GOLF

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 2 June 1928, Page 13

GOLF

COMING EVENTS. June 21—American Open Championship, Olympia Fields, Chicago. Aug. 30 —Britain v. America, Walker cup International Chicago finlf Club, Wheaton, 111. Sept. 10—American Amateur Championship, Brae Burn Country Club, West Newton, Mass.

Oct. 1,0—20 —N.Z. Open and Amateur Cha m pion sh i ps, 1 la 1 mace wan. Dunedin.

HAWERA CLUB. The inter-club matches on the men’s programme this year have been exceedingly popular. The decision of the committee to put more of them on the list and; cut out a few competitions has met with keen approval all round. Generally speaking, the conditions so far this season have been good, and the course improves steadily. The improved tees are a joy to all. Somehow a nice; square cut, well-grassed tee is a great send-off, and tends to better play. The change in the rotation of the holes continues to find favour with members. Members have settled' down to the change .as though it had .always been so.

NOTES AND NEWS. This year H B. Lusk returned for a. 10 day’s golfing visit to his old haunts in Christchurch. An old acquaintance jri that city rashly wagered that Lusk would nob return a 72- or better at Shirley during his. stay. The very next day Lusk holed out in; 72. During the week-end at Mornington Mr. B. Mcßae holed his tee shot at the. eleventh hole, an iron shot of 177 yards. This performance was almost equalled a few minutes later by M. Bird, who sliced his tee shot on to another competitor’s head, the ball finishing about two inches from the hole from the resulting bounce. This recalls a famous happening, somewhat similar, on the Hawera course. A well-known bowler who was here last year with a South Auckland team, Mr. Norrie Bell, senr., has taken up golf after a break of seven years;, and is said to be rapidly coming back to the form he then showed. Mr. Bell is a great sport, and it is reported he has backed himself to get his own handicap clown by more strokes than another leading bowler who has likewise come back to golf. Mr. Bell is the father of the Waikato player who recently turned professional. The Melbourne golf clubs, practically without exception, decide their club championships by three stroke rounds. This year Jvo Whitton won the championship, of the Royal. Melbourne Club for the sixth time. His rounds were 71, 76, 76, and his total (223) was better by two strokes than the- previous best. The rounds were played at intervals of a week, and weather conditions were not always favourable, so that Whitton’s scoring on the long and difficult Sandringham course was remarkably fine. On his recent trip through New Zealand Whitton put up some brilliant scores on the principal courses of the Dominion. His • game has been consistently brilliant, in fact, and he should play a conspicuous part in this year’s Australian championships. He has already won the Australian amateur twice and the Australian open three times.

Lord Jellicoe, who lias always been a keen golfer as well as cricketer, keeps up his play. Last month he took part in a golf contest of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines at Wentworth. He reached the final round last year, when he was beaten by the Oxford University golfer, T. Wilson Young, who was then a midshipman. New Zealand’s ex-Oovernor, who had «• handicap of 14, won his first rontid match easily, beating Captain F. Tv. 0. Gibbons (19) by 6 and 5. Doing particularly well on the putting green, lie took an early lead and beoamc dormy six. At "the thirteenth be drove into a 'ditch and' lost his ball, hut despite this misfortune he managed to halve the .hole, as his opponent played badly through the green and ended by taking three .putts. In the second round Lord .Jellicoe was no match for Major 11. F. Gillespie, R.N----(12), who, playing steadily, was seven up at the. tenth. Then the Admiral began to make a fight of it, and won live boles in succession, but this effort came too late, Halves at the sixteenth and seventeenth gave Gillespie the match bv 2 and 1.

Americans have won tlie open title of Engln nd six times in the last seven years, although, it is pointed out that two of the title-winners were British horn and learned their golf in England.

A curious thing happened in a golf match in England recently. Cambridge University was playing the Addington Glut. J. E. Abercromby, of the Addington Clul) was standing in what, appeared to lie a safe position at the fourth tee. A Cambridge player, driving lor the fifth hole, pulled his shot. The ball cut one of Abercromby’s lingers, and then vanished. Eventually it. was found in the left-hand pocket ol Abercromby’s overcoat. The execution of the shots and the hearing of the players in a golf tourney reveal their mental states —whether these are anxious or confident, cautious oi' inspired. Indeed, the accompanying circumstances provide the ups and downs of the contest, the suspense, the expectation, the drama. To the [spectator they may mean more indeed than the result itself. HOW “BOGEY” AROSE.

The following note on the origin of the term “flogoy” is of interest, ami ;is taken from the “Boilers’ Handbook.” The term was used first in 181)1, Hugh Itot'hcrain, Coventry, suggesting the Hie a ol what was termed the “ground score” of the Coventry course. The scheme propounded by Rotherani was taken up by the Great Yarmouth Club’s bon. secretary, Dr. T. Browne, who inaugurated matches "or Great Yarmouth on the lines indicated. About this particular time the popular music hall ditty, “Hush, hush, here comes the Bogey man.” was on everyone's lips, and it must have been uppermost in the mind of -Major C. Wellman one day when he exclaimed to Dr. Browne. “This ground score of yours is a regular ‘Bogey man.’ ” The introduced “Bogey” to the United Sered at Great Yarmouth. Dr. Browne introduced “Begov” to the United Services Club as “a’ quiet, modest, and retiring gentleman, uniformly .steady, hut. not over brilliant.” “Bogey” was heartily welcomed by the United Services Club, and the hon. _ secretary, Captain Vidal, impressed with the personality of the newest member, suggested- that it was but fitting that he should ho given service rank, and he was accordingly given the rank oi Colonel, which lie still retains. The Royal and Ancient Club did not recognise the term until 1910, when the Rules of Golf Committee framed special rules for Bogey competitions. Someone should- now frame an ideal name for “scratch,’’ which will probably replace bogey in the near future.