GOLF.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19853, 14 February 1930, Page 6

GOLF.

FIXTURES.

Hagen and Kirkwood (Exhibition Round and "Lecture) —Shirley, February 27th. Autumn Golf Professional Tournament — Kus3ley, March Ist, 3rd, and Ith. NOTES OF THE DAY. (By Flagstick.) "For tli© benefit of those who intend to apply for membership in a local club, names and addresses of club secretaries are given below: Christchurch G.C.—J. E. Donald, Club House, Shirley. .Haglev G.C.—W. A.' Mansell, P.O. Box 199. Hagley G.C (Itussley Course) —W. A. W. Gudgeon, Hospital Board Office. Richmond Hill G.C.—R. H. T. Hamilton, - care Maling and Co.j Gloucester street. Avondale G.C. —J. M. Preston, 183. Manchester street. Harewood G.C.—lt.' de G. Robilliard, 206 Cushel street. . Applicants for membership would be well advised to obtain and forward their nomination l'orms without delay, a.s in soma instances cl'uhs have already ;i waiting list in one or more sections, while others are rapidly . approaching the point of saturation, and will shortly be unable to admit members except with restricted privileges. ■ Few will be found to cavil at the. N.Z.G.A.'s choice of five players from whom fmir are to be selected to* represent New Zealand in the Kirk* AYindeyer Cup competition on April 16th and 17th,, viz.: J. L. Black, Hamilton; T. H. Horton. Masterton; A. D. S. Duncan, Wellington; Dr. K. Ross, Otago; and E. M. Macfarlane, Christchurch. The last-named is perhaps the weakest 'of the 'five, but can be depended on to make a good showing on his own home course, where his intimate local knowledge may easily give an advantage of three or four strokes in a round. Dr. K. Ross's staunchness as a match player is well known to all followers of the game, and he does not seem to need a long preparation to enable him to produce his best form. A. D. S. Duncan, ten times amateur champion, and T. H. Horton, foremost stylist among New Zealand amateurs, would naturally be the first two chosen, with J. L. Black next on the list. The latter's amazing performance in the semi-final of the amateur championship of 1928, when from the apparently hopeless position of 9 down in the. morning round he struggled on to win from C. B. Wight at the 37th hole, is an outstanding incident in golfing history, and a convincing proof of his power and steadiness.

The 'U.S. Golf Association have also picked their team of eight players and two reserves for the Walker Cup competition, which this year will be decided at St. Andrews. Kobcrt T. Jones, jun., the famous "Bobby," is captain, and the other seven, presumably in the order of their choice, are Harrison 11. Johnston, the U.S. amateur champion of 1929, George vou Elm, Francis Ouiniet, Dr. O. l'\ Willing, runner-up to Harrison Johnston in the championship, George Voight, Jess W. Swcetser, and Don Moe, with Holand Mackenzie and M. J. McCarthy, jun., as reserves. Discussing the team's prospects for the j cup, Grantland, Rice, in the New York | "Herald Tribune," writes: "Any team J that can open fire with Bobby Jones, | Harrison Johnston, and George von Elm has a strong running start. After this George Voiglit, Doc.'Willing;' aiid JessSwcetser are^'all fineV' matcli' = , pltfy6r£'] But it 'will be nothing like the easy romp it was here in 1928. Tolley is playing far better golf than i'or some time, and the advantage of home conditions makes a vast difference, especially if cold, raw winds happen to blast their way around the course." Another boy prodigy has appeared in Southern California in the person of Charles Seaver, a boy of 18, who, in a competition at Long Beach (apparently one of the championship series), headed the list with a round of 60 (31-35) oji a course whose par is 72 (35-37).' Seaver, who is said to bear in face and feature a striking resemblance to the Bobby Jones of a few years ago, won the junior championship of South California two years ago. lie must have improved astonishingly since theii, because the field which he defeated on this occasion included J. Farrell 68, Kirkwood.- 68, Me.hlhorn 69, Watrous and G. von Elm 70, T. ] Armour and K. Cruickshank 71, J. Turnesa and M. Turnesa 72, Shuta, Hor- i ton Smith, Al. Espinosa, and Abe Es- ' pinosa 73, the last-named figure* being the last to qualify for the sixty-odd j places in continuation of the day's play. Walter Ilagen and Leo Diegel scratched I their entry when they found it impossible to get off from their work at the Mack Sennett studios, where they were taking part in a golf comedy that was being filmed. A note in The 19th Hole of the current issue of "New Zealand Golf Illustrated" says:—"H. B. Lusk, who is recuperating at Rotorua, is making an excellent recovery. Ho is indulging in one round a day, and has alreadv notched a 71, so the veteran is starting to hit them again. His numerous friends will be delighted to hear , the good news." Probably we could reckon some hundreds of these in Christchurch. The end of the month should see a large gallery assembled at Shirley to follow the display given by the famous Walter Hagen and Joe Kirkwood. After the rains of January the course is looking its verv best, and will provide a worthy setting for a notable display of golfing powers, for Hagen—four times British Open Champion, and five times winner of the championship of the U.S. Professional Golfers' Association—is almost without & peer amongst present-day golfers, while Joe Kirkwood, whom we had here on a visit about _ 1920, is a player of exceptional ability, and very well worth watchins when he exhibits his control of his clubs in makine trick shots. The charge for admission, ten shillings, may appear at first an unduly high one, but both men could earn more by staying at home than they will probably get from their venture, and it is understood that there will be a lecture by Hagen at the conclusion of their exhibition, which will be of intense interest to ambitious golfers, whose feeling will rather be that of gratitude for the chance of seeing them at work, and hearing their instructions:. A visit to the Municipal links at Rawhiti Domain, New Brighton, confirms the opinion, expressed by' most iiolfsrs at the openincr day ceremony, that the area, though on the small side, will provide eventually an interesting and sporting course, which will* not lack for nutrons and which, will serve a useful purpose in relieving the congestion that is rapidly overtaking the older-established courses. The fairways, well cared-for by F. A. Chase, the groundsman are now beginning to present a good playing surface on all the lower levels, and the work of levelling down excrescences and filling low places is still going on. At present, fairways lie too close to one another to be altogether safe, but as soon as the area west of the road is brought into use, the existing nine holes will be reduced to seven, to the

trreat improvement of the course. Some dav also, no doubt, advantage will be taken of the low lying patches in the sandv waste lyinjr to the east of the present course to extend the links by making one or even two holes in that part of the Domain.