WELLINGTON GOLF

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 199, 20 May 1941, Page 3

WELLINGTON GOLF

Plan To Check. The Roving Player

'The Wellington Metropolitan Golf Association, at its first annual meeting last night, decided to issue to affiliated clubs membership cards with a view’ to preventing players who do not belong to any club from going round from course to course without contributing anything but green fees toward the upkeep of the game.

There was an attendance of 12 delegates over which the chairman of the executive, Mr. Ward, M.L.C., presided. In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, the chairman said the object of issuing membership cards was to prevent a rover, who belonged to no club, from going about to tournaments, and playing on any handicap. The. matter would come before the New Zealand Golf Council again. The motion was seconded by Mr. D. A. Anderson (Karori), who said that, notwithstanding the war and the petrol restrictions, some progress had been made by the association during the -past year. Mr. Anderson referred to the valuable services Mr. Ward had given as chairman of the executive of the association during the first, year of its existence. Mr. Ward said tiiat the association had done a great deal for the good of golf in Wellington. A similar body had been formed in Christchurch, and Auckland was considering following suit. Many of the questions which had hitlierto been dealt with by the Golf Council were now referred to the association. On the motion of Mr. Anderson, seconded by Mr. M. Paulin (Hutt), it was decided to proceed with the printing and distribution of membership cards, with a view to carrying out the scheme already outlined by the association, and endorsed at the last annual meeting of the New Zealand Golf Association.

Air. 11, A. Hansen (Shandon) said that the issuing of membership cards was absolutely necessary, as durin* l ’ the past few years a number of golfers had been going around playing on links without contributing anything beyond green fees to their upkeep. Air. P. J. If, Fordham (Hutt) said that unless all the clubs adopted the suggestion tlie printing of such cards would be simply, a waste of time and money. Was a visitor from a country club or front Australia, for instance, to be debarred from having a game simply because he could not produce a membership card? Air. R. A. Whyte (Wellington) said that clubs would accept the cards if they were informed that their members would not he welcomed on other club courses unless they could produce their cards. Air. Ward said that if Wellington made a start with the issuing of membership cards other centres would be likely to follow, and it would give a lead to the'golf council, which was already agreeable to the proposal. Afr. Anderson's motion was carried. Friendly Matches.

Ihe question of arranging friendly matches between clubs while the war lusted was discussed.

Afr. Anderson said that a pernicious system of close competitions had grown up in Wellington.

Air. P. J. Burke (Shandon) said that the trouble was that the donors of cups lor certain contests had nominated the clubs which should compete. This, was the case with the Watt Cup contest. Air. T. I’. Davies suggested that it would be a good idea to arrange matches for tennis of four from affiliated clubs, which could be played on different links from time to time.

It was decided that delegates should consult their clubs on the advisability of arranging triendly games for tile present season.

On the motion of Mr. Burke, seconded by Air. Anderson, it was decided to request the golf council to submit a compulsory standardized system of handicapping to the next annual meeting of the New Zealand Golf Association.

The election of officers resulted as follows:—Executive, Messrs. R. A. Whyte (Wellington). D. A. Anderson (Karori), Al. Paulin (Hutt), 11. A. Hansen (Shandon), J. D. Nash (Rangimarie), and D. Aitken (Paremata) : hon. secretary and treasurer, Mr. T. P. Davis (re-elected).