THE LURE OF GOLF

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 284, 27 August 1930, Page 17

THE LURE OF GOLF

Ancient Game Intriguing* the World

CLUBS SPRINGING UP LIKE MUSHROOMS

(Notes by

“Niblick.”)',

The progress the royal and ancient game of golf has made and is continuing to make throughout the world is simply wonderful. Old and young, rich and poor, man, woman, boy and girl, once they are induced to take a swipe at the iunocentlooking little white pill, arc lost for ever; they have come under the spell. The wonderful popularity which golf is enjoying is reflected in the Dominion. A few years back each centre boasted one club, but to-day links arc springing up like mushrooms throughout the length and breadth of both islands. Affiliated to the New Zealand Golf Association at the end of 1929 were no_ fewer than 159 clubs, ail increase of eleven over the previous year. A few years back, Wellington was catered for by the Wellington, Miramar, and Hutt clubs; to-day Mornington, Titahi Bay, Waiwetu, Manor Park, and Shandon all number their members by hundreds.

Municipal Courses. And as the years go on, more golf clubs will continue to spring up. No power can stop the onward march of golf. In the fullness of time, City Fathers will realise what a splendid thing golf is for the health of the community, and they will supply municipal courses, where citizens will make brains with sinews grow, and enjoy such splendid exercise in the wide open spaces that hospital boards will have many vacant cots, and doctors will have much less income-tax to pay at the end of the year.

Midget Golf. Not content with playing on the links, enthusiasts in America and England are now playing golf even u> Jiotcls nnd on the roofs of houses. A telegram from London this week states that midget golf threatens to sweep England as it is sweeping America. Preparations arc afoot to erect courses in hotels, restaurants, dance halls, cinemas, business houses, and clubs, and on suburban lawns and roofs. An 18-hote course has been laid in a hotel at Maidenhead, which is movable indoors in event of rain. Midget courses provide unbounded scope for originality.

Miramar v. Hutt. Miramar and Hutt will assemble their forces for a regular field day next Saturday. An inter-club match of 4S-aside will be played. Each club will enter senior “A” and senior “B” and junior “A” and junior "B” teams of twelve players each. The “A” teams will meet on the Hutt course, and the “B” teams at Miramar.

An interesting contest should be witnessed between the senior “A” teams. The game between the No. I’s, J. H. Drake (Miramar) and Rana Wagg (Hutt) should be well worth following round. Drake proved too good for Wagg in the last inter-club match, but since then the Hutt No. .1. has carried off the Hutt Welcome Week open championship, and he may fully extend the Miramar star player, who is in gi-eat form this season. A Favoured Region.

Any golfer who has not visited the Otaki course has not completed his education. I know of no more ideal links than are to be found on the seashore in this favoured region,, "where every prospect pleases, and only the natural bunkers are vile.” It seems always afternoon in Otaki Protected from the southern breezes by the Paekakariki Hill, it is often summer in Otaki when it is autumn in Wellington. There is a balminess in the air which makes a man, when he squares his shoulders on the elevated tees, feel that he can smite his ball over the skyline. With the Pacific sparkling in the sunlight to the west, a glorious panorama of rugged mountain scenery greets the eye to the east, while the contour of the northern coast of the South Island makes au artistic setting in that direction.

And the members of the Otaki Club closely resemble their climate —warm, geninl, kindly. Visitors who slip across the threshold of the Otaki clubhouse arc at once made to feel that they are amongst true golfing friends. One can sense hospitality in the very atmosphere. It is little wonder, therefore, that. the Titahi Bay players who visited Otaki on Saturday last returned chanting praises of the country club’s links and the unbounded hospitality of its members.

But any team which visits Otaki will receive more than hospitality; it will get all the golf it is looking for. These Otaki men can handle their clubs. The Titahi Bay team ou Saturday found this to their cost. Of the fourteen games played, Otaki won thirteen, and Titahi Bay only managed to score one solitary victory. ■ Picot covered himself with glory by defeating R. Brown, and it is reported that the Titahi Bay committee is so pleased at his performance in registering one win for the club that it is thinking of promoting him to No. 1. Titahi Amazons.

But if the Titahi Bay men suffered a severe reverse, the ladies of the club avenged the disaster by defeating the Otaki ladies by five games to one. Miss White (Titahi) was in good form as No. 1, and accounted for Mrs. Grey by 5 and 4. The winner played very steadily throughout, and was particularly effective round about the greens. Mrs. Holmes scored the only win for Otaki by defeating Miss W. Davis by 2 and 1.

, Mrs. Carr, the popular hon. secretary of the Titahi Bay Ladies’ Club, had a great tussle with Dr. Atmore. Both players were on their game, and it was a hard fight all the way. So evenly were the pair matched that finality had not been reached when they holed out at the 18th, aud a half had to go down on the cards.

Morpeth Dethroned. , Sloan Morpeth, the ex-New Zealander, who carried off the Victorian amateur championship in 1928, when in Australia with the Kirk-Windeyer team, was dethroned last week, when the honour was carried off by M. J. Ryan, who defeated Leu Nettlefold in the final by 2 up and 1 to play. Melbourne critics expected the final to be fought out by Sloan Morpeth and Ivo Whitton, but both these stalwarts were among the slain. Ryan, the winner, was a member of the Victorian team which visited New Zealand in quest of the Kirk-Windeyer Cup last season.

Auckland Lady Champion. Auckland has a new lady champion this year, Mrs. T. W. Hoskiug, who, on Thursday last, won the final of the Auckland women’s provincial championship by defeating Miss K. Horton by G up and 5 to play. Both ladies, who hail from the Titirangi club, were nervous, and did not produce their best form in the final. Both took 38 for the out journey, and Mrs. Hosking turned for home 2 up.

New Zealanders in Sydney. Mrs. Slack, a member of the Cambridge Golf Club, is at present on a visit to Sydney, and the other day, with her sister, Miss Leo Wray, of Woollahra. Sydney, won tbe ladies’ foursomes championship of New South 'Wales. Miss Wray won the ladies’ championship, and Mrs. Slack did well to reach the semi-finals. Miss Wray is holder of the Australian ladies’ golf championship title. Ivo Whitton added another championship to Hs Mt, if there is any room for another one, by winning the Northern District championship for the third time, thus retaining permanently the Hartley Shield, R. J. Parker, of Echucn, who won in 1928. was absent through illness, and N. E. Lockhart, winner in 192 G. the inaugural year, was also absent. Whitton’s score was 78, 79 cq. 157, which gave him a five stroke win from Lee Shaw, of Yarra. C. W. Stewart, from Echuca, gave W.hitton something to do. by returning another 78 in the morning, but took S 3 in the afternoon. In a four-ball match on a Sydney course the other day one pair became disqualified through committing a breach of the rules. Tliis occurred five or six holes from the end of the match, and this pair, having no further personal interest in the contest, calmly walked off the field leaving their opponents stranded. In Other words, they deprived their opponents of whatever chance they had of winning the competition. Should not players who behave in this way be admonished or asked for an explanation, by the committee? (asks a Sydney writer). It is certainly poor sportsmanship to go off and leave other players without opponents, thus depriving them of any further interest in the game.