GOLF

Grey River Argus, 31 March 1939, Page 5

GOLF

NOTES AND COMMENTS. The Duke of Kent is taking a very lively and keen interest in golf these days. He took the chair recently at the annual meeting of the “Boys’ Amateur Championship,” of which ho is President. The Duke considers this championship of the greatest value to the future of British golf, which, he stated, was proved by the fact that no fewer than five members of the recent victorious Walker Cup team had distinguished themselves in the Boys’ Championship.

There seems no end to the incomeproducing stunts of the really great professional golfer. Henry Cotton manages to keep the wolf from the door in many ways to which has now been added a stage engagement. The Coliseum, London, put him on as a star piece, but we do not know exactly what type of entertainment he provided. The last golfer who appeared on the stage was Joe Kirkwood, who did his tricks with which most of us are familiar. When he started driving golf balls off people’s foreheads several of the audience shrieked with fear, and large numbers were seen to place their hands over their eyes.

There is little wonder that the movement for reducing the power of the golf ball is gaining impetus. It is not only a matter of-a few super men burning up the courses, as they will continue to do so with a larger and lighter ball. The real trouble is that owing to the amazing distances the present ball can be driven the courses have been stretched out to over 7,000 yards. This not only means tremendous added cost of land purchase and upkeep, but counting the long distances from green to tee the player has to traverse little short of five miles per round, which in all truth is absurd.

A striking example of the fact that “youth will be served” is that the 18-year-old Irish lad, James Bruen, is listed as Britain’s No. 1 player for 1938. He stood down from the British Amateur to reserve himself for the Walker Cup match, but won both the Irish Open and Amateur, being the first player since the war to hold both titles in one year. ’He met the American, Charles Yates, in the Walker Cup matches, but was not playing at his best and was beaten 2 and 1. Yates, of course, is the holder of the British Amateur.'