GOLF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15646, 27 June 1914, Page 6

GOLF.

' AUCKLAND CLUB.

J Tim mixed .foursomes which will, be played at Middlemore this afternoon will be competed for under bogey handicap conditions. 'The ladies will drive : off; at, tho ovenly.numbered holes from thoir own tecs. Tho number of strokes each pair is entitled to is arrived at by taking threeeighths of tho combined medal handicaps and fractions of one-half and over may be reckoned as equivalent to a stroke, but no pair shall bo entitled to more than one stroke a hole. Play , will commence as soon as possiblo after tho arrival of the 12.10 p.m. train from town. Players will arrange their own partners and foursomes, .and are requested to return their cards immediately on completion of tho round. I WATIEMATA OLTJB. The play-off for the Ferry Cup between A. W. Clouston and W. F. Warren (last year's winner) resulted in a win for Clouston with the fine score of 80 gross, less 5—75. net. Warren's score was 86—9—77. Clouston's card read as follows:—Out, 3,5,4,5,6,5,5,3,5-42; in, 4, 4, 6, 4, 3, 5, 5, 3, 4—38; total, 80. Warren's first 9 in 40, including a 6 for the ninth, cave him a good chanco, but tho second 9 cost him 46, a 6 and 7 spoiling what was otherwise a good card. A bogey match over 18. holes will be played to-day for the captain's (Dr. Atkinson's) prize. The conditions arc:— Post entries; players to choose their own partners. Members aro reminded that the bogey for the first hole is now 3, and the second 4, reducing the 18-holo bogey from 82 to 78. The junior members' match, for a trophy presented by the committee, was played over 18 * holes medal play, and resulted in a win for D. Goldwater, who returned a card of 114— 24-90. CAMBRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS. Tho draw lor the qualifying round of the Cambridge Golf Club's A and B grade 'ihuiupionships, which will, bo played today, is as follows ' A Grade: D. R. Caldwell plays E. J. Wilkinson, M. Wells plays J. Banks, R. W. Hunter plays E. J. Fraser, C. McBrido plays J. Bryce, A. H. Nicoll plays S. Dunbar, H. P. Nelson plays N. Banks, W. J. Murphy's partner to be arranged. B Grade: J. P. Asher plays W. Rush, J. B. Mackie plays B. S. Oouper, A. Willis plays F. Potts, D. Marshall plavs R. Ferguson. T. Simpson plays W. A. Thomas, J. C. Sawer's plays" E, H. Hammond, D. J. London's partner to bo arranged. * CORONATION MEDAL PLAY. Play for tho Coronation nwdal took place in the Middlemore Park links yesterday under the auspices of the Auckland Ladies' Golf Club.. The medal is presented by the Ladies' Golf Union (England). The conditions of play for this medal specify medal play for players with handicap at 24 or less.* and further'that matches should be plaved all over New Zealand on the same day. > » Last year Miss Sybil Payton, of the Auckland • Ladies' Golf ' Club, was the winner with a net score of 79. Weather conditions were very unfavourable at Middlemore yesterday, and the course was very heavy, which no doubt accounted for "tho, high scores returned. Onlvll ladies competed, and fonr returns were made. The results aro as follows:— !■ Miss S. Payton, 107-17-90; Miss N. Gorrio. 112-^20—92; Miss N. Alison, 111—15-96; Mrs. Guy Williams, 100— 1-99. ; , LADIES' MATCHES.- : The members of the, Manngakiekie Ladies'' Golf Club played ft match over 12 holes oh Wednesday. The best scores were as follows :— -"'•, •' • . ' " i A Grade: r Miss Bayly, gross score 73, handicap 16 i strokes, net ; score 57 Mies Sonter, 88—27-61. . '.>'■'' ;-B Grade: Miss T. Walker, 82—27-55; Miss B. Morris, 87—27-60.. ";\ ENGLISH .LADY ; CHAMPION. By Telecriph— Association—Copyright . ■■.■ ;,'-.. ",-, ..-. . Lokdoit, June 25. ;', In the Ladies' Golf ■' Union tournament semi-final, Miss Gladys Ravenscroft beat Miss Cecil Leitch by 3 up and 2 to play. In tho final, Miss Muriel Dodd beat Miss Ravenscroft by 7 up and .5 to,play.

NOTES AND', COMMENTS.

• The members of tho Waitemata Golf Club Intend to approach the Auckland Harbour Board and ask that body to put up,- as a -'"whole, for*, lease on the Glasgow system, thes block on which the club's links are situated, when thepresent lease expires ' early next year. The club has been playing over land owned by tho Harbour Board for the past 10 years, and it iB quite- willing, if tho board accedes to its wishes, to make arrangements with the' Takapuna Jockey Club, or any athletic body, for use of the ground at stated times. Tho land is very, suitable for golf links, and the club suggests thai its • retention for that purpose is in' the best interests of the district.

Two curious golf incidents are recorded fromJjShirley. A few days 3go a prominent member of tho Christchurch Golf Club .holed out "old nick" in ono. In itself the feat was not very wonderful, because twice before the player has done the same thing.. This coincidence, however, is put in the shade by a stroke made by Mr. 0. Hewlett, one of the keenest golfers in Christchurch. ' Mr. Hewlett was playing on tho first hole when his second shot, a full brassie, cut down a sparrow in flight, killing the bird instantaneously. Golfing history furnishes at least one similar incident. It is stated that the body of the sparrow is now in the hands of a, taxidermist.

' Harry Vardon, who has again won the open championship, was born at Grouvillo, in the Island of Jersey, in 'May, 1570, and commenced to learn something about golf at. the ago of seven, when the Royal Jersey Club laid down links on the island. He first. entered for the open championship in 1893, and first won the event in 1896, after a tie with J. H. Taylor, his most formidable rival in the recent tonma-' ment. Since 1896, Vardon has won the championship on no fewer than five occasions, vie., m 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, and 1914, While Vardon, Taylor, Braid, and perhaps Ray are about as nearly even as possible in the playing of golf, the firstnamed is generally considered to be just a shade better than'the other three. George Duncan, though a brilliant performer in open tournaments, has yet to develop tho championship temperament. A quiet case is the character of Vardon's driving swing. He never seems to force the stroke at all, and yet one is fairly astonished at tho distance that the ball is driven by these seemingly easy strokes. And when ono takes Vardon's club in hand (says Mr. Horace Hutchison), the wonder is only increased. It is shorter and lighter than the average, and wo have to seek the explanation of the length of its driving in the perfect exactness with which the player strikes every ball. The motions of tho golfing swing make up an effect of great beauty as he displays them. Of himself, Vardon wrote in 1908:—"! have never received a single lesson in golf from anybody, in my life. . . . You see, I began very young, and I can fairly say. for myself that I kept my eyes very •wide open, for I never saw a man who could plav well but I watched him closely and studied his' methods. I examined the play of everybody in this way, and whenever I saw anything that particularly took my fancy, I copied it, practised.it, and did my best to weld it, or a piece of it, into vmy own methods. . . . But the majority of golfers in these days do not begin as little boys, and they have not the same opportunities of copying and practising. Therefore,' it is absolutely necessary that, if ever they wish to play a good game, they should avail themselves of the service's of a really good and capable teacher."- ■ • •