Lavish Surroundings For Veterans' Golf

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30636, 30 December 1964, Page 7

Lavish Surroundings For Veterans' Golf

'T'WO months after the 1964 world veterans’ golf tournament, Mr I. B. Cromb, of Christchurch, still talks in glowing terms of the lavishness of the surroundings at the Broadmore Golf Club, Colorado Springs, venue of the tourney. Mr Cromb was one of the four members of the New Zealand team which took part in this annual event for golfers over 55.

With his wife, Mr Cromb stayed in a magnificent hotel that boasted accommodation for 100 guests. The hotel had six dining-rooms—-“each of them bigger than anything in Christchurch” — four ballrooms and numerous sitting rooms with splendid antique furniture. Surrounding the hotel were two golf courses, three heated swimming pools, a manmade lake for water ski-ing, a full-sized ice skating rink, a theatre seating 1500, riding stables, putting greens, tennis courts and an outdoor barbecue seating 500. The ground floor of the hotel was lined with high quality shops. The cost of such luxury? Fifty dollars a day. But the players and their wives were fortunate enough to be granted free accommodation at the hotel and a donation towards meals.

The tournament afforded New Zealanders a rare opportunity of sampling life at this millionaires* paradise without being haunted by the high tariff, said Mr Cromb. Dr. F. Hutchison, of Wanganui, a member of the world committee of senior golfers, organised the New Zealand parties and this year joined Mr Cromb and Messrs G. Adamson (New Plymouth) and D. Harding (Mount Maunganue) to form the New Zealand team. He has a prospective player for 1965 already—B. M. Silk, the former national amateur champion, who will be 55 next year.

“The tournament is a must for any New Zealander who can play reasonable golf,” said Mr Cromb. “But,” he warned, “they should not be on too tight a handicap, for conditions there are a lot tougher than in this country.”

No New Zealander could expect to play to his handicap at Broadmore, he said. Dr. Hutchison and Mr Adamson were oa handicaps of five and six respectively but could not play to anywhere near that figure. Some of the greens had two or three borrows and a putt struck with the best of inten-

tions could finish six feet off line. The New Zealanders had four putts on some greens.

Mr Cromb was the only New Zealander to qualify among the top 16 players for the match play event. He won his first game, 8 and 7, and his second 6 and 5, but on the eve of the third match the tournament’s “father,” Mr F. I. Brown, invited competitors and their wives to a 25,000dollar dinner and cocktail party. The next day Mr Cromb was beaten, 2 and 1, after three-putting 12 greens. In the teams’ event, which was decided on net scores, New Zealand was eleventh in a field of 15 teams. The Americans, who had lived and played at the course for two months before the tournament, understandably produced the best results. Their best player was Howard Creel, a left-hander rated by Mr Cromb as the equal of R. J. Charles. In the qualifying round Creel scored a 69 on the par 72 course. But possibly the most amazing of the Americans was the match play organiser, Chick Evans, who was a contemporary of Bobby Jones. Evans made light of his 75 years by playing Broadmore in two under par.