For practice in approaching the putting-green there is the stand shown
in Fig. 3. It consists of three concentric hoop-nets, and the accuracy
of the shot is determined by the particular hoop into which the ball is
played. Of course a free ball is used, and the weak point in the
apparatus is that it does not indicate the distance covered (a point
which in real play is quite as important as accurate direction). But it
may be arbitrarily assumed that a ball in the smallest hoop has been
laid within a foot of the hole, while the middle and outer rings may
stand for six and fifteen feet respectively.
A cheap and effective substitute for the approaching-stand is the simple
target depicted in Fig. 2. It may be painted either upon canvas or
roughly sketched out in chalk upon the barn door. The canvas should be
eight feet square, and provided with guy-ropes and ring-bolts for
attaching to the floor and ceiling. If the lower edge of the canvas just
touches the floor, the centre of the target and the "bunker-line" will
consequently be three feet above it. (The use of the bunker-line will be
explained further on.) The diameter of the outer circle should be four
feet; of the middle one, two and a half feet; and of the inner ring, one
foot. The bull's-eye, which represents the hole proper, should be four
inches in diameter. As before, a ball striking in the outer ring is
supposed to lie fifteen feet from the hole; one in the middle ring, at
six feet; and one in the inner ring, at one foot. A ball that strikes
the bull's-eye is assumed to be in the hole. A ball on the line is
credited to the _inside_ division.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.]
For putting there has been devised the stand shown in Fig. 1. It is
nothing but a circular convex piece of tin with a hole in it. The tin
has a diameter of eight and a half inches, and that of the hole is two
and a half. The convexity is such that the depth of the hole is
three-quarters of an inch. It looks easy, but nevertheless it takes a
good deal of skill to "putt" a ball up the slope and safely into the
cup. If the direction be not accurate the ball will fall off, and if the
force be too great it will run completely over the hole in a very
irritating manner.
Now all of these appliances may afford amusing practice, and there is no
reason why they should not be so used in combination as to give much of
the variety and excitement of a regular round of the links. Granted the
use of the attic or that of the barn floor, and we may at once proceed
to set up our miniature course of in-door golf. The principal expense
will be in the purchase of the driving-machine, which costs several
dollars at the shops; but we will assume that a small club has been
formed, and that the cost of the several pieces of apparatus is to be
equally divided among the playing members. The substitute for the
approaching-stand (Fig. 3) may be gotten up very cheaply, and the
putting-stand can be bought for fifty cents.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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