GOLF

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 24 March 1928, Page 13

GOLF

THE HAWERA CLUB.

The Hawera Club’s 'course is in fairly good order for the opening of the season to-day and it should rapidly improve. It was* reported by Mr W. o’Callaghan at the annual, meeting that a leading Miramar golfer, who was shortly having a holiday, was coming to play a lot of golf on the local links. There is no doubt that rapid improvement all round would follow a scheme of purchase of the links. So far the club has put in a lot of work and' spent a fair amount of money on .the course and there is only two, years to run of the. present lease. "The work done improves not only the course, but also the land over which the club plays. Were the club settled, a comprehensive scheme could be carried out and improvements made rapidly.

The Ladies ’ Club’s annual meeting will be held on Monday.

NOTES.

Mr C. K. Sams, formerly of Hawera, and now of Ghristehuroh, has been given the honour of being elected a life member of the Christchurch Golf Club.

The tourney at New Plymouth at Easter promises to be one of the best in the history of the club. It is of interest to note that in the list of Taranaki championship holders appears the name of the late J. C. Burns so far back; as . 1906, Arthur Duncan winning in the following year. (Several of the names are unfamiliar, but that hardy old,veteran “Jock” Harold, after winning in 1910, reappears as successful after so long a lapse as 12 years. Gonvdlle Saunders has' also won twice, in 1909 and. 1911, while his brother, Imlay, carried on the family reputation some 13 years latter, Leo. Quin, with Duncan, furnishes the pair of New Zea. land champions to have their names on the scroll, while honour again came to Auckland when W. B. Colbeck won the final in 1912. Both Lewis and Alfred Seifert are winners and it is doubtfui whether there are many in New Zealand to-day who have done more for the game or for sport generally. “Let the clubs do their appointed work (says Francis Ouimet in an American paper). The carpenter knows how to drop his hammer head on the -nail; the blacksmith swings his heavy sledge with measured beat and slow; but the golfer may be seen hacking at a little ball in the grass as if he were attacking an elephant. The art of golf is in hitting the toll easily. An indoor golf school is certainly a great help to those golfers who want to improve their game. It also keeps the piayers ’ muscles limbered up and adapted to the golfing swing so that' when the season rolls around there is no need of a month or two of training to get in condition. ‘Those flaws in the backs wing and the follow-through, in stance and swing, can then be gradu- ' ally worked upon until they have been polished off. - t

A fine tribute was. paid to Jack Burns, of St. Andrews, on his death, a short time ago, by Andra Kirkaldy, a fellow veteran of the game. He said: “Another of the famous old school of golfers' has paslsed away, and we l laid Jack Burns, the open champion of .ISBS, to rest in the old Cathedral buryingground, where Old Tom and Young Tommy Morris and my brother Hugh lie. I knew Jack Burns for 61 years. \\ r c were, caddies together for many years at <St. Andrews. . - , He was one of the leading players of the St. Andrews' Club, which was then made up principally. of local tradesmen. Jack’s favourite shot was the full shot up to the hole with the brassie. I have yet to see the man who could beat him at. that kind of shot.”

One carelessly played stroke may place a golfer in such a hopeless position that he is forced to surrender the hale to his opponent, says Divot in the “Otago Daily Times.” When looking ba'pk on a. round there are few players who have not regrets that he or she did not take more time or did not give, a certain shot more thought before playing. One of the things which re- ! fards the progress of many young players arises out of the playing Of, friendly four-ball games. Your partner plays twe good strokes and lies in a position to win the hole. Instead of attempting to beat his next shot you play ,an indifferent stroke and unknowingly sow the seed of a weed which bears fruit only too readily. Before it is too late make up your mind that you. will never allow yourself to become careless over a shot. The road to success — to the ultimate winning of championships—will open up before you if you carry this resoliition into effect. This time last year Mr Roger Wethered was prominent in the Oxford and Cambridge Golfing Society’s annual tournament for the president’s putter says a Home icritic. At the beginning of this year he has once again won tlic coveted trophy, winning several of liis matches by very large margins. This .is tihe second consecutive win by Air Wethered in this event. Sir Ernest Holdemess has Avon it on four successive occasions. Roger Wethered’s victory is taken to mean that he has begun this golfing season by playing good golf. Last year, although he began in the same promising fashion, he Was somewhat disappointing, in the major events, such as the amateur championship. lie fought well there, however, hud pulled several matches oiit of the fire. But Dr. Tweddell beat him by 4 and 3. It is hoped 1928 wdli see Wcthered play up to his best form. If that does happen the Walker Cup team, which goes to the United States in August, will be greatly strengthened. Half a dozen years ago Wcthered was the outstanding performer in the Walker Cup team, winning a magnificent niatich with Francis Ouime't by producing pa th eat ing golf.