GOLF NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19469, 27 October 1926, Page 18

GOLF NOTES.

RECORD OF ARTHUR DUNCAN, TOUR OF THE AUSTRALIANS. PLAN. TO EXCHANGE VISITS. The 1926 golfing season in New Zealand has witnessed an important development in the direction of closer golf relationship between Australia and New Zealand. The visit of an Australian party to the New Zealand championships has raised the question of the possibility of such visits in the future. It is to be hoped that such an arrangement will come about. Mr. R. C. Kirk, chairman of the New Zealand Golf Council, was encouraging the other day when ho stated that it was practically certain now that a ctjfiitest similar to the Walker Cup between New Zealand and New South Wales would be inaugurated next year. To promote closer golfing friendship, it is now the Dominion's turn to send a team to Australia. Hamilton appears anxious to have the next New Zealand championships, but it is the South Island's turn, and what has Auckland done to represent itself at Dominion championships that the North should have a double banking ? says the Evening Post. Apart from a professional, there was only one Auckland district representative who had an effoct on the tournament, while Canterbury provided, numerically, as well as effectively, quite a large contingent. It may well be that there is a paucity of suitable courses in the South, but there appears to be some guarantee that a tournament there would be attended. Fred Popplewell, the Australian professional, who visited the British championships, says that it is true that British golfers get phenomenal length from the toes through the greens; in fact, everywhere and with all sticks. "Ted Ray is an old man now," said Popplewell, "yet one day when I was playing with him he got on to a 560-yard green with a wood and an iron j" Tommy Howard said that he played the same hole and hit two thundering good woods, but did not then reach the green. Of coarse they play in summer in England, as we really do in this country." Arthur Duncan's feat of winning the amateur championship of New Zealand in periods extending over 27 years is something in the nature of a world's record. The records of British championship golf show that J. Ball won the British amateur championship in periods extending over 24..years. W. Parke scored honours in the open championship of England in periods extending over 15 years, while ,J. H. Taylor, who is still going strong, annexed the open in periods extending over 19 years. In view of this, Duncan's feat is remarkable. lie is a grandfather and has been a golf enthusiast of the highest order since he Mas a boy. Of the 32 players who qualified for the amateur championship at Wellington, 13 were Wellington players, two were from Australia, six from the South Island, and 11 from places in the North Island outside of Wellington. Last year at Christchurch ten Christchurch players qualified. While there was only one stroke difference between the lowest score in the open this year and last, the thirty-second score this year was nine strokes better, regardless of the fact that Miramar is a harder course than Shirley.

ALL BLACKS' NEXT TOUR. VISfT TO SOUTH AFRICA. THE QUESTION OF RULES. The implications of the coming visit of an All Black Eugby side to South Africa are immense. In the atmosphere of universally joj r ous anticipation, it mast not be forgotten that most of the spade-work has vet to be done. This does not refer to itinerary, games and so forth, because happily the scheme of the last British tour seems to conform to New Zealand expectations. But methods of trial and selection have yet to be investigated and considered, and not the least important is the question of rules, refereeing and interpretation, writes Olympian in the Cape Times. The gravity of this problem lies not only in the tendency to postpone' such | matters until the last moment, but in the delicacy of both the domestic and the international position. In the first place steps should be taken immediately and without any delay whatsoever toward mutual adjustments. As much as possible should be done by correspondence, and arrangements should he made for a round-table conference at the port of landirrg as soon as the visitors arrive. The necessity is clear to anyone of foresight; it is not fair either 'to the New Zealand ers or to our own players to force, as it were, a change of horses in midstream. For if we are to make any concessions to the All Blacks—or they to us—in the manner of enforcement of those minor rules which mean so much in actual play, then both sides should have as long a period of grace as possible within which to adapt themselves to such revisions as are strango to them. It, therefore, behoves the authorities to arrive at some uniformity against the forthcoming tour, or at the Very least, to offer the New Zealande:rs all our doubts and the rules of practice obtaining in South Africa. In return we should win the courteous reward of enlightenment as to their variant precedents. We have had a recent lesson rn the 1924 British tour. We grumbled at their wing-forward play, all in good sp. rting spirit, when it was as natural to them as the four points for a dropped goai. For their part they could not fathom our mauls; with them a forward who is held even upright must pat- tho ball down pt once, or be penalised We must not burke the fact that a little dissatisfaction resulted, and even a little bad blood, although the flow was short-lived. Let us have none of this when tho giants of the Antipodes join battle. As a constructive thesis, let the South African Rugby Union request the South African Referees' Association to appoint a small sub-committee as soon as possible to get into tonch with the New Zealanders, and clarify all working formulae necessary for tho proper handling; of all matches. In fine, nothing should be left undone, nothing should be nndnlv delayed, which may serve to make the 1928 series as fair and frictionless as the important issues demand. There is too much at stake, in the interests not only of mutual comity, but also of the whole Rugby game, to allow of any sand in the wheels of the controlling machinery.

FOOTBALL Iff SPAffl. SUIT OF ARMOUR NEEDED. "Wo will never again play a Spanish team without a suit of armour," said members of the West Ham British football team which recently returned to London from a tour of Spain. Some of the English players were so badly injured that they were left in hospitals south of the Pyrenees, while those who reached home looked like survivora of the Marno campaign. Nearly every member of the team had either a broken nose or a black eye, and Jim Barrett, left-half of the British team, explained that they felt they had been "thrown into tho bullring by mistake." The Englishmen won four out of six contests, but the cost of suppressing thes«j dapper Spaniards was so great that no further invasions otf the sort are contemplated.