GOLF NOTES

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 269, 10 August 1937, Page 16

GOLF NOTES

Springboks on the Links DAY AT TITAHI Jimmy White’s Optimism

(By

Niblick.)

It was a happy thought which prompted the committee of the Titahi Golf Club to invite the members of the touring South African Rugby team, members of the official party, and representatives of the New Zealand and Wellington Rugby Unions to be their guests on Sunday. No doubt the idea originated in the mind of Mr. Harold Murphy, a member of the management committee of the Wellington Rugby Union, who, with Mr. J Moffitt, looked after the interests of the South African team during their stay in Wellington. Mr. Murphy is a member of the Titahi Golf Club and a keen and able player, and he was aware that a day on the Titahi links would be just the thing the Springboks wqjild thoi--o UH eywans y wa n s right. The members of the Titahi club, both men and women, combined to treat their guests right royally, and the result was a thoroughly enjoyable day. Nature smiled upon the occasion as in the morning the landscape was flooded with sunshine and a panorama was unfolded from the higher portions of the links.

Not Bobby Lockes. The Springboks make no claim to be golfers and every one of them admitted that be was scarcely up to Bobby Locke s standard. Nevertheless, they include a number of golfers who can play to a They were like a crowd of schoolboys out for a holiday and simply bubbled over with mischievous merriment. greatest wag of the party was unquestionably the veteran manager, Mr. Bercy In the morning he went out for a hit with Mr. S. S. Dean.. The latter is not on good terms with his wooden clubs at nresent and drove off the first tee with an iron and hit a good one. This roused Mr. Day’s ire. “Fancy a golfer driving off the tee with an iron,” he contemptuously remarked, as he shaped up with a driver. His first shot was sliced into the ryshes. Nothing daunted, he addressed his ball again, and at the second attempt hit a good drive fgr and sure straight down the fairway. Turning to the large gallery the veteran madfe an exaggerated bow and nonchalantly, remarked, “It can be done, you see. Mr. Day proved himself a veritable “infant terrible.” He was out for the day and meant to enjoy every minute of it. In the afternoon the veteran innocently took up a position near the first tec, . < Not being expert golfers, the Springboks were a little diffident at driving oft in front of such a large gallery. But their manager gave them kindly encouragement. Just as a player had taken a careful back swing and was concentrating up a firm left hip and straight left arm for the down swing, Mr. Day would drop hjs felt hat over the ball and, to the amazement of the hapless player, lie would drive not a bajj but an old felt hat a few yards down the fairway. The impish South African manager did this several times, to the intense amusement of the gallery. ,' ' . , . ... The only man he could not fool m tins fashion was Phil Weber, one of the South African journalists accompanying the Springboks. As Weber addressed his ball, with one wary eye on the manager, he remarked, “Now, I wonder whether I shall hit this ball before your hat reaches it, Percy.” He paused at the top of his swing, and, sure enough, the hat came down over the ball. Weber then calmly made his stroke, and sent the manager’s hat some yards down the fairway. “I was a bit too soon that time,” Mr. Day remarked, as he went after his headgear. ■' ■ - -.

A Golfing Qptimist. , . One of the most cheery and optimistic golfers in the game surely must be Jimmy White, one of the centre-threequarters on the South African side. A member of the East London Golf Club, Jimmy plays on a 16-14 handicap and if he could give more time to the game would soon be down to a single figure. He partnered C.’ G. Swinburne against Pat Lyster, one of the Springbok wingers, and F. B. Carr. The East London man was optimistic from the first tee. “Come on, partner,” he said, ‘if we can’t beat, them we will talk them out of it.” No matter what advantage his opponents had, Jimmy remained optimistic. “It’s a pity that neither of them can putt,” he remarked a little later, and’ still further on: “It’s too bad that one of them can’t putt, and the other can’t pitch.” They had a great tussle all the way round and Pat Lyster eventually won the bottle of ale they had on the match by sinking a 15-foot putt for a win on the home green. ’ . The prize offered for the best net medal score returned by a Springbok saw Dai Williams, Jimmy White and H. H. Watt all return net 67’s, and Williams won on a count back. Dai Williams’s ebony putter created a lot of interest, and he and Jack Black had a driving contest with it off the first tee. .. The Springboks all agree that their steadiest golfer is Phillip Nel, the captain. He is a left-hander, and . when he gets on to a drive the ball travels far.

Back to Form. . It is pleasing to see that Harold Black, of the Miramar club, has regained the form that made him amateur champion of the Dominion in 1930. He was in brilliant form at Miramar on Sunday when he covered the course in 69, doing the out journey in 34 and coming back in 35. This is great scoring in winter time when there is little run on the ball. Harold Black is such a popular player that everyone would lie pleased to see his name inscribed on the New Zealand amateur championship cup a second time.

A Finished Golfer. There are few more finished players in the Dominion than IL S. Budd, of the Masterton club. He learnt his golf in Hawke’s Bay, where he must have received a sound training. He gave another proof of his ability on Sunday, when, as No. 1 for Masterton, he outplayed Guy Horne in the singlevs in the match against the Hutt club on the Hutt links by the wide margin of 5 and 4. Horne has been playing particularly well this season mid the fact that he was beaten by such a wide margin only goes to show what a good player Budd is.

A Record Round. Signs are not wanting that 'I • standard of the play of Wellington women golfers is steadily improving. Mis,-> McColl. of the Manor Park elub. broke the record for the present lay-out of the Manor Park course with 79 on Sunday. This was excellent shooting, and if the Manor Park player can reproduce such form she may be called upon t o defend the Tasman Cup against the Australian invasion next month. It is not often that 80 is broken by women players in the winter months.

A Steady Player. Frank Carr, of the Titahi club, is back to form this season and has been playing very consistently. lie proved too good for" T. 11. R. Boon on Sunday morning in the first round of the Titahi club championship. Out in 39, Carr wan 3 up nt tlie turn, and he made it 4 up by taking the short tenth in 3 to 4. Boon held his own well after this, but Carr was deadly on the greens and eventually took the match by 4 and 3. Titahi plnyerp are tipping D. A. Dncre to take the championship this year, but Jack Black will have a word to say on this subject, and with plavcrs such as N. W. Parker, Carr and I. Parkes to be reckoned with, it will be no walk-over.