The Belmont Links

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7013, 12 September 1929, Page 4

The Belmont Links

Description of the Course THE following article gives a detailed description of the New Zealand will be staged today at Warwick Farm, championships will he held next month.

Fir»t Hole.—The player steps from, the club house verandah on to the first tee, which is on the same level as the practice putting green. From here is obtained a beautiful view of most of the fiat holes of the course. A good drive takes the player out on to the rldgds. The fairway Is very wide but guarded on the right by a large banked bunker and a small "pot.” On the left is an exceptionally large bunker, while the green itself is backed by a mound and closely guarded by four bunkers of the “pot” type. The road which gives access to the links is on the right of the fairway and provides another hazard. Length, 422 yards: standard scratch score 6. BALGOWNIE'

Second Hole.—A well-placed tee shot gives the player a nice view of the green. . The ridge about 200 yards from the tee has been levelled and now makes a good position on which the tee shot may land. The green is fairly heavily guarded, there being a big bank bunker on the right , and a similar one on the left, together with two new pot bunkers on , the right and left back comers bf the green. Length. 349 yards; standard scratch score 4. DRESS CIRCLE

Third Hole,—Leaving BalgoWnie. a well-hit drive places the ball at the foot of the hill on which is situated the clubhouse, the player now leaving the flat ground which lies to the front of the course. The next stroke, a pitch shot, lands on a basin-like green about 45 feet up f the hill and set in the face of the rife It is from the shdpe of this depression that the hole takes its name. Three bunkers are placed to the left of the fairway to catch a pulled tee shot, and this will make the hole slightly dog-legged. The green has recently been extended forward and now is a beautiful shape for the particular type of hole. It has been made to the left of the old Dress Circle. Length, 280 yards; standard scratch score 4. EXODUS

Fourth Hole. —Exodus is the first hole in the “back country,” which consists of some of the .best golfing country In New Zealand' on account of the formation and the hazards that

.Nature has provided. When Mr. E. Douglas visited the course to lay out the bunkers he considered the formation of the “country” hard enough in itself without excessive bunkering. As for Exodus, the hole skies ..dead in the teeth of the prevailing wind. The tee shot, a good drive, should land on a nice strip of, narrow fairway flanked by slight undulations that sweep up to the hole on the right but fall away considerably on the left. Well placed, the drive permits the second to be played with an iron against the wind, though on, a calm day a mashie is sufficient. But the second shot must be accurately placed for the green ls guarded by an out of bounds growing plantation on the right and on the left by a drop of 30 feet not more than 35 feet from the centre of the green. Length, 357 yards; standard scratch score 4. SEA VIEW

Fifth Hole. —Climbing the ridge behind Exodus the player reaches the tee for Sea View and from here a glorious view can be obtained on a clear day, taking in a splendid stretch of ocean panorama. This is not the shortest hole on the course, but it is recognised as one of the most difficult holes of its type in the Dominion, and the leading professional and amateur players in New Zealand have expressed the opinion that it is the best short hole of its type in the Dominion. The elevated position from which the player takes his first shot makes for deception and calls for the best of judgment. The green is closely guarded by bunkers, and the danger of getting beyond it often tempts the player to land the first shot short, in which event the approach must be played up a steep bank. Length, 156 yards; standard scratch score, 3.

REDAN Sixth Hole.—Redan is another splendid golf hole. The tee shot has to carry over the ridge on to a wide fairway about 100 feet below to the top of the ridge. On a calm day the ball will drop on a good piece of country about 200 yards from the tee and in a good position for the second shot, which is preferably a No. 1 iron or a spoon. The difficulty at this green is the tendency to run into the right-hand bunker, the conformation of the ground approaching the green adding to this. It is not a very difficult 6, while on a calm day and with the assistance of the prevailing wind a 4 often results. Length 409 yards; standard scratch score 5. )

OUTLOOK Seventh Hole.—A stroll of about 90 yards from Redan brings the player

to the tee for Outlook, from which the drive takes the ball again into the teeth of the prevailing wind, but it will land on a very wide fairway. The tee shot should land in a good position for a difficult second, caused by the lay of the country surrounding the green. On itho left the tussocky formation holds terrors for the unwary, while on the right the green is guarded by two difficult bunkers. The second is usually a wooden shot on account of the prevailing wind, but carefully played, the hole should be nicely done in 4. Length 387 yards; standard scratch score, 5.

QUARRIES Eighth Hole.—This hole takes its name from the old quarries that intersect the fairway at a distance of about 160 yards from the tee. Thus the tee shot must be driven into the prevailing wind and carefully played to carry the quarries, while it must be placed on the left of the fairway, which is being extended about 15 yards in that direction, so that the player may obtain a clear viow of the green. The caroless player, whose drive lands too far to the right, will find his view of the closely-guarded green obstructed by a hillock. The second, still into the prevailing wind, is usually played with a firm iron to carry on to the green, which is backed by an out-of-bounds fence on the far left. On the far right it is guarded by a nasty "pot" bunker, which bites right into the green and' is out of view of the player making his approach shot. The low formation of the green is also very deceptive to the stranger. Length, 3G9 yards; standard scratch score, 4,

LAND’S END. Ninth Hole.—Guarded on the left by an out-of-bounds fence .all the way, the fairway for Land’s End is cut right' to the fence, and thus the tee shot must be played to the centre of the narrow fairway or tile ball gets into a very difficult position for the second shot on to the green. The fairway pinches at the 200-yard peg, which is situated at the narrowest pqrtion, a shoulder oh the ridge on the right abutting here. The green stands out well for the second shot on account of the sljght slope on the face of which it is situated, and this assists the player to hold his ball to prevent a run through. On the near left the green is protected by one large banked bunker and on the right by another large banked bunker and a large pot bunker recently extended. Length, 334 yards; standard scratch score, 4.

SLOPE Tenth Hole.—Turning on the homeward journey the player commences to obtain assistance from the prevailing wind. The tenth hole calls for the greatest accuracy in the tee shot, generally played with a No. 2 or No. 3 iron. This must be accurately placed So as to avoid the approach bunkers short of the green on both right and left, while on the right flank is a slope into the rough. On the right, level with the green, are two not bunkers, with another big bunker guarding the left. Backing the green is the deadly rough that a too vigorously-played tee

shot will reach, with dire results, while to add to the deceptive nature of the hole, the green itslf is some 25 feet higher than the tee. Altogether, it can bo a trying hole. Length, 164 yards; standard scratch score, 3. LONG TOM

Eleventh Hole.—As its name implies, this is the longest hole of the course, and at the same time it is also a difficult one. The tee shot, played over a ridge, is a blind shot on to a wide fairway and lands on a declivity just short of the 200 yd. peg, and where the player is often assisted by a run of many yards. This should place him in a good position for the second shot, which often reaches the green with the assistance of the prevailing wind. The green itself is situated on a narrow terrace out of view of the player making his second shot, which is usually played with a wood or No. 1 iron. On tile left a fairly steep bank is covered with rough, while on the right a runaway of a few feet also lands the player in the rough, There are no bunkers owing to the natural formation of the country. Length, 4G2 yards; standard scratch score, 5. TERAWHITI

Twelfth Hole.—Terawhiti is the shortest hole on the course and should not present many difficulties to the careful player, who ought to be able to notch a 3 at it. Still, driving from the tee about 60 feet above the level of the green, the player must place his tee shot accurately to enable him to get on to the green, which is heavily guarded with bunkers. On the approach side are three large pot bunkers and one small one, and on the right hand are one large and another small pot bunker. On the far left lurks a large pot bunker to trap the unwary player whose second is too strong. The bunker which used to guard the back of the hole has recently been filled in and the grass allowed to grow in its rough state. Length 139 yards; standard scratch score 3.

ALMA Thirteenth Hole.—This is “the Devil’s own hole,” according to some players trapped by its hazards. A blind drive over a ridge about 30 feet high just short of the 200-yard peg and the tee shot is set to land on a fairway split for about 40 or 50 yards by a saddle ridge with a sharp run down on the Hsht ;apd a slope to the left. The best position to place the drive is to the right of the ridge, giving the player a clear -view into the green for the second. If pulled to the left the green is blind. The rough and gorse to the left and beyond the green has been cleared and the green extended back another 30 yards with a large mound placed directly behind it. The new green will be in use during the championships. Length 407 yards; standard scratch score 5. ENCAMPMENT

Fourteenth Hole. —Here the player leaves the “tiger” country behind him. The tee shot is played off an elevated tee some 70 or 80 feet on to a wide fairway with out of bounds all tho way down tho left-hand side and a big bunker guarding the right side of the drive. The shot' to the green, which is guarded by large bunkers to the right

and left, must be accurately played. Under the new scheme a large mound has been placed at the back of the green and the old cross bunker 100 yards short of the green has been filled in. Two “wing” bunkers have been placed to catch a bad second. The hole derives its name from the encampment of volunteers held here during the South African war, the date being about 1900. Length 432 yards; standard srcatch score 5. v .

FRENCH PASS Fifteenth Hole.—French Pass is probably the hardest par three hole in New Zealand on account of its length and the fact that an out-of-bounds fence hugs the full length of the fairway on the left as far as the green, while the ridge on the right pinches within a few feet of the green, though the latter is quite flat, while it is also backed by a mound. The fairway at its widest part is only a matter of 90 feet, while half-way down, where it is pinched down to less than half that width, there is a cross bunker. About 20 yards from the centre of the green and cut into the ridge is a nasty shell shaped bunker. The prevailing wind often lessens the terrors of this hole, Length 212 yards; standard scratch score 3.

BUNKER’S HILL Sixteenth Hole.—This is another of the difficult holes on the course. The drive has to carry a 40-foot ridge about 100 yards away, right into the teeth of the prevailing wind, but the tee shot comes to rest on a good flat fairway, fairly wide and set in a basin. A pulled drive makes the second shot almost unplayable. The second must carry a crescent-shaped bunker to reach the green, which is guarded by bunkers close in on the right and left near the corners, and another well-placed on the far edge which helps the mound to show up. Length 377 yards; standard scratch score '5. CABBAGE TREE

Seventeenth Hole.—This hole gets its name from the two cabbage trees which grow to the right of the green. The tee shot carries the ridge, about 120 vards away, but it must bo placed to tlie left of the fairway to ensure an easier second as the bunker to the right bites into the green. New bunkers have been placed to the left, but fairly well away from the green, while h mound has also been built to the rear and the left of the green. The old cross bunker about 80 yards from the green has been filled in and replaced by two wing' bunkers. The green is just inside the entrance gate.—Length 392 yards; standard scratch score 4.

HOME Eighteenth Hole.—Making a fitting finish to an exacting course, the last hole lies practically, parallel with the first, only that the fairway is slightly dog-leg in shape. The t6e shot must be played to carry over a low ridge about 180 yards from the tee, while the green nestles into the .bank slightly to the right of the putting green. It is guarded by two large bunkers that cut right into the near edge of the green. This green is sloping slightly and is very easily picked up for the second shot. Length 384 yards; standard scratch score 4,