PROFESSIONAL GOLF

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 61, 12 March 1936, Page 24

PROFESSIONAL GOLF

THE LEVY PEOPOSAL

WHY "PROS." TAKE 80'

Making and breaking records during the same meeting is a habit peculiar to Shaw, and reminiscent of Hokowhitu in 1930. The real thrills of the provincial professional championship meeting at the Hutt course were Shaw's, and, apart from the 69 compiled by J. G. Watt, there was nothing to approach him. Takihg the lowest scores by competitors during the meeting, Shaw did 67, Watt 69, C. C. Clements 73, J. A. Clements 74, W. Allbon 74, N. H. Fuller 74, and J. D. Mcintosh 75. One would expect professional golfers to play in the low 70's at their worst, but there was none of the nineteen competitors who finished, except the winner arid runner-up, who had not an 80 or worse on his cards, some of them- running into the 90's, The fact is, that few of them play competitive golf often enough. While all of them .are golf enthusiasts to-.':'a certain extent, it is not a game at all to most of them, but a means of livelihood, and there is not a living in professional competitive golf in New Zealand. Players whose form warranted the attempt have dallied with the idea, but ( have had to fall back on coaching and the sale of golf goods as their mainstay. If there were' an adequate surplus from the club professional's sale of material and coaching fees to) knock the sting out of travelling expenses probably more professionals, would seriously take their games in hand with an eye to titles afield that might enhance their professional value, but as golf is strictly a seasonal game in New Zealand, and people neither buy gear nor take lessons in the off season, most professionals decide that regular play to the detriment of their bread and butter during their busy time is best left alone. The art of club-making received a check with the steel shaft and the profusion of firms turning out matched sets. Though there are more golf clubs every' year, and the game is increase ingly popular, this does not necessarily mean more coaching or more club-making or sales by the profes- . sionals, because the average, salaried : man tries out; the game for; himself, ■ and starts off with a few clubs gath- ( ered at random, often quite, unsuited i to him. When he has found out that : he is naturally adapted to the game, • and has secured some, sort of handi- i cap, he thinks about getting the righth outfit and asks advice about the faults ; he cannot eradicate. It is something: < of an anomaly that it is. the »»good: j players who should consult the profes- j sionals, but it is nothing uncommon for i a leading golfer who has been playing j the game for years to be seized„with 1 some deadly fault during an important , tournament and to go to the "pro." to , be put right. One could name.shalf a j dozen leading golfers who have';beeri j put right back on their game in this way at such times. It would probably j be found, if- the suggestion by Colonel c J. G. Hughes, who was starter at the- ( professional provincial tournament, j that a levy of Is per member of affili- , ated,clubs, were canvassed, the ob'ec- £ tions' would come chiefly from the x very large body of "golfers" who look t on the game as exercise and recreation t only, and can always find somebody of j the same capabilities as themselves to i play it with, and* not from the ad- { vanced players, who have mostly , sought professional advice at some t time or other with benefit. c The correct procedure, of course, is j for everyone starting the game to learn ( from a professional in the early stages, , but that is just the time when t}ie youthful player (who may, of course, be 50) is shy of the few shillings required. One way out would be for nobody to be allowed on a golf course until they could play golf. This would stop a lot of the troubles at places like Berhampore, where "rabbits" hold up those who want to play serious golf. If the Is levy ever came off the best use that could be made of l it would be to have the various shots t and departments of the game demon- c strated to classes of new players who C cannot afford individual fees by pro- a fessionals who would be paid out of v the levy. This would be all- for the t good of the game, and club members g might see their way to agree., This « small payment would probably save t them long hold-ups on their courses a by members who have never really i; learnt the game. ° What would most encourage professionals to improve their own games £ which suffer chiefly from, the want of t competitive practice would be cash prizes that would attract them. New c Zealand is too small to offer the money c that can be secured in England and _ Australia, hut the present inducements o are not attractive to the rank and file t of the professionals, who find it more P profitable to coach ladies and other club members in the brief New Zea- f land golf season. Summer golf is hard 0 to popularise here. It has-been the s one summer in years when there was c Brass on the drier fairways, but with s . a few exceptions there has been no n competitive club golf.