GOLF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14691, 27 May 1911, Page 9

GOLF.

AUCKLAND GOLF CLUB.

SOUTAR Y. HOOD.

An exhibition match will bo played at- the Middlemore Park links this afternoon between D. (J. Soutar,-of New South Wales, and F. G. Hood, the Auckland Club's professional, and given favourable weather some exceptionally good play may be expected. Play will commence at 2.15 p.m. Soutar was in excellent, form prior to coining across, as is borne out. by his recent magnificent round of 63 on the Manly links. It will be remembered that Soutar beat Hood in the final of the professional championship of Australia four years ago, and as the local professional is in very fine form just now, and has the advantage of knowing the local conditions thoroughly, a particularly strenuous game may Ik? looked for. Soutar has been over the course, and has expressed favourable opinions of the golfing possibilities of the Middlemore. links.

An invitation is extended to the members of the ladies' club to he present during the afternoon to watch the match.

CAPTAIN'S PRIZE TOURNEY.

The captain's prize tourney of the Auckland Club will bo continued this afternoon, and those still in the competition, by making an early start, will be finished in ample time to witness the exhibition match, or if it can be so arranged between the competitors, any of the matches set, down for to-day may be played during the week, before next Saturday.

MAUNGAKIEKIE CLUB. The ladies of tho Maungakickie Golf. Club played the second round for Mrs. Ferguson's prize 011 the 23rd inst. Miss Mack low sent, in the best. card. The third round will lie played on Wednesday, 31st. inst., and players aro asked to bo ready to start, punctually at two o'clock

The draw is as follows: Mrs. Hidings plays Mrs. Stride, Miss K. Soiiter plays Miss Scott, Miss Bars tow plays Miss M. Fowlds, Miss Murray plays Miss Kirker, Mrs. Hardy plays Miss Waddington. Mrs. McLean plays Miss Binney, Miss Souter plays Miss Goodfellow, Miss Maeklow plays Miss Peacock, Miss Wynvard plays Miss Stackpool, Miss Murray plays Miss Kirker. Miss Rhodes plays Mrs. Briffault, Miss Gordon plays Miss Burgess, Mrs. Kingswell plays Miss Fowlcls, Miss Young plays Miss Steele. WATTEMATA CLUB. The members of the Waitcmata Golf Club will hold a match to-day at the Takapuna links, between teams chosen by tho captain and vice-captain. AUCKLAND LADIES' CLUB. ' The Coronation medal was played for yesterday by tho members of the Auckland Ladies' Golf Club, but owing to the wet weather only four cards were returned. Following are the scores: Miss 11. Gorrie. 105 (handicap —86; Miss W. Cotter, 107, 18 —89; Miss M. McLean, 113, 24—89; Miss M. Towle, 116. 23—93.

The draw for the third round of captain's prize, which will be played on Monday, is as follows:—Seniors v. Juniors (seniors are mentioned first): Miss W. Cotter plays Miss M. Cameron, Miss K. Gorrie plays Miss R. Greig, Mrs. 'Colbock plays Miss A. Carr, Mrs. Edmunds plays Miss E. Gumming, Miss J. Reid plays Miss M. Geddos, Miss M. McLean plays Mrs. K. Horton. Miss S. Pay ton plays Miss Marv Towle. Mrs. Bloomfield plays Miss J. Shuttleworlh, Miss .T. Richmond plays Miss V. Duthie, Miss E. Pierce plays Miss A Stevenson, Miss A. Henderson plays Miss G. Thorpe, Miss M. Towle plays Miss C. Diaper, Mrs. O'Rorke plays Miss 0. Hull.

NEW LINKS AT TE AROHA. The work of laying out the links for the recently-established To Aroha Golf Club has been completed, tho task having been undertaken by Mr. J. M. Herd, the professional golf champion of Now Zealand and coach to the One-tree Hill Golf Club (Auckland). The course consists of nine holes and the links will bo formally opened on June 3. Invitations to attend the ceremony will lx> sent to neighbouring clubs. Speaking to a reporter, Mr. Herd stated that tho fine undulating country with which he had dealt provided almost an ideal golfing course with natural bunkers. There was amnio area for an 18-hole course, which he believed was certain to be required in time. With tho necessary expenditure of money lie believed that tho To Aroha links would bo second to none in the Dominion. His only surprise was that To Aroha had not' previously founded a golf club and he prophesied that it would bo a great "draw" in the way of inducing additional visitors to como to the town.

In tho House of Commons recently, Mr. Greeny asked tho Prime Minister wliethor

— r - — ■ ■ ..ii I. ' . ... I, — lie would consider the possibility of introducing legislation with a view to mitigating the growng evil by which a wry large number of youths, at the ago of leaving school) and when they ought to be learning a useful trade, were employe! as golf caddies,' hereby learning to lead a precarious existence. Mr. Churchill, who replied to tho question, said: "This is a very useful arid. lmiKirtant point. Tho occupation of a golf, oaddio is peculiarly unsuitod for young per* sons, and peculiarly suitable for adults not; strong enough for active labour or partially' incapacitated for some cause. If golf clubs would gradually adopt the practice of making use of the Lalvuir Exchanges when engaging new caddies, my right lion, friend the 'resident, of the Hoard of Trade would probably lx> able to supply them with exactly (lie proper class of person and to mop altogether the misdirection of youth." The general question of juvenile employments is now under consideration by the Home (Jovornnient. in Now Zealand the conditions aro different because so few golfers play during the week that the caddies aro not taken away from cither their trade or their school.

THAMES CLUB. [FROM OUK OWN correspondent.]

p _. ~ , „ Thames, Friday. J lie difficulty of procuring a suitable sit* for golf links owing to the configuration of the land around the town has now Ivee.u overcome. A few enthusiasts took tho matter in hand during the latter portion of last season, and, with the permission of the Jockey Club,, a course of seven holes was laid down on a portion of the racecourse at Parawai, and practice was carried on until the end of the season. This year, however, an earlier start was made, and a number of new momlx»rs joined the club. A section of land adjoining the racecourse was leased from the natives, which enabled a. 10-hole course to be. laid down. Though the land is of a fairly flat nature ii still presents some difficult features. The greens are still rough, but improvements are being effected daily. RULES AND ETIQUMTE. The non-observance of the rules of golf, and the absence of any knowledge of the 1 etiquette of t-ho game— as important, as knowing tho rules —by many of the new' members and a largo percentage of tho older: ones, is a matter which cannot ho too forcibly.

i brought to the notice of players. During ' the last few Saturdays tho Middlemore links j have been fairly congested, and some delay j has been occasioned purely through this want of knowledge. Members will do well to remember tliat in match play it is unnecessary for the player who is two strokes behind to putt right out, whilo those following are impatiently waiting to play. Another matter is that of keeping your plaoo on the links, which should always Ik? the same distance j behind the other players, except, in the c-aso of a lost ball, when eiquette demands that you shall allow tho next couple to pass. Then comes tho always-present question, of the divot. Replace your divots" might! well bo stamped on the backs of all caddies,, bigs, balls, and clubs, and thus tho wound- 1 ing of tho ground be saved. Grass does not! grow in a night, and new members, and old as well, would help materially in the upkeep of the links by replacing all turf cut, out in' the fairway. At one cub in England it is considered tho duty of all members to call each other's at tenI tion to replacing and treading in all cut turf.' ISo it should bo at Middlemore. These re- | marks are intended to apply to players of • both sexes.

AMATEURS DEFEAT PROFESSIONALS. A golf match was playecT last, week at; ' Shirley between two well-known New Zealand amateurs, A. Duncan (Wellington) and B. B. Wood (Christchurch), and two professionals, Soutar (Now- South Wales) and Clements (Christchurch). The result was that the amateurs wop by two up on t.he last hole/ Duncan playing very steadily and well throughout. The course was an 18-hole one. A rather peculiar incident happened at tho, 15t.h hole. Duncan's ball was about 6ft from, the hole when Soutar plaved his approach and knocked Duncan's bail within 18in of the hole. _ Duncan holed out in three, ami Soutar missed. Soutar's unfamiliarity with the course handicapped him considerably. One drive of his to the Lupins was probably the. record one for the links, the ball covering about 300 yds. He, however, misjudged the distance at the approach, with the result that ha put the ball right over the green.

' A LOST BALL. During the course of the annual match between Sir Henry Seton Karr's team and tho Ranclagh Club at Ranclagh a strange incident, occurred to Mr. O. Lvttleton, who when driving to the 17tli hole pulled his shot. he ball was seen to land on the carriage drive. A prolonged search was ma- for it, several gardeners working in the vicinity joining in the hunt. The ball,, however, could not be found. The other three players holed out, and the competitors proceeded to the last tee. It was not till then that ono of the gardeners discovered the ball in tho outside breast pocket of his coat. Sir Henry Seton Karr's team won the match by 10 points to 21.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. The British amateur championship commences on May 29 on the famous links at Prestwiek, in Scotland. Scott and the Picrco brothers will be competitors, so I anticipate that the cables will have something to tell ua shortly.

A man asked the.Bishop of London at one of his missions recently if it was wrong for him to play golf on Sunday afternoon. He was a business man, a regular communicant, and seldom missed Matins and Evensong. It was very hard, the Bishop said, to say in the abstract, that a man who attended church three times, and who caused no labour in his amusement, was doing any more harm in playing golf on Sunday afternoon than in taking a walk. But two questions arose: Did the man play every day during the week? He himself found that tho men who played on Sunday also played every other day. Then there was the question of ' example. Archbishop Temple, however, cutthrough many difficulties of this sort when ho said: "Let him follow his own conscience."