GOLF.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17982, 28 January 1924, Page 11

GOLF.

NOTES OF THE DAY,

"(By-"Jigger.")

Mrs Annie McLean, of Lachine, Quebec, while playing on the Senneville golf course, noticed a squirrel carrying a golf ball. She followed tho animal to its nest, where she was astonished to find 68 golf balls, which she replaced with nuts.

Gene Sarasen, the match-play champion of America, has indicated that he and other prominent American professionals will again compete in the British open championship on the Royal Liverpool links.

A campaign to encourage courteous relations between caddy and player and organisation of the caddies on a military basis is a part of the programme of the San Gabriel Country Club in California. A fund is being collected with which to supply the boys with uniforms, care for sick caddies, and to provide them with a~~ dinner ' every Christmas.

"Undoubtedly it is better; to make the left hand start the club back," says J. Barnes, ' 'for by so doing the player is more liable to start it low along the ground, which.is important. Of course, after the club gets approximately one-third the way back the right hand enters into the operation. If you let it do too much work at the start you are very liable to lift the club up too sharply, and. when you do you are almost sure to pull the hands teo close in to the body. My tip to the average player is to make tho left hand- start the back swing, because mighty few are able to make both work evenly together."

Time and again A. D. &. Duncan has been seriously challenged for the championship of- the Wellington Golf Club, but he has always accounted for his opponents with something to spare. The final match for the Wellington Club's title was very closely contested over the week-end, between John Duncan and the former champion, the players being all square at the ninth in the second round of the 36 holes. John Dimean : s card for the first 18 holes was 76, against A. D. S. Duncan's 78, but the .afternoon round took John Duncan 79 to his opponent's 74. Both have played better golf recently in less favourable weather. At the end of the match as he has so often done before, the veteran came to light with superb golf, and, winning the tenth and eleventh in 4, halving the twelfth in 5", winning the. thirteenth in 3, halving the fourteenth in 4, and winning the fifteenth, once again became the holder of the title.

the hands dry is said to have been u matter of almost insuperable difficulty to golfers in Sydney during the heat of New Year week- Actually it accounted for several failures, and, theoretically, should have accounted, for many more, but for the moment plavers were feeling unusually "bucked up." Fortified with 10 days' concentrated practice, most of them felt they could hit the ball, so long as one hand kept hold, and rather than interfering with the game, the heat seemed to brincr out an exceptionally heavy crop of fine scores. The courses themselves also helped considerably to this end. Thev had scarcely ever been seen to better advantage for the season of the vear, and the almost complete absence "of wind eliminated much, of the finessing that is ordinarly needed to escape the costly traps. At the Bonnie Dooi

Club a four-ball best ball match against bogey was productive of an. unusual result, two middles-mark, men (X. S. Mc-r Gii'lloch and H. "W. Johnson) trouncing the "colonel" to the extent of-"13 up. This is one stroke better than the winning score in a similar competition at the New Year tournament at Balmacewen.

It fin the opinion of many good judges .that E. T. Story, the golf captain of Cambridge' University, is a likely winner of the amateur championship is due course. Thus there was considerable curiosity to see how he would pei - - form when meeting Roger Wethered, the present champion, in the match between Cambridge' and Worplesdon on the latterV course near "Woking. Wethered ..was .at. his .very best, and it was 710 wonder Story went under for the first time this season. The former did the first nine holes in 33 strokes, and finally won by 6 and 5. Story almost held his rival for five-holes, being then only 1 down, but trying to do a bit too much led to his missingf or marring his toe shots, with the usual results. Wethered had nothing worse than fours on his'card, his score being 341344344.—35, and coming homo 4443 Wethered was 12yds wide of the pin at .. the eleventh (523 yds), with two shots, and his play throughout was wonderful. Though the captain lost, the Cambridge team proved successful, the Worplesdon players going under by seven matches to five.

A wonderful record has been set-up by London's public golf couirse at Richmond Park. Within a space of twelve months since the first sod was cut it has been constructed, opened, and actually outgrown itself several times over. During the months of Jidy, August and September 17,344 people paid to play over the course. This is apart from the large number of fiveday season-ticket holders. For nineteen weelis up to October 24th the average number of ordinary players on Saturdays was 263. while the Sunday average reached 319. Many London artisans spent their summer holidays on the course. At 'week-ends during the summer players began. to line up at the first .tee as early as six o'clock in the morning, and- couples were despatched at three-minute intervals throughout the day without a 'break. Many of them, had to wait as long as three hours before their starting numl>er was signalled, and there were many who waited in vain to get in a game before dusk. J. H. Taylor, the famous ojxm champion, deems a second course "an absolute necessity." He planned and supervised the laying out of the present course free of charge, and he is prepared to do tlve same for another.

It is rather a sad reflection, upon the apathy of the British golfer (says tlie golf correspondent of the "Observer") that the prospects of sending a British team to America, in response to

;ui invitation from the United States Golf Association, to make another attempt to lift the Walker Cup, are unpromising. One w-ould have imagined that the desire to avenge our previous defeats would have made itself eagerly felt. It is only the. few who bother their heads as to whether the "Walker Cup remains in the undisputed possession of America; the rest, apparently,do not care two straws. In effect, they say: "If America, wants the cirp, let them have it by all means." This is scarcely a dignified attitude to adopt on the part of a great nation whose golfers were the pioneers of a game that has now spread to every civilised part of the world. As it Cow stands the matter is one of firuurce, pure and simple. There is not a single sixpence available for the purpose, and our experience in raising the funds for the last venture was neither encouraging nor cheditable. In replying for support upon the enthusiasm of the rank and file we were woefully deceived ; perhaps we wont the wrong way about, the process of .picking their m>riets. The regrettable fact remains,

however, that when the hill was presented, there was a deficit of £BOO, a sum for which ■ individual members of the Chanvpionslup Committee of the Royal and Ancient 'Club made themselves responsible. By methods which can only be regarded as humiliating the money was found. It is too much to expect a self-respecting body of men openly to place themselves in a position where they can be shot at a second time.

A most interesting item to golfers was the cabled announcement that JH. Kirkwood, ex-Australian open champion, lias accepted a permanent - posi-tion-with Roekwood Club, New York State, at a salaiy of approximately £*2600 a year. Other Australians engaged' with clubs in the United States are J. V. East and A. W*. East, both fine exponents of the game. Kirkwood's salary is reported to be £2600 a year, which will be the largest ever paid to a professional golfer in the __ United states. I received by the last mail, says an Australian writer, tho "American Annual Golf Guide" for 1923,. which gives a. list of all, the golf clubs in the United States, but no such club is mentioned.' The nearest to it is the Rockaway Hunting Club, established in 1878, length 6800 yards, with a 73. par. It is 20 miles from New York. Visitors' charges: 2 dollars week days, 3 dollars Sundays and holidays. Possibly this is the club that is meant. In any case, Kirkwood is to be warmly congratulated on the line position that 'he has obtained. Everyone in Australia will be delighted.- If anyone deserves' success, Kirkwood does, for no one could have worked harder at the -game than he has, and possibly no one knows more about it, even though he may. say little. Anyone who can command the great variety of shots that he does, must know practically all that can bo known about the method of hitting the ball to obtain.the various flights. I trust Kirkwood will be happy in his new position. Three Australians now hold positions at clubs in America V. East, A. W. East, and J. H. Kirkwood- —all of them fine players, w-ith J. V. East a wonderful workman in the fashioning of golf clubs. , I can hardly imagine there is a better in the world, though this seems to be saying a great deal. The- club referred to 'might be Rockland County Club; Sparkhill, though it has only nine holes, with a length of 64-50 yards. It is 20 miles from the city, but is not given as a New York club. SARAZEN V. HAVERS. (BY CABLE—PKKSS ASSOCIATION COPYWGHT.) (AUSTRALIAN AND -T.Z." CABLE ASSOCIATION.) (Received January 27th, 5.5 p.m.) SAN FKAKCISCO, January 25.

Gene Surazcn, United States professional golf champion, was victor by three etrokes in the first half of a seventy-two hole match with Arthur Havers, British open champion. Sarazen will carry his lead to the second half of the match at 1*33 Angeles on Sunday. Bain fell most of the day. The totals for the thirty-six holea were: Sarazon 151, Havers 154.