GOLF

Evening Star, Issue 21879, 16 November 1934, Page 5

GOLF

[By Sue*.]

The Otago Golf Club played the second qualifying round of the club championship on Saturday last, when the .scoring conditions were ' about four strokes more difficult than for the first qualifying round. The course is in excellent order, but the hot, dry weather has burnt up some of the greens, and approaches had to be ployed with care. It was no uncommon experience to play an easy approach to a green and see the ball run gaily through for about 20yds or 50... Dr Ross qualified an easy first with o great aggregate of 70—-73 .143, and, needless to say, this brilliant form has made him a favourite for the championship. J. A. Seouler, while his form was not quite as good as on the "preceding Saturday, nevertheless held his position of second place with an aggregate of 71—77 —145. This aggregate is usually good enough to take first place, and shows up the excellence of the leading aggregate. T. 13. Ferguson filled third place with two consistent rounds of 7-1—75 for an aggre-

gate of 149. _ Ferguson is playing very consistently just now. B. V. Wright came fourth with 74—77—461. and .1. W. M'lntosh' improved on his first round by three strokes to store 79—76 —155. J. K. Laidlaw. the Olago champion, holed, a 75 on. Saturday last, which was more approaching liis true form. J. G. Dick holed an 81, in his first round, but a fine 75 gave him an aggregate of 156 to qualify well up. G. Gibson did not find the greens to his liking and his second round score drifted to 84, but his good 75 in the ■ first round gave him a comfortable < margin. A. G. Si me was expected to improve on his first round of 79, but ! his best was 80, for a total of 159. J. . H. M'Dougall failed to bettor his first round, his aggregate of 159 being made up with 78—81. H. J. Dodgshun chopped nine strokes off his first round and an excellent 76 gave him 161.' W. G. Wight is not yet producing anything like his usual form, hut the match play will find him very difficult. The last three, to qualify were H. J. Grayson 82—80—162, C. T. Irvine 86—77—163, and K. F. Barr 86—81— 167.

Some very close matches should result in the first round, and it , will be : interesting to watch the progress of : the favourites. A northerly wind and hard, fast conditions tightened the _ play at St. Clair last Saturday, when in a bogey handicap W. D. M'Kenale (7) and F. H. EJsom (8) each tied ift the senior division with the good score of 1 up. In the junior, J. W. Bain, who has been very consistent of late, won with 2 . up, the runner-up being J. Redmond with a score of all square. ■The following extracts from the minutes of the last monthly meeting of the New Zealand Golf Association will be of interest; • With reference to the venue of the 1935 New Zealand championship, local golfers will regret that Otago is not holding the meeting, cspecially as the council recommended , the Otago links at the recent meeting held at Wanganui. Visit of the R. and A. Team.—The secretary presented an itinerary which he had drafted, and this was approved of by the council. subject to it being acceptable to the members of the team. The itinerary provides for their going straight down to Mount Cook for a couple of days upon arrival in New Zealand, thence to Dun- , edin, whore the first match will he played on Saturday, December 15, and thence to Timaru, Christchurch, and , Wellington,' and arriving at Rotorua ■on December 24, playing a match, there on Boxing Day, then travelling to New Plymouth via Waitomo Caves,

The team will play at New Plymouth, Wanganui, and Manawatu, and leave

Palmerston North tor Auckland on January 3, playing a match against an all-New Zealand team at Auckland on .'Saturday, the sth. and Monday, the 7th, January; singles on the Saturday, and foursomes on the Moriday. It is, of course, to be understood that the whole programme is subject to the dates fitting in with the date of departure of the Englishmen, as to •which \ve have not yet been definitely advised. Visit of American Professional Team.—Correspondence was read from Mr E. Brown, captain of the Auckland Golf Club, reporting his interview with the Americans upon their arrival - at Auckland en route to Melbourne on November 2, and a letter was also received from Paul Runyan, who is manager of the team, expressing the team’s high appreciation of the treatment, they received in Auckland and indicating that he will be able to reply by November 15 as to whether they will be able to make a tour 'of New Zealand upon their return from Melbourne. 1935 Championship.—lt was unanimously - resolved that the championship meeting for 1935; be held on the Shirley golf links, Christchurch. . Various rulings were asked for by clubs and dealt with, the decisions to he minuted to clubs in due course. Forthcoming tournaments advised to the association are as under Victorian Golf Association, Melbourne (Melbourne Centenary, 1934). Open, amateur, and professional golf championship to he held on the course of the Metropolitan Golf Club, Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia, from November 15 to November 24. North Shore Golf Club (Takapuna), annual amateur summer tournament, December 27, 28, and 29. Described as one of the world’s most unorthodox players is Leo Diegel, the American professional, who has been selected as one of the team of six fo visit Australia. Diegel’s putting method is considered unique. If seen in action in. the dominion his crouch-

ing, no ,wrist method on the green will doubtless attract much attention and perhaps a few disciples. Diegel’s method, is to keep the hands at right angles to the forearms, and to move arins, wrists, and hands, all as one unit, in a pendulum motion. This action causes the head of the club to travel back and forward on a straight lino _ behind the ball, and prevents turning of the club, face, as occurs in the normal putting method of stroking the ball with the wrist action, insufficient nerve. control is the -cause of many failures among golfers of _ undoubted ability to reach the heights in major events, according to J. Kirkwood. ■ He ascribed his relative non-success in big golf to putting lapses and a surfeit of exhibition matches.