ON THE LINKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 65, 17 March 1934, Page 19

ON THE LINKS.

THE COMING SEASON. KIRK CUP ANTICIPATIONS, A WORD ABOUT COURSES. (By RUBBERCORE.)

Though golf within the province car scarcely be said to be yet in full swing the fact that several of the major cluo: have officially commenced play has causec many of the hardy annuals to have re turned to the fold, Faster promises ti be quite momentous, for, apart from wha appears likely to be the most succeesfu Auckland provincial championship to date we are to have the pleasure of receivin; the New South Wales players, who, ii defence of the Kirk-Windeyer Cup, wil meet the New Zealand representatives a Middlemore on Friday and Saturday, Apri 6 and 7. There has unfortunately been a signiii cant silence so lar as Victorian represents tion is concerned. In fact, it woulc appear doubtful if Victoria ever seriously considered challenging for the cup. Uui had hoped that iVL,'.'. Sloan Morpeth a Ins recent visit might have been in tin position to have made some authoritativi statement regarding the attitude of Vic toria. In the absence ol the Victorian we are deprived of tile privilege of wit liessing gotl of a higher standard than tha lo which we are accustomed, indeed, witl ilue delerence to brie Apperley and hi; men and to the .New Zealand team, tin probabilities are that Victoria, had it sen its best men, would have won the cup. A possible reason for the V ictoriaui not competing revolves on the fact tha at their previous visit the links chosei for the test were scarcely up to tin standard to be expected for so iinportan a fixture. Be that as it may, the mail courses in Wellington and the Soutl Island are generally in good order in tin autumn, so that the isolated happeninj was perhaps unfortunate. Against this it is to be remembered that Victoria die not even send a team to Sydney wliei New Zealand lost the cup at Rose Bay ii 1032. The Sydney Players. A recent report from Sydney conveys a little more enlightenment as to tin merits of the three tail-enders of the Nev South Wales 1 visitors, and, as had beei expected, Hughes is identical with tin Moore Park player. Cutler, of Roya Sydnev, is a forceful player, as is alsi Cyril Ruwald, though the latter can bi held to have reached his zenith some year: back. As is the case even with so grea a player as Apperley, there comes a timi when the cowardice of wisdom brings ii its train that clement of doubt whicl spells slight loss of confidence. Ruwald though a splendid golfer, has reached thi stage where it is doubtful if he is quit* as assiduous in practice as in years gom by. lie was formerly one of the longes hitters on Sydney courses, but unruli length has its punishment, and for sonn three or four seasons ho has been con ■ tent to bank more on accuracy. That In . is playing well is, however, evidenced it his feat of having broken 70 in an exhibi , tion match at Mosnian. The feat has beei reported as having been accomplished a Killara, his home course, but 1 think, l: not the case. Mosman is comparatively 1 short and reasonably easy for a first-clasi • player to score well upon. For that mat . tor Killara is not a difficult course, then • not being demanded continued long hit > ting, such as at Rose Bay, or the lengtl ' plus direction, exacted at Kensington. Tho Sydney correspondent goes on t( i say that the remaining visitors fall Jittu short of State championship form, which though vague, is amplified by his reinarl ; that the team is a strong one, and lti . members quite capable of justifying them selves against the best players that 1 Zealand can put into the field against 1 them. ]t is not ungenerous to say thai 5 neither side is finite up to the standard ol - past vears, hence the matches for the pur r should be splendidly contested, which, I after all, is that which counts most.

The Course Considered. Locally we have been preparing well foi tlio event, and it can confidently be ottered that Secretary Arthur Rhind will have Middlemore in rare order for the two days' test. Our opponents promise to relish the relative shortness of the holes, that is. compared with, say, Rose Bay, where there arc three, if not four, threeshot holes. This advantage, if such it can be termed, promises however to be offset by the narrow entrance to our greens and more rigid type of bunkering. By comparison with most Sydney courses, tlio bunkering at Middlemore is more severe in its relation to the flag. ine value o£ routing, or placing the- tee shot at the true two-shot holes, will thus quickly be born in on our guests. Moreover the influence of the large mounds, as between bunker and flag, promises also to call for adaptability on the part ot the challengers, as on courses such as Rose Bay modern mounding is the exception, rather than the rule. This applies also even in the ease of such modern courses as La Perouse. The can be cruel lips of the bunkers—they often ■ cause stilt upper ones—also promise to be something of a novelty, as on sandy courses it is difficult to form a lip to thebunkers, it is pimply that the sand face crumbles so that many class players are found putting out of the bunkers. Beyond the disadvantage that may be sustained by failure tc properly place their tee shots, the Sydney players should welcome the respite from the heart-breaking fairway sand traps with which their best courses abound. The punishing loose sand at Rose Bay and the prickly rough and old-fashioned traps at Kensington are really heartbreaking at times. Still, one talks oi rough and bunkers as though our distinguished visitors were mere tyros, whereas, in point of fact, few will know better than they the value of the second shot sailing true to its objective. The Championship Course. It is hoped that some of the visitors may compete at Titirangi, and should they do eo, those who have had the greater experience, such as Apperley, will note a design more in keeping with the Melbourne courses. Not that the test is sc severe, but that the Mackenzie touch is pronounced and the hitting distance n truer reflex of the value of the yardage on the score card. Actually Middlemore is longer or has greater yardage than Titirangi, but as regards hitting distance Titirangi is a much more exacting test Tlie courses are quite dissimilar, the noticeable feature being that the bunkering is designed accordingly. There is more license in the shot to the pill in the case of Titirangi, which, in view of the sustained hitting demaneled, is Which leads one to quote the remark ol a well-known player in our midst—one who has played over many of the best courses in Great Britain— Should bunkeif be so close to the flag that a. 9a per cent good shot is penalised, while a badlydirectioned shot often escapes. Such, take it, is for golf architects of the futui'f to decide. ~ , , , ~ , We know, however, that much of the answer is wrapped up in the type ane length of the course, and the degree oi [ premium to be placed on accuracy. Los ■ sibly our Sydney friends may in an un j guarded moment express an opinion thai - may serve to awake afresh an argument ' on these lines. Still, nothing could b< calculated to be so provocative—that is, l , one were serious about it —of the wit, oi - libeller, who spoke of Titirangi—he usee .to golf there —as a lovely place for a ceme terv Often has he been seen emerging ' from the gullies literally covered in muti 1 lated rough. His words, one gathers, wert ' inspired. l -I PUPUKE LADIES' CLUB.

The members of the Puptike Ladies* Golf Club will open the season next Wednesday with a scramble match —players to be drawn at the clubhouse. The same arrangements have been made for C grade players for Wednesday —starting from the thirteenth, tee.