GOLF.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19151, 7 November 1927, Page 10

GOLF.

NEW RUSSLEY COURSE.

AN INTERESTING SURVEY. T.h« Hussley course, on tha land rs cMtlr- acquired by the Hagley Golf Club has been planned. Tie total length 01 th< proposed conns is 6350 yards, which mean, that it will be of. full championship length There :s one hole of 500 yjirds, fi™ of 4<X vards and over, and three short hole?. Tbi oar of the course will ! ■* '«. aad »* * l! be a vbit difficult par indeed. The following report ou the «"7«r « ! been furnished to the directors of the Mag ley' Links Company by a committee con sisting of. Messrs Donald Grant and iv. I Tosswill (amateurs), and J. A. Clement! and H. K> Blair (professional). As requested, we inspected the land pur chased- for a colt" couiss at Russley, am the. proposed lay-out of an IS-hole. cours< submitted by Mr J. A. Clements. We ww favourablv impressed with the possibihtief of the- land for a. golf course, and with th< manner in which any natural features navt bsen turned to account in the lay-out o: the propossd :S-bole course submitted to us Hole 1. '29oyds—The first hole mak* R verv aporoDriate Mart for a gol. course, and together' we thought it worthwhile to keep in mind, the possibility oi navinf the green reasonably distant from thj second tee. The way to the iiele could b> move or less semi dog-legged in order f<; make' this feasible and also in the interest of the hole itself. "The.green is in a pood position, and the background adds consid ernblv to the gocd features of it. Hole 2, 440yds—The second 'hole i« a goon long..hole: and does not call. for any special comment. The ,green .is in the most suit' able place, close to the gully winch descends at 'he back. Hole 3, 125-130yds—This is very interesting and a challenging short hole calling for an accurately played shot. The gully running obliquely between the teo and tht green is mads full use of, and a few bunkers to the left showing up the green will add to its good features. Hole 4, 330yds—This hole runs parallel to the second and in the opposite direction. A plain two-shot hole. • Hole 5, • 400yds—This hole doubles !.""'k and is again parallel to ths fourth, •.<• green being placed in a. very' favourable position beyond a considerable . gully, the slope from which moves up gradually towards the place where the green will be. At the back of the green there is another gully which can be made full use o? when the "hole is in play. Its situation will make th" green an "island green." Hole 6, ■ 430 yds- This hole is bounded by the Wairarapa road. For the whole distance a fine view is obtained of the Southern Alps. This hole has a number of excellent, features. The drive must be placed well, and tmus v ,- be long if the player is (o reach the green with His second. The ' second • shot too will need to ba • not only long but accurately placed. The ' more prudent player will play to the left to reach the green in three. In this "case tno third shot will have certain local difficulties round the green to contend with. Considerable natural hazard is formed By a. gully which runs obliquely across the fairway from 40 to 100 yards short o£ the green. An excellent hole. Hole 7, 180-'3ooyds—This hole. too. is a first-class one, chiefly ou account.. of the situation of the preen,which is placed in a bay, with a noticeable terrace rising at the back. The natural difficulties for a one-shot hole make this interesting. The tees can be so placed at this hoTe that it can be used either as ■an iron or wooden : shot, according to weather conditions or variation of distance required. ■ » Hole 8, 320yds—This hole will make one of tho best and most interesting on , the course, calling for jiu. accurate and wellplayed second shot with a mashie or mashieniblick. The green is placed on a slight rise, with a gully to the left, and beyond a few bunkers will add to the necessity for iccuracy in approaching the green. There will bo, a considerable amount of .work to do. on the fairway, -which is stony. Hole 9, 440yds—This hole goes back in the iireetion of the clubhouse. The second shot will, take the player- beyond the hedge, and the green is placed on a nice little.plateau, ,vith a gully beyond. Good features and a Sood hole. ... Hole 10, 160yds—This will probably be;ome a star hole.. It calls for a fine and iccurately-played iron shot to a green, which is surrounded with natural features, and is

easilv visible from the tee. Hole 11, 310yds—This is a straight forward drive and mashie". At this hole a drive must be accurately placed on the plateau to favour the second shot. The green is cosily situated on the plateau, with the gullies presenting natural hazards. The gprse as a background gives this green a fine setting.' Hole 12, 360yds—The nature of the ground at this hole makes it necessary to keep the drive well to .• the right, making it. a definite dog-legged hole. The iron second shot will have to be played .over , rising ground towards a well-placed.green. A certain amount of expense will be incurred in levelling the fairway 40 or. 50 yards up to i the green in order to open -up the hole, but we are of ,the opinion that the situation of the green justifies any expense which may he incurred. . ' , " . Hole 13,' 435yds—This is also a dog-legged hole i or the s.ame reason as the. twelfth, the fairway being bounded on the right for the whole distance by a shingly gully. The green is placed on. the broadest part of a narrow neck of land running.between two gullies. A lone second shot will need to be very straight if it pitches short of; the green in order to stay on this neck of laad. The more timid player, who keeps to the left with his first and second shots, in order to reach the green easily with his third, will find a "tricky third shot over a gully and certain other difficulties after approaching the green from the left. This should - become one o± the best holes on .the course. , Hole 11, 370yds—Tho gorse- hedge varying front 150 to 170 yards from tho tee calls for aTgbod tee shot. A .lnidiron will reach the green, which is well placed in some suitable ground with natural hazards m the vicinity. The fairway as it is at present is stoney. "We suggest that the fourteenth green be placed well to the left of the five-acre area, so as to give plenty of room both in the approach to that green and also to enable the fifteenth tee to be placed further back, near the spot where the fourteenth green was first suggested. • Hole 15, 240yds—The change suggested in the last paragraph would mean that from the lee one 'would play across tho corner of the iive-a.cre area, and make somo use of the terrace which runs up towards the' fifteenth green. This would' avoid the possibility of the seventeenth green and the sixteenth fairway' being encroached upon in playing this hole.

Hole Is, 500 yards—This is a long hole, with the. Burnside road .out of bounds on the right... The green is placed in the only position possible. With the exception, of the difficulties arising through the contiguous boundary fence, the hole Trill be flat and /uninteresting. ■

, Hole 17, 360yds—This hole, is also flat and uninteresting,. which cannot be avoided, as there are no natural difficulties in the 'ground. /Both the sixteenth and seventeenth Roles can- be improved by planting and br.nkering. Hole 18, 340yds—There are more features in the eighteenth hole. The green is placed near the clubhouse, but leaves sufficient room for a practice putting green. We would mention ■jhat several of the holes will prove to bo particularly good golfing holes. Holes 3, 5, 6. 7, 8, 10, and 13 will make really outstanding holes. Holes •12 _ and 14 have paiticularly good possibilities, and tiere are also good possibilities for the balance of the holes if judicious bunkering and planting is undertaken. Yi>e eighteen holes combine.] have all the elements of a vei7 interesting and up-to-date comae.

Temporary nine-hols course for immediate use: With regard to a temporary nine-hole

courso, we suggest that the following fairways he used:—First hole, No. 1 on plai; fsp.cond hole, No. 2 on plan; ihird hole, Xo. 4 on plan; fourth hole, No. 5 ovt plan: fifth hole, Xo. 9 oh plan; sixth hole, Xo. 15 on plan, with lengthened tee *.o save

undue walking between the ninth a.id the fifteenth, tee: seventht hole. No. 16 '*n plan; eighth hole. Xo. l\ on plan; ninth hole, Xo. 18 on plan. »