GOLF IN THE MUD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 139, 15 June 1938, Page 24

GOLF IN THE MUD.

TEEING UP RULE. MATCH PLAY COMPETITION. P. RALPH WINS BEMUEEA'S , CAPTAIN'S PRIZE. Rain-soaked courses and a heavy atmosphere combined to provide uninspiring conditions at the week-end. The clean and place rule, in some measure, alleviated the position, and for the ensuing couple ot months the rule might well be generally observed. It is not so much a matter of close lies, as it is the impossibility of playing i correct shots when mud is adhering to the ball. Spartans there may be, and the condition oi their courses, so far as the ' lies are concerned, may warrant a die- ' hard attitude. There is, however, more , to it than that. The merit of a shot can be hopelessly destroyed when the ball pursues an erratic Might due to a lump of mud adhering to it. To handle the ball unnecessarily is of course in conflict with the spirit of the rules. Against this, winter golf and mud-infested courses are in effect foreign to the game. Compared with the golf of the previous week-end, when there was a championship and a host of important club events, last week from the point of view of the critic was rather barren. Maungakiekie had perhaps the most ambitious programme, the fifth round of the Elliffe Cup provid- | ing many interesting matches. Already the names of many well-known lowmarkers are missing from the lists, but in a test in which a lose means elimination, a thinning of numbers is inevitable. S. G. Smith, continuing in the strain of his previous winning feats, accounted safely enough for Kllis. while G. F. Keith, who formerly golfed at Huntly, played steadily in defeating T. J. Sheehan. Lowmarkers in and Pelham again got through, but tne former experienced his share of good fortune in his one-hole defeat of W. D'Audney. .Norman Hay's win from C. F. Rosser followed a spirited battle, as did also X. J. Ridd's defeat of G. Philson, one of the most solid club performers on handicap. Jarman and McOwan, too, journeyed to the nineteenth, where the veteran almost holed his third. Played the Wrong Ball. The match was not without incident, as after McOwan had presumably won at the seventeenth, a third player appeared and claimed as his property the ball with which McOwan had holed out. Unfortunately, lie was able to substantiate his claim, and- McOwan had no option but to lose the hole. It would indeed have been tragedy had the incident caused him to have lost the match. Whilst on the subject, a tribute may be paid to McOwan for his grand showing in the Akarana championship. It may not be generally known that against McOwan Salek's score was in the middle seventies, and thjit the difference between the pair was wrapped up in two putts of four or five feet, which McOwan was not quite able to hole. Pelham excepted. McOwan is still able to hold his own with the best of the others in his club. None can help but appreciate the merit of his play. At Middlemore B. M. Hay pursued his untrammelled way in the Captain's Prize by keeping abreast of Alan Donald and playing the seventeenth soundly when the pressure was on. Bruce Menzies, too, got through at the expense of A. J. Friedlander, and in view of his excellent play to date has every opportunity of realising his ambition to win the chief handicap : match play honour the club has to offer. The youthful K. M. Wilson, too, sur» i vives, and the manner of his defeat of • J. L. Blackmore suggests that he will take much beating. With one match yet 1 to be player—that between J. F. Ewen I and R. A. WilsoH —the final four comprise [ an equal distribution of youth and experience. The four-ball was well won by R. G. King and W. M. Bell with 6 up, and close on their heels came C. N. Jacobsen ' and J. P. May, a successful combination in . several four-balls last season. The 'win of King and his partner was popular, King having been an active member of Middlemore for two decades. Scores in the Howey Walker Cup at . Glendowie were really good, M. Clark and W. Lang in particular having had excellent cards. G. Ahlfeld, D. Davis and R. Jose were also in the limelight, while there are many others who are in a- position to strike a blow in view of the succeeding rounds. At Remuera there was really only one in it, that being Millen Macbeth, whose 33, 3—38 was amongst the best efforts of the week-end. Macbeth haß fine shots, his game being built on the rock-bottom of a sound swing.

Youth of Promise. Equally inspiring was the win of Peter Ralph in the Captain's Prize final in which he defeated a vigorous hitter in Dennis Lawford. Lawford made it difficult for his young opponent, and after being 1 down at the turn he holed a good three at the tenth, to square the match. The lad then revealed true fighting qualities, having had fours at every hole till the fifteenth, where he capped all in holing a two. Truly a fitting finish to a longdrawn tournament. Schoolboy champion of a couple of years ago Ralph also won the Captain's Prize last year when on a handicap of 12. A fine natural golfer he bids fair to carry on family tradition in the game. H. C. Wilson occupied the headlines at Pupuke, having won the junior medal with 87—20—67, and the flag match—the latter so we are told by "carrying the flag to the nineteenth. The Intelligent Caddie. Mention of the flag revives the story of the fog at Akarana. Peering into the mist a well-known player asked of his caddie, "Where's the flag?'-' "I think it's on the green, sir," replied the lad. Fd like to tell you exactly what the player had to say in declaring the incident closed. And what better to finish on an Akarana note. The highlight was the clash between L. J. Bryant and V. Salek, when, though Bryant won Salek earned a full share of the honours. Apart from his two strokes, Salek had of course the advantage of being able to get more plav than Bryant. The latter, however, had the greater experience for a match of the type, and as it transpired needed it. In nine cases out of ten Bryant rises to the occasion in an emergency and is most difficult to defeat. On a par in handicap, and in performances, C. A. Best and F. S. Taylor fought it out doggedly until at the eighteenth Best was—well, simply best. T. Mitchell (8), one of the most able shotmakers in the club, though yet having something to learn of the finer arts of match play, put up a stubborn fight in conceding H. Lovell ten strokes. Lovell's stroke at the eighteenth proved the burden to the load. Another club stalwart in M. Kiely also suffered defeat, S. S. Tucker having held on manfully in delivering the final blow at the nineteenth. Last but not l.east was the grand fight made by J. R. Campbell in taking H. Cullen to the seventeenth. Campbell suffers the disability of the lose of his right arm, but by the ingenious use of the sleeve of his pullover hits his shots in wondrous fashion. Campbell has ,a handicap of 19 and a cheery disposition which might well be the envy of his fellows. A philosopher of the links would see much in so excellent an example.

j INTER-CLUB MATCH. ITht- following team will represent the Otahuhu Golf Club in a friendly match I against Pukekohe at Otahuhu during the week-end:—ff. E. B. Davies, I. H. Malcolm, R. E. Brown, 0. Bayly, A. Bullen, H. Saunders, S. T. Midgiey, A. T. Grundy, F. 51. Andrews, A. R. Jones, F. McKonzio, W. A. Stroud. K. Hosking, G. W. Kirkbride, G. A. Wooller, R. L. Brown ((captaic). Reserves: Q. Lyttelton, J, W. Jotng, Job.