AROUND THE LINKS

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 30 September 1933, Page 8

AROUND THE LINKS

SEASON NEARING END ALL CHAMPIONSHIPS CONCLUDED COMMENT ON HAWERA GAMES All golf clubs in! South Taranaki have concluded their championship contests ail'd expect to close the -ordinary winter season very shortly. The season has been) exceptionally favourable all round and one feature lias been" the. extraordinary freedom from wind, especially the south-west squalls and the bitter 'southerlies which usually are so trying and unpleasant to the. members of the clfub-s, especially those which are located cl-o’se to tire coast. On many occasions! in a normal season players actually find it hard to stand' on some of the greens at Fairfield and on tees which ar.e jclolse to the cliffs.

The play in the three finals a't Fairfield las't week was, taken all round, very good. There were, of course, lapses, but march really first-class play that would do credit to' any club. The number of “birdies” with a few “eagles” was rather surprising. The senior and intermediate championships were -remarkably close right to the end, but the after an exceedingly close morning’s play, was not so good in. the afternoon.

Perhaps the brightest spot in the whole day’s play was tho form shown by the intermediate competitors. They both showed exceptionally go'od form and the “burst” by Tarrant towards the end was a great effort: Both these young players have done well during the season and should go much further in the future. The half in two at the Cliff will stand unbeaten for a long time. Some of the greens were troubled by worm cast's and -the third, especially was difficult for putting, but the Haw,era course is notorious for the number of worms that make their appearance. Apparently the mower is not cutting straight or perhaps too close’, for one sees the too-close cut on all the greens, especially on those which undulate. This would be serious if the weather became dry, but in' any case it needs rectifying.

HOLES IN ONE. Up till a fortnight ago no- one had perpetrated a hole-in-one at Manaia. Now two stand to the credit of the club. There has not been a “one” at the Mangamlngi new course, though it was missed by a fraction last week. There were a few on the old' course and members are anxious to celebrate on the new course. If a player would choose the day on which to do a “one” he would naturally select a qu'iet day on which there are few on the links. “J.A.C.,” writing “to a golf ball” says that his fortune was to find that “.the links were crammed full well, you knowi, that day a ' one’ you made one do, which set me back a whole week’s screw, leaving me broke wolf i)m sheep’s -cloak.” N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE Titirangi promises to provide almost the ideal test for the big championships in the first week of October, as already greens and fairways are in splendid order, says a northern critic. The greens may not all contain the best grasses, but almost without exception a putt truly hit- will find the cup. Particular attention also has been given to the tees, which promise well. Indeed, some of these recently constructed will invest several of the holes with a- now interest, a most judicious choice of sites having been made. “Temptation” is quite fai enough back even for a. favourable wind, though for a championship- possibly not too far. Care will require to be exercised on particular days as to tlie placing of thei discs. A broad view of it all is that the course will offer the best test to date for any championship. Two out of the three short holes promise to be a- thorn in the side of competitors, but their difficulty is in a minor degree offset by the comparatively easy three which the short . fourteenth offers. One fears, however, that by that stage a three will prove a- distinct adornment to many a card.

NEWS AND NOTES. Ron. Douglas, formerly of Hawera, of the Bank of New South Wales, who was a keen player while in this town, has done well since lie went to Invercargill. He was captain of the Invercargill Club for two years and in the B grade “Ringer” competition he was beaten by a stroke by a player who did a gross 76, an eclectic for the season, 41 out and 35 home. Douglas returned a like card, but had one stroke less in handicap. There is a golf course at Woking, near London, named “the New Zealand Course” and it is sometimes patronised by the Prince of Wales. A curious incident is reported from an English course, where two players played perfect shots, at a short hole, both unconsciously having changed the ball to a new one of the same make as his opponent’s. One ball was found in the hole and it could not be proved which had “holed in one.” A wag suggests that the penalty should be doubled and both made to pay. A divot has been defined as the plus man’s privilege and tho duffer’s disgrace. Confidence on the green is the most valuable -of all. Lack of it has been known to keep twelve-inch putts out of the hole. A swimmer defending his chosen -sport against the golfer, had the last word with, “All I can say is that in swimming you can take as many strokes as vou like and you don’t have your friends -starting to doubt your word about it.”