On the Links

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 108, 3 November 1923, Page 19

On the Links

HERETAUNGA LEADS

RANA WAGG BEATS J. L. BLACK

ARTHUR HAM LEAVING NEW ZEALAND.

COMING EVENTS.

November 3—Richardson Cup (mixed foursomes), at Miramar. November-Club Championships at Heretaunga.

(By " Bat?t.")

On the form displayed during the season tha Wellingfon Club has the strongest combination of players in the first team, for, in the interclub matches so far played, they have" beaten both Miramar and Hutt. The latter first disposed of Miramar, and then, by a narrow margin, were beaten by Heretaunga, so that it wes to be expected that on Saturday last Miramar would fall to Heretaunga as they did. It was really only a matter of strokes between the two teams, but the game was favouring the Here.taunga, players. The links a fc Heretaunga, where the A teams met. were in the worst order I have yet seen them. Bad weather had apparently prevented the necessary work being done on them, and, m addition, they were very dirty from a large flock of sheep. The greens were, however, true, and the rain, which fell on the night previous, had deadened them so that the putting in all the matches was 'fairly- gooa, and in some of them brilliant. There was not a great deal that was outstanding about the matches. A few of the players did very good scores, that of Arthur Duncan being perhaps the best. He putted out for 73. J. B. M'Ewan and E. Page were also scoring very well. J. H. Drake had the usnal experience of extending his hand first' when the match between he and Arthur Duncan was over. Duncan was playing in very good form, and few of his shots went anywhere but where they were supposed to go—or as near to'it as they ever do unless the luck is running noticeably with the player. His wooden work from the tees and through the green was firstrate, and his approaching and putting were a delight to behold. Drake on the other side, was finding trouble with lus wooden clubs, and could not make up the leeway with a perfect play of his irons and putter. He appears to be the only player known who expects to get his putts down with the implement he uses, but he sticks to it with the utmost faith. Sometimes the results are all right, and sometimes they are not. It ,is. very low in the face, and always hits the ball below the middle— which is unfair to the ball. At times in the match he appeared to have the advantage at a hole, but on these occasions Duncan always produced a perfect approach, and as perfect a putt, and at the end there was nothing between them or, at any rate, if there was anything, it usually favoured Duncan, who was 3 up at the tenth, and finally won the match 4 and 3.

The second pair were Captain Comvay and Colonel Chesney, and a good fight tney had, though the scoring was not sensational. When the turn was reached the pair was all-square, and Cpnway had established a lead of 1 up when they took out their mashies for the fifteenth. Chesney sent his club-head right under the. ball, which pitched in . the iqng grass under the hill. Comvay' was on. Chesney played a brilliant recovery, but overran the pin, and remained insecurely perched up the: side of a bunker at the buck of the green. Cbnway was much too strong with his approach putt and left himself the best part of ten feet of p-etn to negotiate, but the ball rattled in, in the most approved style ; tor a win in 3 to 4. A similar putt over a rise in the green gave the match to ■Conway at. the next, where he recorded a.perfect 3—l under par. For a time 1 followed the fortunes of A. A. btiehbury and X D, Duncan. The former was not playing up to his pre v»t torm, a hurried trip to Auckland, from winch, he had just returned, having -left him in other than a golfing mood. Duncan was keeping the line to the pin much better than usual, and round the greens was playing good golf. His putting was really good, and his approaching in mos* cases left little to be desired. Kven his brother Arthur would have found that he was being allowed very little latitude round the greens. Stichbury was. 2 down b.y the time the fifth '■ was reached,'and this had increased by 1 when the ninth had been played If ever a hole looked like going to the other fellow it was when Duncan discovered his ball after his drive. It was nearly hidden in a tangle of grass- and branches, down a bank under the trees to the left of the green. Stichbury was pm-high to the right of the green. Dunj can played a beautiful shot out of tl c ; tangle, but his ball hit a branch of the . trees and stopped short of the gretn tie, however, laid it, within about 5 f*et ,of the pin, and Stichbury, short wit!, j his approach, found that he was lighting i fo.vi i in 4. A drive pulled behind .-. | tree and a couple of topped seconds dur ing the course of the next few holes were, however, not iillowed to slip by Stichbury, and by the time the thir • t-eenth had been played the game was all-square. Both were short at- the four teenth, and both played nice approaches, but Duncan holed his putt while the other ball lipped and laid dead. Then the match was quickly decided. Dun can only just managed to get on the green at the fifteenth, while Stichbury was over, and on the grass beyond the bunkers. He played a nice niblick approach to within 6 feet, and Duncan sent his approach putt scurrying 12 feet past the pan, his second putt laying it dead. It did not look as if Stichbury could miss the putt, but lie did, and into.the bargain sent it past the hole and laid ; himscif a dead stymie, from which, with ; his mbhck, he laid his ball on Duncan's, which promptly fell into the hole, leaving Stichbury's ball looking silly on the lip. Stichbury pushed his tee "shot out ol bounds at the next, and the match was over. MATTERS FOR THOUGHT. But a few months ago it was predicted m this column that it would not be long before New Zealand lost a couple of its best professionals, and this has already come true so far as one of them is concerned. Arthur Ham has decided to look for fresh fields and pastures new in America, at the moment the golfers' paradise. Ham has been in New ■ Zealand a little short of two years He arrived here about Christmas time a coupla of years ago, and has since been attached tv the Wellington Club ul Heretaunga, before which he was attached to the North Shore Golf Club Skcsncss, England. Prior to coming to xv ew Zealand he was prominent in a number of events in England, but in ftew Zealand he has never produced true form on a sufficient number of consecutive _ occasion.3 lo win the events which at times he has appeared to have practically m his pocket. His most noteworthy win in New Zealand was the professional championship at Palmerston North last year, and he, of course, added to his reputation by gathering in the runner-upship of the Australian open this year, though h e followed this by crashing when he appeared to have the New;-Zealand open in his safe keeping in Septemfcu-.. The writer's impressions

have always been that Ham is a better golfer than he lets himself be. During his stay in New Zealand ho has been prominent in golf course, architecture, and has submitted plans for courses alterations, and bunkering at New Ply! mouth, Gisborne, Masterton, Dunediu Shirley (hi conjunction with Butters)' Miramar (in conjunction with Hood) Ranui, Waikanae, and Seafield. The last mention, by the way, is to be the new course of the Springvale Club at Wanganui, which has to vacate its present nine-hole course early in the New Year, and has accepted plans for a new course of 6200 yards on championship lines, on ground about which Ham speaks well. By all those who have the interests of New Zealand golf at heart Ham's departure -will be deeply regretted, especially at this time when the call is insistent for more coaching professionals. Ham is naturally loath to speak of the reason for his. leaving, but boiled down it means the same thin" that was remarked on in this column previously, that is that the professionals, after spending their lives learning the game, are not receiving the support from members of clubs that provides them with a sufficient means of livelihood. "One of the main troubles out here is that of balls. The members buy outside, and ono of the lines on which the professional depends most is taken away from him," remarked Ham. New Zealand is waking up to the position, but the members of clubs in but few instances consider anyone but themselves. In a chat over the game in New Zealand, Ham said that New Zealand must try and alter the golfing season, both to secure more enjoyable golf and to enable the clubs to put their courses to order in the winter, when they were most easily worked. If the season Vfas regarded as a winter one the courses could not be improved, as they became too hard in the summer time. He was pleased to see keener interest displayed during the past couple of years, and to know that many of the clubs were making they courses resemble golf courses more than they did paddocks. Another matter recommended by Ham, and one in which he has the support of many golfers, was that the championship time should be put back a month, or two. He recommended the end of October, or the early -weeks in November, by which time the courses were generally much improved, and by which time the clubs responsible would have had time to get them into order' after the winter period. It is barely necessary to quote - cases in support of this recommendation, but it can be asßerted that Wanganui would have been better a few weeks later than it was at the time of the championships, while at Miramar there was' an astonishing improvement in the period from just prior to the championships to, say, the present 4ime. Surprise at the difference was even expressed by the Golf Council, which was admittedly adverse to Miramar, at the time of the championships, as the course for the meeting next year, but. found that the course had brightened up considerably a few weeks later.

RANA WAGG BEATS J. L. BLACK.

His defeat in the. senior championship final last year was wiped out over tha past week-end at the Hutt by Rana Wagg, who beat J. L. Black on the 19th green. A technical objection was raised because Wagg pulled some grasa to improve the lie of his ball, but as this .was on a portion of the course where he was allowed, by local rule, to tee up, it does not appear feasible that such an objection could be upheld. He could have made a tee there had he wished. It was a very close match, with fine scoring. Wagg is one of the nicest players to watch at tha Hutt—in fact, one of'the', prettiest players in Wellington, and this is but one of the worthy fights that will end in his favour as the years roll by. Black's successes have been so many that ho can afford to lose this one. Only an outline of the game can be given, as there was no one watching it, Black won the first in four, but per medium of a long putt Wagg took the second. Black had a putt for two at the next, and won it easily in three. Each of the players recorded threes at the two following holes, and Black put himself 2 up with a fine four at the sixth, playing a fine 1 second on to the green. Wagg, however, recorded a fine three at the next, his second, a fine iron, hitting the pin, and lying nearly dead. Both were on the green at the next, but Black took three putts, and yie match was again all square. Wagg went over the green at the ninth, and Black went to the second half 1 up. A pretty half in four followed, Wagg nearly holing out a short approach. The short, 11th was won by Wagg in bogey 3, and the nest two were halved in fives. Black played badly at the longest hole on the course, and took a six, allowing Wagg to take the hole in bogey 5. This placed Wagg one up, and he won the next in a two. Both were on the green, Wagg' short and Black too far. Wagg laid bis first putt on the lip of tfie hole. ■ It barely stayed out, but Black knocked it in with his second putt, going in himself and giving Wagg a win in two to three. Black won the next, where the dispute occurred, iff three to four, making Wagg 1 and 2. The next was halved in fives, making Wagg dormy. Both got away well from the tee to the 18th. Wagg was short with his second, and Black just short of the pin. Wagg had a putt for a four, but missed the piu, and Black squared with a four. So they went to the nineteenth. Wagg drove short of the green on the top of the bank. Black pulled badly, topped his second, and took three to reach the green. Wagg was on in 2. His approach putt was weak, but Black missed his first putt, and Wagg managed to sink an eight-footer, winning the hole and the match. VIC. MASTEB-S v. M'DQWELL. ■ Aa you read on the significances of that heading will strike you. It is seldom that a junior championship match, even the final, gathers such an audience as assembled to se"e the last few holes of one at the Hutt over the week-end. The best part of the members tramped out over a few holes to see the finish. The players were V. Masters and It. V. M'Dowell. The latter had every chance to win. hut he dropped hole after hole, and finally missed a win for which he had two putts on the last green. The game went .to the Bixth hole on the next half before Masters beat his opponent. These few holes saw some extraordinary incidents, which were thoroughly enjoyed by the increasing audience. At thf> 'nineteenth—the tenth hole on the course —Masters put his tee shot into the hazard, while M'Dowell placed his in the water a few feet further on. M'Dowel) had his fished out by an eager*army of small boys, and Masters promptly, put his second into the same place, and the spectators were about convulsed when M'Dowell again sunk his in the pond. It might be. mentioned that at this stage the spectators were mostly assembled at the clubhouse, and their outburst had little chance of upsetting the players. The hole was eventually halved in 7 bogey 4. The next two were also halved. Masters was almost on the green with his second at the next, and M'Dowell, having duffed his second and third, was 'still over 100 yards away, but his fourth rolled along the green, hit the back of the hole, and laid dead, and Masters found himself putting for a half. M'Dowell missed a foot-putt for a win at. the next, "and finally lost the game at tile twenty-fourth—as lie deserved to do.