GOLF

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 205, 13 August 1932, Page 2

GOLF

FROM TEE TO GREEN CLUB DOINGS AND TOURNEY RESULTS. (By “Putter.”) Hastings Golf Club —August 18, 19, 20. Hastings Golf Club, Women’s August Takapau Golf Club—August 26, 27. Waipukurau Golf Club, September 1, 2, 3. Napier Golf Club—September 6,7, 8, 9. Napier Golf Club, Women’s—September 20, 21, 22. Tho Hastings Club’s annual tournament takes place on the club’s links, near Longlands, on August 18, 19 and 20. The course is in exceptionally good order, the greens being particularly good. This tournament is acclaimed as the most popular in Hawke’s Bay, and usually attracts large entries from near and far. The committee have arrangements well in hand, and have set themselves out to make this tournament a brighter and more successful one than ever. The “big guns’’ Will fire off at. 9 a.ttt. on Thursday, and will have plenty of Opportunities of opening up their shoulders. Entries close with the secretary, Mr. E. A. Murloy, Box 41, Hastings, on Tuesday, August 16. • * • Intcr-Club Match. The results of the inter-club games between Hastings and Napier were very interesting, and the results of the day’s play showed that there is no very great difference in strength of the teams. On the aggregate of the A and B teams, Napier ran out victors by two games, which was chiefly duo to the reverse suffered by tho B team at Waiohiki. Local conditions play a big part in the games, and when players of equal standing meet bn the home course tho local player will invariably win. This has been demonstrated on occasions too numerous to mention. The A teams each registered a win on its home links, but the Hastings B team is the, weak link, and fell down badly in both home and away games. Glut) Championship Finalists. H. E. Troutbeck and C. S. Geddis will contest the final of the Napier Club championship. Troutbeck defeated R. T. Harrison, and Geddis defeated E. C. Smith in the semi-finals. The .game will be most interesting and closely contested, but Troutbeck should just about win.

Wintry conditions were hot conducive to good shooting during last week-end, (and under tho circumstances tho cards returned wore not of tho best. J. H. Taylor maintains that wind is the greatest handicapper in golf, and probably most players are of the same opinion. » ♦ • Notes on Etiquette and Rules. Golf is becoming one of the most popular games played, and the time is not far distant when the people of this country will find it hard to procure enough golf courses to cater for those desirous of trying their skill at tho game. Some of the courses are already becoming overcrowded, and will ere long present a problem to committeemen. The vast majority of members are chiefly week-end players, and under the circumstances it is only to be expected that quite a lot Of congestion must take place. Nevertheless this can be overcome to a large extent in several ways. In many instances players troop along between their shot at funeral pace. Others have developed minor bad habits, which all tend to slow up the game, and in most cases are quite unnecessary, and certainly are not warranted. In short the slow golfer is becoming a bugbear of the links and most aggravating to his clubmates. The slow player is imbued with the idea that he cannot play golf in a hurry. Admittedly one may not bo able to play a shot in a hurry, nor is it expected of him to so do, but a tremendous amount Of time can be saved by eliminating useless practice swings and by “stepping on the gas” between strokes. One sees many bright examples of how to shoot high-class golf and get over the country. A. J. Shaw is a shining example in this respect, and the big follow is an object lesson on how to step up and crack the ball without any undue ceremony, and then step over the country. Tho vast majority of players are fairly fast, but there are a lot who need to speed up a bit.

The etiquette of the game is simple enough, and beginners should first of all learn the etiquette before attempting to play on any course. One of the most important things to remember is to protect your Own course, and if your partner should fail to replace the turf it is only reasonable to give him a reminder. Another point to bear in mind is holding your place on the course. If you fail to hold your position on the course, then it is only reasonable to suppose that you should let those following on go through. Simple Rules. The rules of golf are certainly complicated and most confusing to a large number of players; nevertheless, there are many simple rules that players should make themselves conversant With. If one enters into any other branch of sport he must learn the rules of the game he participates in, otherwise he is penalised for the breach, but it is different in golf; there is no umpire—only in tho more important events. Therefore many penalties are

overlooked. Why should it be sot Chiefly through ignorance of the rule*) but on some occasions ignorance of a rule is used as the thin end of the wedge.