GOLF.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 9 May 1921, Page 8

GOLF.

Says the Auckland Star in last Saturday's golf notes: "Many breaches of \ etiquette are ; occurring on some of pur j local links, particularly in regard to ; the bad habit of driving .from the teebefore the last players are out of range. J I recently observed a bad example of | this. Two players had, just left the J tee, after getting their drives well \ away, and they had not gone' more than 50 yards when the following pair came on to the.tee. Without the customary warning of "Bore!" one of them drove,' and the ball travelled perilously close to the previous players, before they had reached their balls. This, of course, does not: occur if players are conversant with the rules, and is doubtless due to carelessness rather, than discourtesy. With so many new players on the links \t is advisable that they acquaint themselves of the rules before venturing on the course. 1' New players on all links.; should make themselves conversant with' the rules and observe them most strictly always. A supply of the books of rules will, it is hoped, be available here shortly. / Considerable- discussion has taken place in England, says a Home paper, over the altering of the rule "Lost I ball, lost hole." The new rule, which came into force on May 1, provides the same penalty for lost ball that applies to a ball played out of bounds—the player tees another ball and loses srtoke and distance. English opinion .is almost unanimous in abusing • the new rule (which, by the way, appears to have been originated by the Americans), and it is pointed out that the congestion arising on crowded links will be chaotic, if. for instance, a player drives a ball 200 yards, loses it, and returns to othe tee to play his third. He would probably be beaten to death with niblicks. Certainly the sensible golfer will swallow his annoyance and surrender the hole; but there is a class of golfer (usually long handicap men) obsessed with ' the card arid, pencil mania, who will certainly take advantage of the new rule. I can well imagine the indignantion on any of our local links on a busy Saturday afterI noon, when the "card and pencil fiend" returns to the tee to play his third, play out the hole. In excuse, the Golf Rules Committee maintains that the rule will be little used, which is really ! a futile argument. If that is the case, why the rule? An excellent story re the "lost ball lost hole" comes from the Highlands. Two keen old golfers were fighting out a match for "five shillings." At the seventeenth .they were all square. At the next hole- Sandy, drove* into the rough, and he and Mac spent ajruitle.ss ten minutes looking for the ball. The idea of losing the.five shillings wag too much for Sandy's honesty, and when Mac's back was turned he dropped another ball. "I've found me ba'," he cried. "Ye're a leer," responded Mac, "I've had it in ma pooch th© last five meenits." .