GOLF.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 130, 2 June 1923, Page 21

GOLF.

m JOTTINGS FROM THE LINKS. The Bogey competition played at Middlemore last week-end for the trophy presented by Mr. N. A. Nathan was ; particularly interesting owing to the two I most promising of young players, both jon tho scratch mark, finishing first and ; second. G. F. Colbeck, whose good game jwe have referred to previously in the column, turned up tiie winner with the fine score of 4- up, while Dick Wright, the Auckland champion, and F. Jlaeky, tied for second place with scores of 1 up. I The victor's feat is his most noteworthy 'to date, and would appear to indicate that Wright will bava plenty of healthy competition to retain his exalted position in the club. The medal score of . Colbeek's .card read 76. Sixty-eight 'players took part in the match, but the three mentioned above wore thu only players to beajb the colonel. The handicap match tournament for the Taylor Bowl brought out 78 players on the Titirnngi links last Saturday. Two of the club's strongest players in 'Bex (ieorge and J. L. Clark survived tbe round, the latter winning his game in very hollow fashion. That 11. B. Lusk turned up the winner in the recent golf tournament played on the St. Andrew's links, Hamilton, last week, came as no great surprise. Few players of his calibre were present, and Bex George, who has several times been prominent in this uuual fixture, was a) notable absentee. The best effort of the! tournament was that made by tbe runner-up, O. L. Martelli. who played very consistently throughout, and carried the final game with Lusk to the sixteenth hole. Martelli is a young player who opens his shoulders and hits l the ball with six feet of solid effort I behind it. He promises on his recent 1 performance to turn into a very useful golfer. The links were in line order for I the tournament, and it has been stated j were in finer order than ever before nt, I this time of year. As usual this popular 1 fixture was carried through in excellent spirit, and the genial, social atmosphere i was much appreciated by the visitors. I In the Otugo championships at Bal- ! maccwen, K. Boss, who played so well I in the N.Z. championship meeting, when | he was runner-up to Sloan Morpeth three years ago, bids fair to win the southern championship this year. He disposed of iH. de C. McArtbur, and will meet Callcnder in the semi-final. Ross is n j remarkably sound player, and it is a i pity that he has not hud the oppor- : tunity of playing regularly in the annual j championships. Eike Sloan Morpeth, he j requires very little play to arrive at his best form, and a week or two is quite ! sufficient to fit him to combat the most | formidable opposition in New Zealand golf-

Kirkwood, whose movements arc watched with very great interest hy (golfers in this country, writes to tho "Sydney Sun" an interesting letter. This states, Inter alia: "Joe Kirkwood indignantly denies the reports that ho is assuming American citizenship. He still considers that he is playing for Australia, and is not forgetting that Australians gave him bis first chance to compete in tlie international tournaments. Kirkwood hopes to visit Australia in December, either with Hagen or Sarazcn, who are willing to join an exhibition tour. They will pay their own fares if, say, twelve Australian clubs aro each prepared to guarantee ■£50 for a match played on their courses. Alternatively, ] they would accept remuneration on a i gate receipt basis, charging 2/6 or 5/ a match. He proposes to describe through a megaphone the technicalities of each shot as played, from which he is convinced that young Australians will learn more about real golf than reading all the books in the world. The visit of Hagen or Sarazcn would give Australian golf a badly-needed fillip- Kirkwood is prepared to exhibit a lecture slow-motion ■film, j "I am feeling better, playing better, i and more con Relent than at any time ! during my career,'? says Kirkwood. "This !is due to the experience" of my long i American tour. I have partnered Hagen jin 126 exhibition matches,, and lost only I fourteen. I consider Hagen the best i player I have ever seen. With him I have played seven straight tournaments since December, and we have won every one between us. I am tickled to death 'to be even second to Hagen, who has : improved my golf tremendously. We ; were often followed by galleries of eight ior nine thousand enthusiasts, to whom !we explained the shots. The Americans j demand novelty golf, and therefore I : 'went mad.' My tricks, which take ninety I minutes to perform, astonished the experts. The latest 'trick is pitching a -ball with a slightly roughened, though legal, inashie niblick 120 yards on a I sloping green. The ball bounds past the j hole, stops dead, then runs back like a | masse shot at billiards, 10ft or loft to • ! the hole, either straight or in circles at wiU. I "I am now driving at an average of 225 yards, offsetting the loss of length by certainty and accuracy, particularly in the second shots, wherein I am showing great improvement. I am putting on . weight, and now weight about 13 stone, but am still drinking neither alcohol, tea nor coffee, and not smoking. Nevertheless, I find it difficult to avoid alcohol in j'dry America,' where gallons were pressed on mc."