GOLF.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 July 1924, Page 11

GOLF.

FIXTURES. September. s—New5 —New Zealand championship. at Middlemore. September 17, IS and 10—Annual Open Tournament, Belmont Links, Wanganui.

The growth of the popularity of golf is phenomenal, and all over New Zealand new com sos are springing up day by day. and the established courses are being brought up-to-date by new systems of bunkering and added length. TTawera, like many another place, is finding that the land lent by private owners for use as a golf course has heroine needed for other purposes, and the Hawera Club has decided to take the hull hy the horns, and have a links of its own. as, of course, it should. As a start the club has approved and authorised the holding of a “First Golfers’ Art Union.” of Cl5O value, bv permission of the Minister of Internal Affairs, to assist to purchase the free-

hold of a suitable property. The problem of finance is a. pressing one in all similar attempts to secure freehold links, but the work that- can be put into a permanent- course without loss to the promoters ultimately admits of the charging of an entrance fee and subscription that more than compensate for the initial anxiety; and such is the increasing popularity of the Royal and Ancient game that it is very unlikely that the Ha we r a Club will regret its initiative. For ,some strange reason it is more difficult to keep the eye focussed on the hall in short shots than in longer full shots. Perhaps the nearness of the objective in the short run-up or pitch to the green acts as a magnet to the player’s consciousness, thus dividing his attention between the ball and the objective of the shot. In short, pitches or run-ups concentration and absolute focus on the ball are required, because in these shots much greater delicacy with the club-head is called for. A very good rule to keep in mind, for all shots and for this shot particularly, is never to let the head move until the ball ha's been hit. If the head is kept- still to that point it will be apt to -stay still automatically afterwards. At least its movements afterwards will have no effect- on the ball. Many a short run-up is ! ruined because these precautions are forgotten. A great miss in the golfing circles of Eltham will be caused by the departure of Mr. W. D. Ross, the tall genial secretary of the club and quondam skipper. He has been for several years the very life of the club, and they will be hard set to fill his place. His enthusiasm and energy were unbounded. The world’s record golf drive is 445 yards. Back in 1913, E. G. Bliss, playing at Herne Bay, drove the gutta pereha 445 yards, aided, however, by a. fall of 57 feet. The chances are that Bliss actually drove 225 or 250 yards, and then the rolling ball just cleared the top of the hill. Gaining new impetus, it rolled down and was carried along to the 445 yards mark by its momentum gained by the reason of the fall. Janies Braid, one of- the greatest of all golfers, made a 395 yard drive in 1913, at Walton Heath. He achieved it while driving on a hard, frost-bitten surface. The same turf conditions existed in 1911 when George Dupean made a 383-yard drive on Colchester course. Other famous distance drives were:—William H. Horne drove 381 yards at Beckenham in 1917; Edward Blackwell, 1902, at St. Andrews, 366 yards; Lieutenant Freddy Tait registered 341 on frdsty ground in 1903 at St. Andrews.

O'ne of the most important amateur tournaments of the season played under medal round conditions was decided on the Moor Park Club’s course. Play was over 36 holes. The winner was Mr. C. Aylmer, who, after returning a ' T 80 hr the morning, went round in the afternoon in the remarkable score of 69, thus establishing a new record tor the course. This wonderful score was not assisted by any spectacular putts or shots.

Though he was beaten this year in tj t. American °P en championship, -Bobby Jones was a very close- second, xiia recoi d in the event is one of amazing consistency, ana he must surely be very nearly the best stroke player in the world It will interest those who follow golf statistics to read a comparison of tlie American championship records of Jones and Walter Hagen, who in the aggregate of the last five championships, easily led all the other play- ? rS ; c Their aggregates for each of the last five years and gross totals were as follows: t? rp t 1920 1921 1922 19231924 R. T. Jones 209 302 289 296 300 W. Hagen ... 302 298 291 311 302 Totals: Jones 1486, Hagen 1504. This gives Jones a lead, of 18 strokes over Hagen qn the 360 holes played. It makes Jones’ average for each of the 360 holes 4.12/ and Hagen’s 4.177 an astonishing record of courses of full championship length and difficulty. The writer cannot claim to have made an exhaustive search of the records, but it is doubtful it any other player can show the same championship consistency as either Jones or Hagen, as betw.°’ as t^e figures show, the advantage is \yith Jones to the extent of one-twentieth of a stroke per hole, or one stroke every twenty holes. Conditions during the last fortnight have been much more favourable than practically at any time during the season and players have taken full advantage of the fine weather. The last two week-ends have seen more players on the links than for a considerable time, liie good weather, too, is reflected on the course, which is rapidly improving and recovering from the continued wet weather. Hawera, however, is by no menus alone* in suffering from the wet. The Auckland and Wellington courses all show evidences, though those on sandy or high country, such "as Pup nice and Titirangi t A cirk Hind) and Miramar (Wellington) have not suffered so much as others. It is reported that Middlernore Club are considering moving on account of the great difficulty in keening such good country in playing order.

The professional Ritchie is putting in two weeks at Hawera, and his time is more than fully occupied. The value of the coaching is certain to be reflected in the general improvement if members will practice after they have had instruction and their faults indicated. Ritchie is highly considered as a coach, and is also a solid player. It'is to be hoped that an effort will be made to get him hack if his time now cannot he extended, for still a number of players are wanting lessons. THE SWING. Writing of the full swing anil the place in it of the left leg, Harry Vardon says that both heels should be on the ground at the moment of impact. The fault of having the left heel off' the ground accounts for a common fault which causes not only crooked driving, but, also prevents that driving from having any real power or length in it. The fault in question consists of hitting the ball before the left heel has returned to the ground—that is, while the left leg is poised more or less delicately on the ball of the foot, instead of being planted securely on solid earth. The player who delivers a blow while his left leg is in any degree slack cannot- expect either, distance or accuracy.

In point oi fact, the left heel should be on the ground, with 'the left leg stiffened so as to impose itself against the blow and thus encourage the player to hit harder, very appreciably before the' impact between club and ball. In short, the left leg has to constitute a. kind of fulcrum for the leverage of the swing, and one has to have it thus ordered before the blow takes place. The romance about the two actions occurring simultaneously mav be very pretty, but it is not practical. What usually happens to those who believe in it is that they leave the straightening of the left log until a vital instant too late. GOLF LAW. An Australia]? contempnrarv savs o>at it would seem that Mr. W. A. M indever. the well-known solicitor, brother of Mr. Richard Windeyer, K.C..

and son of the late Mr. Justice Windeyer, has commenced something. He is accepted as sound in common law and in municipal politics, having had an interesting experience as alderman and mayor of Hunter’s Hill, and now is to loom largely in what to many is more important than all—golf law. "His considered judgment, as it were, on the final the competitions for the State amateur championship, in which he was leferee, will have wide attention, and likewise be filed for future reference. What a golfer may and may not do uni der the rules in assisting conditions as he finds them when he proceeds to make his next stroke is the text of a patiently argued statement. It can be suggested by one looking on, and without considering the merits of the particular case prompting Mr. Windeyer’s thoughts and conclusions, that genera! ethics demand that golf rules "should have strict enforcement. Tf moral slackness, so to speak, is permitted where so many leading citizens have their real being, the reflected effects on the whole community may be devastating. Conferences now being held at the 19th hole on various courses manifest a disquieting difference of opinion. Mr. Windeyer was referee and umpire in the Hew South Wales amateur championship final, and the points that arose were as follows (I quote from Mr. Windeyer’s own report) : “The first point arose at the first hole in the afternoon, when Sinclair, after failing to play his third out of the sand bunker, smoothed over his divot mark in the sand with his club before playing out of the bunker whereupon M'Lelland claimed the hole’ and r decided in his favour. The point is regulated by rule 25, which provides that when a ball lies in or touches a hazard the club shall not touch, the ground, nor shall be touched before the player strikes at"the ball, subject to certain exceptions therein mentioned. It has been incorrectly stated that- it has been decided that this rule does not apply to the circumstances of this case by reason* of a decision of the Rules' of Golf Committee’ No. 106, Wimbledon Town Golf Club, in which ease the player, before playing his second stroke in the bunker, smoothed with his foot the heel marks made by his stance. Tn that case the committee’s ruling was: Every golfer should smooth his heel marks m a bunker, but the proper time to do so is after the ball has been played out of the bunker, when no objection can be raised. Under the circumstances the rules committee is of omnmn that A did not incur any penalty. Tt will be at once seen that the decision in that case was not a general ruling, that no penalty wouldf bo incurred under any circumstances, and is not a decision that a plaver who smoothes the sand over with his club holding the cluji with his usual <rrip wonul incur no penalty. , i The second point arose at the ninth Pole, when Sinclair topped his drive and went- about two-thirds of the way to the cross bunker, the ball was lyiim nil sand, and before striking at the'ball f^T 1K ed m 77 Posing it down into the sand, which was swept, awav by his backward swing.'so that the ball SLI ab0 o- 7>7 hi S h when he 7 ill' + i Slll I c,air thus committed, no doubt thoughtlessly, a breach of Rule 10, and also Rule, 28. The bad practice cf pressing the elub clown when wi l i ndlnp! 7 S ° ft " roimd is unfortiirules a 110 t uncornmon breach of the

ik+i/H 6 7 ird incident occurred at the cW - 10 ] e ’ + i Avhen pulled his dme into the rough and found the ball lying an inch behind a. hear* of scythemown couch grass, one side of which was touching a bush (hazard). M‘LelIfrni +i a^ n l et ii to b ? entitled to lift and drop the ball, under rule 11 (upkeep} but as the ball was not ‘lying on or touching the obstruction. I held that C Kl 11 ot u a PP! v - M'Lellaml then asked f he might lift the grass, and I told him he might lift any part of U vhmh was not touching the bush (rule 1-). He lifted a small portion on the other side, only to find that under the glass was a heap of sand, and he had to play the shot., The only other critiW T h r° h r (1 » f 7 th * nationthat T should have penalised M'Lelland vhen he lifted some broken grass-tree leaves before making his approach putt at the 13th. on the grounds that they were not within a club’s length of his ball (rule 12), nor within 20 yards of the hole (rule 28). Tin's criticism is answered by the fact that I and apparently both the players considered that thev were within 20 yards of the hole ” These occurrences again show the necessity for knowing the rules, without wihch it is really impossible to play golf pronerly, because the rules are so essential a part of the. game. And they may also provide our golf lawvors —we have plenty of them: I do "not mean lawyers who play golf—with an opportunity for endless discussion at tea-time, or while waiting for the rain to stop.

OVERSEAS NOTES. Tlie triumph of George Dufican (now 40 years of ago) in th A bio 1000 (■leneagles Glasgow Herald tournament was strictly characteristic of this great ami 'nieturesque golfer., whose genius the game lias from time to time blazed out with a splendour that has eclipsed the greatest deeds of his eon temporaries, he thev British, American, or Australian. The dashing Aberdonian’s forte lies mainly in us amazing ability to convert forlorn hopes into the most signal victories, mid that on the greatest occasions, lake his wonderful win in the onep championship four rears ago. His present victim in the final" at- Glonmigles Abe Mitchell, was the outstanding, golfer that year, and on the first day plaved so magnificently that his final victorv looked a foregone conclusion. The North Foreland p-o----v-is six strokes ahead of the rio.cl, ol which Duncan was an inconspicuous unit no fewer than 13 strokes lelund. But the indomitable' Oeoroe stepped on to tlm links on the second morning with, the frenzy f„H npon him. and placing from start to finish with incredible elan actually finished -our strokes U p on Mitchell and two ahead of the bewildered field. Iwn years ago at St. Andrew’s in the Daily Mail contest he was in the ruck again with but IS holes to mo He then flashed out in n wonderful round I 68. and finished an easy winner by four strokes Again, tlm vc nr before t V 1 r honour his mnntrv £+ stake, for th;* o-reat Yankee Walter Htmen s position at the head of the Sed ■ sf ' i ’. , 7 d Duncan was 7 7 with the necessity of m nea tj nr , hat score to he with the invnder-and Here ,;. PS half a gale blowing! He had taken 81 j n the morning The diaw had placed him absolutely last Z f h T 7 d hnfoTtt he went not veopr ( u°l rd c ' howod the lamentable

o~“uT-' Ito, ‘ Tla " Pn (V S 'd.) . QOA rn 7 (V -* x ] an? o. jock flutr-hisou ru.s A \ 309 A, already stated George „ mhr i e 4 f ,, A band of .iHHiui pi's followed him. and t) IPV u-.i fetal mitts'at the Aral th£Thok'£if

the rest of his round, right up to the last green, was an unbroken chain of super strokes. At the long holes he banged his full iron shots right up to the pin, and was putting for one. below par. He arrived on the last tee, wanting but a par four to fulfil his mission. A great drive and iron shot, and the ball finished just in the rough on the edge of the green. He was woefully short with his run up—it was his first real mistake, but he nearly holed the putt. His great adventure had failed by two inches, but'it was a failure of absolutely unique magnificence.

VETERAN GOLFER'S ENDURANCE.

A recent paragraph, quoted from the New York Jlerald, described how one Mr. Hiram Raffip, a sexagenarian golfer, played for 13 hours without a break round and round the nine-hole course at Miami, Florida (Bogey 35). The performance was believed to be a record, but a correspondent of the Sportsman challenges it. Mr. P. Robinson writes:—“Tlie late Captain F. N. Streatfield for a. small wager backed himself to play 16 rounds of the Limpsfield Chart course in one day, and to average 5 strokes a hole. My impression is that Captain Streatfield was over 65 years of age, that the Bogey for the course was more than 35. and that Captain S. lost his wager only by reason of his score being less than half a dozen strokes more than the aggregate required. Captain S. also walked to and from his house, a distance of about four miles. He was, however, a glutton for walking, and on one occasion walked 34 miles to play cricket, and after the match got a lift of 12 miles, on his way, but walked the remaining 22 home to supper. BALLADE OF THE ROYAL GAME OF GOLF.

There are laddies will drive ye a ba' To the burn frae the farthermost tee. But ye manna, think driving is a.’. Ye may heel her, and send her ajee, Ye may land in the sand or the .sea: And ye’re dune, sir, ye’re no worth a preen, Tak’ the word that an auld man’ll gie, Tak’ aye tent to be up on the green! Th® auld folk are crouse, and. they craw That their putting is pawky and slee; In a bunker they’re nae glide ava’ But to girn, and to gar the sand flee. And a lassie can putt—ony she— Be she Maggy, or Bessie, or Jean, But eleek-shot’s the hilly for me, Tali’ aye tent to be up on the green I I hae play’d in. the. frost and the thaw I hae play’d in the rain, and the snaw, And 1 trust I may play till I dee; And I tell you the truth and nae lee, I* or I speak o’ the thing I hae seen—lorn Morris, T ken, will agree < Tak aye tent to be' up on the oreen I ENVOY. Prince, Faith you're improving a wee And Lord, man, they tell me you're keen; • beSt ’ advice that can be,! tali aye. tent to be up on the. green ! ALLEGED HUMOUR. Among the members of a. London golf club there is a well-known Harley Street specialist. Although an eventempered man, he has one pet aversion: he strongly objects, to being called “doctor” on every occasion, suitable or not. On the links one morning, a fellow-member hailed hirnacross the course with the greetum • ‘Good morning, doctor!” ‘Good morning, chartered accountant! ’’ came the sarcastic reply. Those who esteem themselves to be 1 players of more than ordinary skill frequently take a pride in being unlucky; they desire to have it believed that they are. worthy to bo the butt ot fortune.

A. well-known Scottish professional was once asked if he had ever seen a man stymied on the tee “Mon ’’ he li," cm-ZEE" ” raon stymi '' l in Tt is strange that our 1 memory read--7° minutest circumstances of the rounds we play, and yet it does not remind us Row often we. have, already related them to the same persons: 1