FAMOUS GOLFERS

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 75, 24 February 1930, Page 6

FAMOUS GOLFERS

MATCH AT AUCKLAND. COMPLAINT AGAINST CHARGES. (By Telegraph.—Special to Standard.) AUCKLAND, Feb. 24. Two of the most celebrated golfers in the world. Walter Hagan, four times winner of tlie British open championship and twice winner of the American open championship, and J. H. Kirkwood, the notable ex-Australian golf professional, whose home for about ten years has been in the United States, arrived by the Aorangi from Vancouver on Sunday. A match between them had been arranged to take place at the Titirangi links on Tuesday, but owing to the case of smallpox on the Aorangi this will have to be postponed. Relative to the match a correspondent writing to the Press, says : “I reeled with shock when I saw that the price of admission to the course for spectators of the match is fixed at 10s, plus tax. Surely the “royal and ancient” game is not going to bo exploited in this fashion. My experience at home is that golf is a religion and clubs and their members do everything in their power as a duty to ‘spread the gospel’ and enrol converts to the game. Here, it seems to me, every effort is made to make the game the most exclusive in the world and quite impossible for anyone with a moderate income to enjoy its health—and pleasure—giving powers. “A few years ago the Auckland public were responsible for providing about £4OOO for the Titirangi Golf Club for the development of the sport of golf (now unfortunately the sport of kings), since when the annual subscription has been raised and another rise threatened, and in addition the club is now spending close on £2OOO in improvements to the links and elaborate additions to its already palatial clubhouse.

“I suggest that if the Auckland clubs can spend money so freely they might, when the opportunity arises, as it so seldom does, show a true sporting and educational instinct and invite all golfers and would-be golfers and their friends to follow the match at a charge of 2s or 2s 6d. By so doing, they would be living up to that sporting instinct which is (or was) inherent in all golfers the world over.