GOLF

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 149, 27 June 1925, Page 19

GOLF

6Y "CHJP*SHOT"! " ' ' INADEQUATE CABLES

HUTT CLUB'S PROGRESSIVE

PLANS

A. DUNCAN'S FINE BOUND,

■;--. ■-. :'■-. co^jjjs events, ';: :"..■ June 25^.Wellington v. Miramar; A at Mir«= inir, P 4t. geretaungsi, ' ■ Jilly i^pp^oy.at JJTOmailJuly 4-rrHutt te^m at Fe^thevsitpn. :. July 22-rAu'strasian Open, at Kensington. August 3WAnieripan Amateur, at Oakmont. September 25 to- October SWN.Z. •Championships at Shirley. -■■ '-.."'. : "• •■; October .15-22— 5,%, ladies- Championships, at ' Sliraniar. ' '.-'"• .",-'•■ "".

As "Ghip-shot" I perform my prelimi- ' nary literary waggla at the tee on these inky fairways, travelled together 50 profitably in the past by "Baffy" and his readers. Having undertaken' the most difficult job connected with golf, that of writing about it, I may be allowed to, imagine I have driven well, played a fair second, and now-grip my metaphorical niashio with tjie confidence advised by the best coaches,.and play for the pin, 1 hoping that Boilie of my "chip-shots" will j &tuy within putting distance, though I ! may not get tnem all down. It gives me some comfort to reflect that "Baffy" brought his cJub handicap down to six' from double figures while filling this col- ' mnn, due no doubt to much thought a-nd 1 many interesting conversations with dis- \ espies of the Eoyaj and Ancient Gairje. j May "some of his friends stick to his euc- | cessor. I yrish all golfers crisp, dry week-ends, and may all tfeeir putts go down like Kjikwood's.

It is somewhat: of an irony ; that jJYJJ.' Kirkwood,; the trick ghofc artist of-the world,: qualified ,in the Englijh Open Championship, only by/mar vpjjqua putting. One putt on seven •gree.ns should have given him. «■ place/well up.in the qualifying list, ■ but' he. evidently lacked confidence in.his approaches on the fast, dry courses at Troon and Portland,.and' ■lusseconds wgre not; all: that he would have .wished. .The cables conveying the ; championship newsare as usual very dis-.-_,appointing. New. Zealand'readers .-. are liot so anxious to know which of the Engr, lish idols did ■ not. play good golf, • as' to hear what, sort of. golf was played by : -.those, who did. .The golf .cannot'have been too bad either, when "about a „'.- score of the players, the majority V -of. whom are,little known, beat 74." Quite an illuminating sentence'that/,-It does not even tell the best score made.'.;■ No doubt some of 'the; "little-known" golfers' could be identified if the names were '■ cabled.- 1 . •.■■--'.'•-.-■:. .;--:>.•■.•.■>.'.;_ ■ "->--_;:■ ■ '..>. „ Coniamplated Hutt Improvement/ /v;;: . > I'll o Hutt Club is to' be congratulated upon its endeavour:, to; .tackle,-the. im-j pi-pvement '■ of its -- course systematically. I J atchwork will never make a golf course, I i : and- the conflicting ideas of ■succeeding committee:; have often' produced ■.courses at wary.with themselves.. Finance : will be quite a problem, even for a progperous :. club like the : Hutt,but.the fagt that the : sjiiemo, if carried, into^effect,. will. notbe conipleted.for two:years at least should; -. c-ast; the financial.aspect..'..lf the,;prppo-.. sais to; be;put .before:;:a,speci3l.fineeting uf .the club on Wednesday are "carried, tliro3. of ;tho shorter, of the existing-holes will bo done away with;.and. :^ome 500 or 600 yards will bemadded to'-the^ links, Vvhicli,- it is hoped; will' do'away. with tlic congestion due to the present succession -of short holes. . -Under-the'.new schema, natural hazards-will.be more ; fully utilised, four of tKe new holes cross- , ing the creek.. -This .wiU add'"to ' the sporting ■ character of the Hutt course.^ Length, in these days of.hnproveraent by, .hundreds :of golfers, .is if a course is to prove interesting,- but mere length will not make a sporting hole, and if the plan is gone on with, it is to be: ■ hoped that an endeavour will be!made to give every hbleMts distinctive [character. J The .golfing season, is: yearly.extending info the summer, and the more the new j course can. cater for the summer golfer.i the better. Holes that tax-players fully ■in the winter are often very'disappointing in the :summer, but it is difficult to '..so place hazards that they iviirserve if the tees are'put back when the fairways ! ,' become .fiery. The Hutt Club has plenty 1 of ground to work on, however, and as Al'lntosh lias fully reported- on the scheme, it is likely to fully: utilise all possibilities. Taking the course-in' order, no alterations arc contemplated at No. 1, quite,a good hole, with a water'i hazard, in front, of. the tee,: and interest- -i ing ground to the green.': No. 2 -will be ' ■a longer .holey played-to the "Citadel" green. No. 3 will break new ground, crossing the creek to/.tfie far north-west corner of -the island, a good two-shot hole., The fourth will parallel N0.;3 oh the return journey to.a green"below the present sth tee.: The fifth be a two-shot-hole to a; green on the west/of the /island. :The sixth will bo a- ''dog-leg" : hole, also two-sliot. , The seventh' and eighth will be -the■present sixth'and,seventh, the latter green being.mpved.v The ''ninth will be the present' eighth,' the tee "being moved back and to the right about twenty yards."- This will separate- the fairways more. The tenth will be the present ninth, a mashie shot over the, : pond, and the eleventh will be the present tenth, but the swamp is to be filled in to the left of the latter, : to give more playable fairway. ; Save change of number, there is little alteration in the next few holes. The seventeenth will have an altered tee, but-the eighteenth remains the same. The scheme represents a > change of policy. Lnstead -of. piecemeal improvements, the money.is to be" borrowed, and the 'work 'done as a whole. .""■■. .'*

The Wellington-Hutt /Match

Hutt's defeat by Wellington was by n very slight margin on Saturday,'ll games to 10, with three games squared, the Hutt Bteam holding up its end well on the strange links. The conditions there were certainly in favour oE the players, as out of respect to the fairways all high balls that dug in were allowed to be teed up again. It was not to be expected that seconds should be played with the niblick. The. greens, however,'-were-in fine condition, and the niatch was thoroughly enjoyable. The Hutt B team,'indeed, ■ very nearly succeeded ■in making , a draw of the interclub match, as one of its number was three up and four to go, but failed to win his game. In the A teams contest A. D. S. Duncan's 71 wac--a performance that showed him still to bo playing the wonderfully - consistent, faultless golf he lias 'displayed inibrokenly.,for some time. Sinking several Jong 1 putts, and one of twenty feet, he narrowly missed a thirty-foot putt. His chip shots on to the green were played in his usual deadly fashion, and his long game was perfect. His opponent, J. L. Black, was somewhat indisposed, and off nearly all his clubs at some stags in the game, but he showed his fighting spirit ,by halving six holes - running. Black 13 not getting in the steady practice just at present that makes the best golf possible. A Hutt player who showed he has come right back to the good game he played formerly is Eaca ,m,ggi

v :' v r ■'"';"".■ ■■.;■'■ a; ,■: '■-■.'■' as proved b^r his win qn,e up oij D. 0. Whyte,runner-up ■■ for the Wellington' Championship, and a first*rate golfer. Qu««r Australian Lie, ' .4 rusty nail on a notice board does iiot make thei best of lies, according to Mr. H- Oulliton, in a Melbourne, jour- . nal. He, writes':^-''An extraordinary thing happened at Jtiverdale last week. A. M_acneil, y?, J. S.mith, Rev, Mr. Prentice, and A. ' Fussell,. as is their wont qn Thursdays, were playing an oldfashjoned foursome, the sides being Macneil an 4 Prentice /ggainst Smith and FusseU. J&.U went' weil as farastjie shprtl6th Sple. ■; . There' Smith hit a low flying ball, a, bit pushed out, which went straight for a notice board on the. far side gf the. creejt, and apparently stuck there. Qn closer examination it wivs fou^i4 t]iat the ball was unpaled upon a protruding nail. Wliat was to be done? "Hit.it off," suggested.Macnejl. Fussell accordingly had a smack at the ball, but it refused to budge. : Smith "then : had a try, blit it. still stuck fast after Ins stroke. And for. a long time subsequently it stoutly resisted/, .being pulled off, so firmly was it fixed. „However,' Fussell was finally able to' play his side's fifth.; stroke .off the tea.under.rule; 22. A somewhat -. similar: incident '.happened( years.ago at Surrey Hills during the. progress of a pennant game in which I was engaged. ;It was Surrey Hil]s v. Victorjai my oppqneijt being R. RoVson, su,rely the biggest man. in golfdo'm^-he. ' was. 6ft V 6|q, a,nd etoqfc In proportion. Driving across the "coffin 1' (16th hole) any shotyow fliei>—hit the barbed wire fence a top of the far bank, and stuck pn a, barb,, but not very tightly. :So a. i stroke "from my njashk' "dislodged /the". ball, and. it; fan nearly on to the green about thirty:;yards . !»way, and Riu'eU to. Kobeon's .idjßgust ; | Ka.lY.ed. 'tjie' , hole \yith .him. , V .'-.' .■■;. ■'••-. '•■.'■ General. --;.v.-;. :v ■: ■''■". '.}'■■-, : -:->■-■"'■; :'■■ >■'■-.■- ---■".-■■ Ladies';; "phjs,fours". are pn ;the increase, even/ if tjiey have not' yet: made, their appearance : on' all -liiiks, and are still on th_e ■ stocks. in the tailor's' ■ shops, - or.-a-re being kept till'custom has made thepj less ■ 'noticeable. Nothing 'more' sensible: in ladies' golf': ever happened^ Th^e ''plus-four" lady may shed':her; skirt' 'anywhere, as a man does his over-' coat; and stand 1 forth IreUdy for any weather,- wet or windy, free from the "fggingVweightof -wet wool, inseparable from the skirt. :. Lest any lady .wishful toobe:.in;:tlie..fashJPfl, yet doubtful of wearing ;.■ them because her; handicap is too-10ng,.; is putting off emancipation till she is rated.B-6,vlet,the.sensible'words of.-: a professional remove her scruples. He', points ■'out that, proper' knee' .and hip. action is indispensable ;iri- correct pivotnig, but that -it" is .-■.■' difficult to correct errprs pee. : r In "plus.Tfp«rs'' :i th,e,lady;.goifei- gives;away all;-pivoting faults tothe'coach.whd has a'mucli 'easier-' task. ;- : s.■;■■-. Thus the new garb' should be looked on as a certain aid to getting the handicap .down,; quite apart - from the' ±reedom : :it gives. v . Most'women-need all the: speed can ...get into ttteir club head, but how many -does onV see pivoting as'ahey should? ; -Waiwetu has adopted the fashion. - "Worn by one : of the lady ■jnembers,"-: writes - a correspondent, "they.oaused"great: inter-' , esfc on our::]inks, ;ana- one: must admit they look ; , very-/trim; and most suitable: ; tor golf, especially., jn'/weather like^ we* .nave been ■haying."-.. ";.'" ;.,::.:..:; ; - ■'..-;Miss i Acheson isvone :of.the: prettiest stylists,-and; her 85: in "the qualifying round ;of; the Nelson provincial lS championship shows, thai; she was-well-in form,on her/home links.- 'An'easy : m over; Mrs. Green;'and victory over Miss Gray, left her as' these notes,,went. .to.;, press f .with ,-,* very '..likeli:hood;.of jwirining. the'titlei'unless': Airs;' iiarkness, ,who beat' Mrs. -Hunt' 11 up proyes:;to, have,toore;staying- power In;. thevfirial.v.r- ; -v.V -:;' : -..-. > '.:.-.:'■ "/fr'i:.- v ■:::.

Miramar, had dried., up nicely 7 last week,- but it: was too wet. for the Mills Oup on Wednesday,- both overhead and on the fairways..; Whether the "'new drains have .affected:the course adverse-' Jy: or- not, .it/is. certain that the water doesnpt get away/as it used to on Mira"-■ mar, which was seldom too wet: to play. Titirangi seems to have solved its own little drainage problem .'satisfactorily' bays the ..Auckland "Star" :—"AVith regard to Titirangi course, a very definite improvement is noticeable this -season. , The sodden condition of fairways: and: greens .that previously . obtained bids fair to be' an' ugly dream of/ days gone by, tlie mole draining having eftected wonders. :' Whatever^ 'comment may. be' levelled in days to come in resp;ect of past policy, the paramount fact' will remain 'that, the adveufbf the mole plough has been of inestimable benefit ■to >the -course. ;■'•; If my memory is correct, Mr. H.;W. Cooke pioneered the movement, and it: was but fitting that the new committee Should express to him its appreciation of the valuable and untiring services'he rendered..: >jt is ireported that about forty yards width is being treated in each fairway,: and this ,should have the effecf.of ; furnishin- li 0 ?: second to none in local spheres "':■■ ! Nerves may be /-pardoned a golfer upon occasion. .■ ' The president ol the 1 TJ e3ifH Golf Council, .who holed out .the_third ? hole-in-one of hid : career fn,- n°) " ]!S cck ' may b^ Pardoned .fo; Playing fitfully for a hole br two twt ■Qfv, fM m,S hls tee sliofc at the short 9th last. Saturday. The ball a high pitch, rolled af^ f e et after landnig on the green, struck the pin, and rebounded some eight-inches. Had the pin been out it Vwo'uld certainly have gone down. The propinquity^ the cubhouse served to point r narrow ooUdpe. - *'■ ■■■ ' ■'■ -■:■■ . ; ■ ■ .". ■ =

What.is r e ferred i to^by. an-Auckland wutei as a marathon occurred in the wh^rs^ 6 phy at M^dlemore! when C. N. Jacobsen and B. G. Hart went to the:sixty-first hole. "It is not altogether to find instances where relatively short handicap players hav^ engaged in a struggle of this nature,, he. says, "but in the case of opponents with long handicaps the happening IS in some degree unique, and to find the sixty-first hole a necessity must be a. record, at all events so far as local competitions are concerned. Seeing that the struggle ended at the short seventh in the fourth round, one is entitled to assume that, a watery grave may have been the final resting place for one, as the vision pictures an elbow of the Tamaki, 'twist tee and green " . It seems strange that where, all balls through the fairway have been allowed to be teed:up.:n the recent wet weather the _scores, even where the greens were good, did not reflect the advantage of concession While it would be a great help to the golfer indifferent with his brassie, however, it must be remembered that most golfers take a little turf with their iron shots, and very likely the teed balls proved disconcerting to them A team of 22 players from Eltham got well beaten by New Plymouth on a visit there last by 19<- games to r? games m a foursome .- match. Leo Quill, New •Zealand'- amateur champion ■ (liltham).was partnered with his brother J. Quin, against G. M. Ohong and I? E Qum, and both morning and afternoon games ended square, some excellent golf being displayed, best ball 69. There •is little tn choose between the three Quins, and G. M. Chong is a pretty stylist, -who gets all his shots much as he wants' them. Leo Quin is getting into form for Shirley, and Jbe will probably be accompanied there by several other Eltham golfers, as there is quite a. friendly argument there- that he is not tha best Eltham can produce, but that there are at least four Eltham eolfs'-s .as good. : -6 " "