GOLF.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 253, 18 July 1908, Page 9

GOLF.

(By Lexoiie.) "Lenoro". will bo glad to .receive from . Secretaries of Clubs and others interested, Lists of Fixtures, Kcports of Meotings, Matchos and Competitions, etc. These should be addressed, ".Lenore," Dominion Office, Wellington, and received by Wednesday for insertion ,on tho following Saturday. COMPETITIONS IN AUSTRALIA. A degreo.'of uncertainty attached to..tho different cablcs, received hero during this week auent tho various matches,'.champion-' ships, etc., which have been proceeding in Australia during tho past ten-days. The ■following, howoverj may be taken as representing tho position up till this!date. Tho competition which' commenced a week ago yesterday at Sydney was for tho Open Championship; that is, it was opon to professionals and amateurs alike. Like tho same competition at Homo, the gamo was played under medal rules, viz., by strokes, and it consisted of four rounds of eighteen holes each —72 holos. Two rounds were played on the Friday, and tho second two 011 tho day following. Tho result was. a win for- Pearce, of'..Tasmania, with a total score of 811. Soutar, of New South Wales, was runnerup, his score being 314, whilo Duncan, of Wellington, came nest with an aggregate of 318. Pearco and Duncan are both amateurs, Soutar being a- professional The contest which began on Monday of this wook was also a championship, but one, however,. confined to amateurs. There were eight entries, .and, again following tho .lines of tho Old Country, the competition was by match play—or holes —and so is, as it were; fought to a finish. The present holder of tho title is the Hon. M. Scott, and it was the'meeting between him and Duncan in tho first round which brought out such brilliant, play and provided such an exciting finish, tho. holder winning only after thirty-seven holes had been played. The. second round was played on Tuesday, and here Scott : fell to tho opon champion, Pearce, somewhat unexpectedly. Tbo close of this day's play saw Poarco and Cliristoo the sole survivors, and they try> conclusions to-day for the titlo. Wednesday saw a lull irf the championships, but not in play. - A Bogey competition was held on handicap terms. Duncan started with his account on tho debit side with'the "Colonel" by three holes —a very hard handicap. He. finished five holes down, so tliat in. actual play, ho lost "two holes. to.. Bqgcy. The winner was Stephen,' of :Sydney,,.wlio..had a gift.of. four holes from Bogey. Handysidc, of. Wellington, seems to have played a.strong gamo in-this competition, for, starting ..with' .three holes to his credit, he finished'two down; Then "on Thursday an inter-State. match was . played,'also under match rules. This was.won.by Victoria, and hero again.Pearce and Scott .met, tho latter this occasion turning the tables/upon his- victor ofTuesday.' .. . . When''it .was reportod: on l Tuesday thatPearco. had defeated Soott by tho largo margin' of' six up,' and five 'to play ."Lenore" opinioncd that Scott must have been suffer'. ing from tho reaction of ..tho severo strain which his gamo.with Duncan upon tho.preccding day entailed. This is perhaps 'now ; borno out, by . the fact that when the two: met again 011 Thursday Scott was tho winner. by two holes. . * The Hou. M. : Scott is a member of : a;.very well-known .'golfing family,' ho ', liaving, two; brothers, golfers of tho first grade, at. Homo; Tho Hon. D. Scott has won-eight'scratch medals at Westward Ho, and- a number at Sunningdale and - Cheltenham. He - was' also Amateur Champion of Italy in the years 1905 and 1906. The other brother,- the Hon. Osmond Scott, has perhaps even a more worthy record,, for he holds fivo and twenty Westward Ho medals. ■ Ho was runner-up for the Amateur .Championship at Home in; 1905. and ho played' for .England against Scotland in 1902, 1905, and 1906. It should be mentioned that the Hon. M. Scott did not take part-in tho open championship at Sydney a week ago', and "Lenore" understands that lie at present is'not in just of health. , . *' "Lenore" was pleased that his articlo in The Dominion- of . a fortnight, ago. had brought something out in the way of discussion. Mr. Whitehead's letter was a cap in point, but when he says in that letter that "Lenoro" might have stated that the brassy was-first used on v the links at Blackbeatli, lie was only mentioning ono of tbo thousand and!one tilings which could be touched upon in ; a book, hut not in a short article'. Very likely what Mr. Whitehead says is true, for .the club at. Blackheath was'formed so long ago as in 160S, and records go'to show that matchesVtook placo there in-'thOse early days for " bets of- gallons of claret." , When.Mr. Ayhitohead.states, however, that tho reason for the leather facing of tho club heads was that the hard gutta balls made indonts in the fa.ee of; those wooden clubs, and thoy could, only be .repaired, byj refacing with leather,- then Lenoro " joins-issue with him. "Leuoro's" opinion is (and that opinion is backed by many- experienced, golfors and authorities on the game) that the reason was this:—When balls wore mado of leather thero was a. certain spring ,in the ball itself which it got from contact with the club. But when the solid gutta came along it had positively no yield or bounce whatever' and as at that time the hardest of woods was used^ for heads, viz., persimmon, it iyas found'.that the strength required to get anything^liko a fair drive was. out. of all proportion. "Spring" must be got some-, where; it/ ; was not in the ball, and-so.had.to, bo .got , from tho clubhead,i lience tho leather face.: Proof of this is, perhaps, to be'found in the fact that, almost cvory now.club, was mado; with a leather face,-:, while the : gutta ball was.in vogue. / . Then'again, since the advent of the 'rubber-cored-balls a leather-faced''driver.- or. brassy, is never.'seen, for now, as in the days-of the leather balls, the spring is .in tho ball again, and tho harder the..club's face the more yield is got from tho ball. • Mr. Whitehead's experience as a practical golfer and club-maker will tell .him that whilo tho gutta was played, many makers tried all kinds of inventions with-clubheads to 1 get "spring" from them—-oven going tho length of facing'tliem with .solid rubber. Not so now—the, rubber coronas all tho bounce you want—aye, and sometimes.more. Golf seems to be getting more popular in Wellington overy day. "Lenore" knows of somo hijlf-dozen young fellows who have caught tha fever so badly .that they have laid thomselvos out a links. on tho top of the hills around Wadestown.. Tho greens are not (juite so flat as tlioy might bo, and if a wellintentioned putt should miss tho hole it may probably so continue its run as to'necessitate .1 full drive to; carry tho next shot back to tho, green.' *,Stillthe 'enthusiasm) is there, and that's 'what's wanted.' Indeed, it .'was : suggested,'jthe other ovening to play-in tho moonlightf. but tho idea was abandoned as; tho consequences might be expensive. -.' To-day the Hutt Golf Club, play Otaki over tho links of the former club. TIIO following is the draw for the men's Bogey Handicap of the Karori Golf Club to be played on the club's'links at Miramar this afternoon, at 5.30 o'clock :• E. H. Liddlo v. Erskine, Shand v. E. A. Liddlo, O'C'allaghan v. iPussell, Dr. Boyd v. Otterson, W. Cook v. Watkins v. Smith. . Tho folloinng is the-drawing for the-Vic-toria Cup: — To ' start at the first tee: — Tripp v. C. Turrell, Dalziell v. Turnbull, A. J. Abbott v. Hodson, Kebbell. v. J. Webster, Dr. Rawson v. If. P. JOIIII-. ston, Kirkby r. Higginson, Didsbury v. K. ,: Duncan, Chalfey v. MacEwan, Fisher v. Lees. To start at'the eighth; tee.:—Clark v. •Freetb, Hales v. M'Shano; Mylno.v. G. F. Johnston, M."Turrell.v. Ward, E.'H. Rawson v., George, Mason v. Griffiths, Patterson, v. Fussell. ; It is not.iceablc that most of the leading golf players this, season are using -the.-'Bed Dot professional golf ball. This ball has a chemical ccntrc, and will uot crack or burst. Wo recommond you to try ono, it will improve your pia£. CSOO