the esti-
mate of the ordinary man about the
links it is the only club that can be
employed on the green's.
Any Old Club
Personally, ! have never ceased to
regard with infinite respect the play
or who, at Mid Surrey a few years
ago. was seen executing his long puts
with a brassy. 1t so happened that
he holed three of them on the first
three green's, a circumstance which
prompted his opponent to institute in
Guiries. Tell me-" said the victim
of this unorthodox accuracy, do you
ttAAAN Jun -OiGoDJ yOu udbC
short putt?p "a short putt?" re-
peated the hero with the original
turn of mind, Haven't / had short
putt yet? No. of course I haven't
Oh, | always use this for short puts"
and diving to the bottom of bis bag,
he triumphantly produced specimen
of the everyday domestic hammer.
The driver, from its very name,
might seem to be the one and only
club that could be used for tee shots
to long holes. In point of fact there
arc two or three other instrumtnts
capable of utilization for the purpose,
but the driver remains the popular
choice. So too with the midiron.
when the player finds himself 100
or $50 yards from the green The
consequence is that he is constantly
pressing these two creations into
service. And yet often he neglects
them in HIS solitary practice and
turns his attention to the task of
mastering much more dffficult-and
to him perhaps well-nigh impossible
shots made with other clubs.