ROUND THE LINKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 115, 18 May 1927, Page 16

ROUND THE LINKS.

O ft l A WET SATURDAY.

WEEK-END PERFORMANCES.

ißy RUBBERCOFvE.I One v\ouUl have thought a good deal of fouragc necessary to face tho element-' of Saturday, jet actually that roil rage was not lucking, as was evi<Li nw.l by the host of playere whose <Milhii-<iiisiii could not bo countered. A pi.nice lit the 1 i~t: from iliddlemore siliov.i. moreover, that contestants were not confined to tho younger set, which says much for enthusiasm for the game. Tlie score of K. B. Brown, SG—ll—To, represents a yood effort, as whatever aid may have eventuated by medium of fortune tho difficult conditions served fully in rebuttal. Tieing with the above-mentioned score was that of A. J. Friediander, 87 —12—75, H. Tidmarsh being close up with a grose S3 from the 7 mark. Tidmarsh invariably playe well to his handicap, being, if anything, favoured n little. His is a good tee shot, while his irons, though characterised by an over-indulgence of flick, are rangy, and generally pretty effective. His weakness lies on the green, and is one that calls for a strong effort mentally to overcome. The best advice to be offered is to hold to tho most effective method and keep intelligently practising. Under 80 would have been his lot on Saturday had his green work been own reasonably good. In analysing the result the best gross card appears ;to be that of his brother, H. W. Tidmnrsli, who recorded an 82. This player ■will bo remembered as bringing about the downfall of H. B. Lusk in the club championship last season. Tho actual position in regard to the c|tiest of the Bloomfield Bowl is that I). Robertson, handicap 13, i 3 leading with net scores of 09 and 78, W. X. Abbott being next, having returned cards showing 09 and 79. The discrepancy in the scoring in the first and second rounds is indicative of the different condition of the course, the first round taking place at the fast, Eastei period. Mitigation has, of course, to be taken into consideration for Saturday'eveeptional downpour. The leader Robertson, is on the eve of transfci from junior to senior ranks, and at th« moment actually occupies the latter rot ing at Titirangi. His handicap is stil mider review, it being- extremely doubt t"ul if he will not have definitely badi farewell to the ranks of the juniors prior i to the date of entry for the champion-

ships. ■'•]>. Abbott 13 a well-known stalwart of Miiidlemore, his methods being" rather of the solid order. A short back swing with a powerful hit through is his characteristic, while he is decidedly sound once on the sreen. His putt 3 hug the green nicely, being hit more definitely at the hole than is the case with most players. Possibly his is the confidence born of lack of experience, yet this laitcr appellation might hardly appear applicable. Reference to the condition of the course chows it to have withstood the drenching remarkably well. Casual water and sloppy patches were met with on the way to the fifth and sixth, which, however, was the natural outcome, '.the greens were good, and although showing traces of wormcast, invariably rewarded sound putting. The Kingswell Shield was to have Ixjen the star fixture so far as the Maungakiekie Club was concerned, but wiser counsels having prevailed it was early decided to abandon the fixture. The new mowers had been given every opportunity and with the course at probably the best it has ever been, keen disappointment was expressed at the necessity for the abandonment of play. At the moment the course appears harder to score over than does Titirangi, although it is to be recognised that those not conversant with One Tree Hill, experience considerable difficulty in mastering the new greens. Enthusiasm at Titirangi.was seemingly much in accord with the tone prevailing at Middlemen, quite a band facing the elements in quest of the medal event. W. P. Baker apparently found conditions to his liking, finishing twe strokes better than bogey to :iniicx the day's event. Not having seen this player in action little comment can b< offered, though it may be observed h< merits his handicap.. -The performane* of J. M. Hockin ia recording an 83 is stated to have boon meritorious, and 01 the face of it was no doubt so. Hockii is at the moment playing confidentl; and well. R. L. Wilson, who continue to show improvement, returned an 8 nett as did I. B. Stewart, who can b ranked in the same category. Wilsoi in particular, hits a very long ball once his game consolidates, will quickly ascend . the ladder. A walk over the course shows the wonderful improvement effected in the fairways by the -new mower. They are now down to: the desired consistency and. although it may he advisable to let the machine up a little next month the aim should be to ensure the fairways remaining much as at present. 0. Wolfgramm and T. Russell must claim the distinction as of the webfoot variety their four-ball score, of 5 up at Glendowie being a -really firstclass performance. In itself' the score is evidence of the condition of the links, otherwise such good figures could not have been put up. Wolfgramm served his apprenticeship as a member cf the old Waitemata Club in which he met with fair success. Should his partner be identical with T. Russell, late of V,aungakiekie, then it may be offered that nothing was lost by the pair in regard to tactics.. Russell was a familiar figure at One Tree Hill for many years, end even if it be not he who vras successful, then it can at least be recognised his ingenuity is. not forgotten. Three other pairs finished up on the Colonel, the best of which were F. Trice and L. H. Saunders, 2 up. As was the casa in practically all week-end fixtures, honours again went to a middle handicap man in the event carded at St. Andrew's, Hamilton. C. SuteliaV 87—14—73, had quite a runaway win, and in doing so played remarkably well. H. Fisher, whose 79 nett served to place him in second position, has figured prominently in club events, appearing to warrant the reduction that has been effected in his handicap. Barry Wake and L. Tompkins were two to finish with nett scores •! TBO, while H. Wiggins, who competed in the provincial fixture at Auckland, was most prominent of the others, his card showing 88 6 82