Stroke round a farce

Press, 10 November 1986, Page 23

Stroke round a farce

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Golfers in several teams at the Government Life inter-provincial tournament at Hokowhitu on Saturday morning turned proceedings into a farce. For the 10 teams which failed to make the semifinals on Saturday morning, a stroke round was held to determine the seedings and the draw for next year’s tournament. Teams were matched according to their corresponding finishing positions in section play.

There were dark mutterings about the introduction of a stroke round within New Zealand’s main match-play teams’ event.

The new system for seeding teams had been mooted much earlier in

the year by the Golf Association, and when associations did not show any disapproval, it was approved. Most players, it seems, were not kept up with play. So the round became quite ludicrous, with only a few players taking it seriously. There were instances of right-handed players competing lefthanded, golfers teeing off on their knees, two teams combining to send eight balls humming down a fairway simultaneously, a fine being imposed on any member from one team who broke 80, four-putt and five-putt greens, and Wellington, the last side to finish, keeping one card back while the team assessed the draw for next year. It was eventually submitted.

A meeting of team

managers on Saturday morning resolved that the system be changed next year, but New Zealand golf officials, obviously aware, and not impressed, with the attitude of the teams involved in turning the round into absurdity are understood to be meeting this week to discuss the issue and the prospect of disregarding the stroke scores.

It would be a surprise if they did take that course of action as the stroke round condition had been added to the tournament conditions. A revised format, however, is imperative, one which does not allow players to choose and possibly be able to play for the side of the draw that they prefer for the next year.