R. J. Charles Reviews Golf Tour Overseas

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28661, 11 August 1958, Page 7

R. J. Charles Reviews Golf Tour Overseas

R. J. Charles, New Zealand open golf champion in 1954. who returned to his home in Christchurch on Saturday after several months in the United States and Great Britain, has no immediate plans to turn professional. “I would like -the life,” he said yesterday, “but my golf is not good enough at the moment because I do not have enougn length to compete with the professionals. I would like to win a place in New Zealand amateur teams for the next five years or so. By that time I will know which way I am going.” Charles will be in New Zealand only five or six weeks before leaving with the New Zealand team for the world amateur championships at St. Andrew’s in October. Asked about New Zealand’s prospects in this tournament, Charles said he thought the Americans would be most successful, because they had so many good amateurs. “I think New Zealand’s chances would compare favourably with the Home countries and other Commonwealth teams,” he said. “The scratch score at St. Andrew’s is 71, and the player who can score 284 would win the individual section. There is a big premium on putting at St. Andrew’s. You often have putts of 50 or 60 yards. I think John Durry will do well. Ted MacDougall’s length will help him, and Stuart Jones knows the course, which will be of assistance However, conditions in October,, which is quite late in autumn, may make the course play longer than when I was there playing in the British amateur. Sea mists come in and it gets dark quite quickly, which may be the reason they are playing only one round a day in the world tournament.” Low Scoring in U.S.

Discussing the American tournament circuit, Charles said that all -the sponsored tournaments were not played on championship courses, because they were not available. They were often played on municipal courses, which were far below the standard of the best ones, and that possibly explained the extremely low scoring which sometimes won these events. Public support for some of the tournaments was immense. At Pebble Beach in California, where the Crosby tournament was played, there had been more than 20,000 spectators on one day, but at the Thunderbird tournament at Palm Springs, a course a little more remote, the gallery had been only about 5000. Yet at the Masters’ tournament at Augusta, one day’s gallery had totalled about 50,000. There every green and every tee was lined with people who stayed there the

entire day. There were also big crowds in Britain. There were about 10,000 at the play-off between Bradshaw and Weetman for the Penfold-Swallow tournament. Charles said he had not increased the length of his driving while he was overseas. “I am hitting the ball as hard as I can,” he said. “I have 'to develop more strength in my hands, which means more practice.” Ben Hogan was the best golfer he saw in the United States, said Charles. However, Hogan was putting so badly that a child could have done better. He seemed to have no confidence on the greens. Asked what he regarded as his own best performance overseas, Charles said he thought it might be the St. Petersburg tournament, when he was in twelfth place after 36 holes, and finished top among the amateurs. However, reaching the quarter-finals of British amateur gave him erable satisfaction. Few Left-Handers Charles said there were very few left-handed golfers among the top Americans, and that probably accounted for the fact that he was regarded almost as a freak. Charles left his clubs in England, except for a driver, a spoon and a putter, with which he intends to practice. He began yesterday morning at Shirley, after arriving home by plane late on Saturday night, testimony indeed to his enthusiasm. He says he will not play competitive golf in the next few weeks. But if he changes his mind, he should not find it difficult to borrow a set of clubs. Both his parents, proficient players, are left-handed, and his father has the set Charles used when he won the New Zealand open at Heretaunga.