Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-03-24
GOLF GOSSIP
BY STEVEN ARMSTRONG

by SIEfENs AhMSIkONG
Now for hints about the mashie. AT
the risk of being accused of repeating
myself, let me remind every one that
the name of this club is said to be de-
rived from a Spanish. word for sword
something wherewith to cut. If we
would only keep that idea before us
there would be fewer topped mashie
shots. We should be cutting the turf
with the club and getting fine shots in
consequence.
There are. certain things which
come naturally to each of us, and 9TH
ers have to be acquired by patient
practise Having always found a
running-lp shot with a mashie far
easier to get successfully than pitch.
l resolved to keep my eyes open when
visiting the land which claims as ia
son the greatest exponent of pitch
shots in the world, j. H. Taylor, four
times champion of Great Britain and
the present holder of the German title.
| did not see Taylor for some weeks
after landing in his country, but saw
many another golfer playing the game.
Good, bad and Indifferent players
seemed to accomplish this shot with
more or less ease Did the secret lie
in the atmosphere? / resolver to
find out, so began using the pitch
more frequently than usual. 1t GER
tainly was strange, for / seemed able
to get the ball well up, with the back
spin wanted, and the diyot was clean
cut, not torn out. 1t must be the coun-
g.. * M or,
frequently at home. Then | went to
play on an inland course and my won
derful new skill forsook me, especial
~ with my brassie and mashie. @
E. D. the seaside turf! Back / went
to the sea, and back came the ability
to play pitch shots. It was lesson
in more ways than one.
1t is not to be supposed for one IN
slant that Taylor is not so adept with
his special club at Stoke Poges for in
stance as he is at Westward Hot be.
cause one is inland and the other by
the sea. 1t is not all in the turf The
fact remains that it is easier to CHI
shots in one case than the other, bu
it is equally true that one sees then
played quite as well one place as thu
other, so do not go away with the ides
that the reason you cannot pitch
ball with a back spin lies in the fac
that you do not happen to live beside
| the ocean. Another point of comfor
to YOU is that if you are able to learl
how to mitch fairly well on an inlan'
course you will be able to depend OF
| this shot without fear when you igisi
links. By the way, that word link
should never be applied to an inlan'
golf course, for as ] have explaine,
elsewhere the word means strip o
waste, sandy land along the edge o
/ the sea.
Quite apart from the question 0
| turf | must acknowledge that as
golfing nation the British are bette
than we are, when it comes to thi
particular shot, Where We fail, as
/ rule, is in looking at the ball itsel
/ instead of at the ground behind it. w
forget that this club is meant to Gu
and we pick up our ball too cleanly
This does not spoil our other shot
/ when we want run or length with ;
mashie, iout ii is fatal to a back spin
or a high shot into the wind to drol
dead When you want to pitch thinl
of how you play niblick out of sam
and do not be afraid to cut the turf
This is by no means the same as cut
ting across the ball as you do with ;
tennis racquet. That is another kim
lof shot. For today take the hint t
cut the turf Remember, however
| that the cutting of a divot is not thu
object of, but the result of, we'll
lplayed shot.