GOLF

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4301, 9 March 1901, Page 6 (Supplement)

GOLF

BY “ALL SQUARE” Interest in golf has suddenly revived in Wellington, and the players are flocking to Miramar in large numbers. Nothing has contributed more to hasten the inevitable probably than the importation by Mr W. H. Tisdall of a large number of tho newest clubs from the oldest makers. It is not surprising tuat what on of our best players has characterised as the “best collection of clubs in the coiony” should be attracting a lot of attention from the disciples of the royal and ancient game. Indeed, so magnetic ;s the attraction of Mr TisdalTs display for a number of our golfers, just now, that it has been suggested by one of the local humourists that Sir Tisdall should make a charge! /or rental to some of them - .

'tijM- r.i (lii! ujo.sfc promisi players .::t; _\i! >':> m:-r is Xiv A. Abbott*, who is likel.y in i'lfl hirns'-li behind scratch hoforo i Jin season U cv-cr. On Saturday ?.Lr Ahhoi.. v,tul our. in. to nomc hack in -V) - -»•. iv.nliy oisalilabh; ‘-euro in a trviir.; u : ;nl.

M;o ii.'A,-. iii- will ho in bettor oift.M' this y(‘.\i tna-ii ever )n:\o ro. The

jnw. 'ri.'li has hucu completed, ami i - aoi/ iU.t ol con;■(■viiouca.ss and comlorts, j in’■ at'.imlKH's arc taking a great interest , m V(io iurn;shli;y, iuul all are oonenoutjv.g aniolo.-;, cuthnr useful or ornamonta.h •Mahlc.-i have beou erected at the roar ot 1 1 ,,; Ao-iN],ou.-at l/ocii ior horses and hie y • oh; >. and tlio new arrangements will conUiliiiio in malm tlio club-house and us ■'iirrouiiUings as up-to-date as any in Uia ooiouioj.

!'rom every peint of view "filling is a nio-,t beneficial amusement, physically and mentally so much so, in fact, that there arc links in Scotland, England and America maintained by the miiiucipalil.iris on behalf of the citizens. Undoubtedly those advantages are largely availed ol wherever Lho generosity of the hi!'/ 1) illhors lias made snei. a boon possi!i!e. An idea of tho popularity of the Jffiiuq in America, may be gathered from ihe figures jii-t published respecting th >, Boston municipal (course at Fr-arikhr. i’-irli, of which tho late Willie Campbell v.as profcivdoi. il. During the last seasiei, which connneiiccd in ALiy and tormina ied in November, there were -11,04 I. Minder-. The daily average players for I no .-■evi n months was 220. The. greatest number was during D-c '‘banner month. ’ September, when there were players, a daily atteudauce of over

i' i;' Aii',tndian Championship date tias eei yet In.-cn deeidc-d upon, as the !!(";- a.e.v (’lull wishes to secure too attendance <d .■ eve.ra! prominent players, hut a dido 111 .in'in or .July will bo fixed upon as .soon •e. file Golf Club completes ii inuuines. It is expected that among the competitors for tin- championsli'p wR. he fomul Air P. C. Andersen of Melbourne, and an cix-nmatour champion ol i'lnnhiud, Mr V/liilo (the present champion), Mr Middle of the R.M.0.C., and !>r. Said, 0 ( Eolith Australia. Nov/ Aoui h Wales will be represented by the present champion,\ Mr Macarthur. the ex-champion, .Mr I teyh Macneil, Messrs Simpson, Martin, and ethers. Air Arthur Du ucau (champion of Now Zealand) and •ht (iillics (ex-Australian champion)'have also premised to go over for tho meeting. Air Hugh Macncil is expected to rut urn from England next month, and it is hoped by the Sydney golfers that he. may he. successful in inducing some l»;;gii.,h amateur crack to visit tno championship meeting at Botany. Mr Herbert Ross, of tiui Haw trey Comedy Company, is also a likely competitor. Tie receives sc mo thing like, two handicaps at St. Andrews. Mr Ross holds tho record (33) for the .Botany links. Air C. R. Bnniddo, honorary secretary of tho Australian Golf Club, will undertake!tho honorary secretaryship of tho Golf Union. during tho championship gathering Mr M. Fry, the well-known Jiid-Sun-.-y golfer, intends taking up his recideiico pennnnfntJy in Australia. An cx-Victerinu player,, Mr. Travis, ha.. -a wonderfully good record this sea - •see, lu America, lie captured the United States Amateur Championships, and out of the- nine open tournaments in which he took part, was .successful in winning seven, and established modal records over tho hill courses. Marry Vurdon made hosts of friends in .A in erica, and it is not improbable that there may he some truth in the rumour i hat lui has an idea, of settling flown later on with the Yanks. During his Amor: can tour ho played seventy-three actual matches, in the majority of which Iso was heavily handicapped. Of this number Vardou was successful in sixty-two games, and acceding to tho “Sun'' his rm-emio From exhibitions, etc., amounted to £20,000. But of this amount, .t is said, the greater part goes to* .tlio Sporting Spalding Goods Firm who had charge of the tour. In the match with Bernard Nicholls, at Braeburn, there was a, side bet of oOOdot. each and the gate money. This match was won by NichcUs, which must have placed tho Americai iu a good financial position. Bernard Nicholls, of Boston, U.S.A., v. ho twice defeated Harry Vardan ;n America, played his first public match since his arrival in iimglaml on the links of the Tooting Bee Club on December TO. when ho met Peter Paxton, tho local professional. Nicholls started badly by driving into the bunker, and hittum a tree with Ills Trassio shot, but after losing tho first hole, he squared at the second, thanks to a very line, brassio shot. Ho took the load at the sixth, and was three up at tho turn coming home. Nieiiolls pocketed the twelfth, and after a half won the fourteenth hole and the match by five holes up and four to play'. Tho scores wore: Nicholls, out, 41: home, 40; total, 81. Paxton, 44 and 43, total, 87. Tho boisterous weather prevented low scoring, but Nicholls played a good long game. His putting was not great. Oii December 22 Nicholls met -lames Braid, of Romford, in a 36-ho;o match on tho links of the Romford Golf Club. Play commenced in a dense fog. which placed tho American, who didnot know tho course, at a. great disadvantage. Ho was bunkered at the first hole and after making several attempts to got out, he gave up. Every hole on. the outward journey except the third, whicn was halved, fell to Braid, but ho could not increase his lead on the homeward half. Ho was thus seven holes up at, (ho end of tho first round. The weather was a little clearer in the afternoon, and Nicholls played a hotter game.. He was, however, a hole to the bad going out, and stood eight down at tho turn. Braid became dormy at the tenth hole, which was halved* and-, winning the next, secured tlio match by nine holes up and kcivou to play. Tho loser played a good, long game, but was weak in his approach ami putting.

Tlio late Mr I’’. G. Tait, of tlio Black Watch, known to Ills friends ns “Freddie,was killed in South Africa. At Magersfontein Mr Tait was knocked pvsr with a bullet, in the thigh when within MOO yards of the Boor trenches. Subsequently ho expressed tho opinion that the Highland .Brigade was “simply thrown away,’' but he cleared General Wauehopo’s memory from an imputation mat .vested upon it. Whether he was to blamu or not, that lino soldier would have been the last to endeavour to shift the burden of responsibility. A couple of months later poor Tait was killed at Koocloosberg while gallantly leading on iris men to the attack. As a golfer Tait was unsurpassed, especially in match nlay. In his younger days he was an extraordinarily long driver, '‘and it is on record that,at St. Andrews, in January. 1.8915, he drove a ball 341 yards, the carrycovering 250 yards. Latterly he kept this marvellous power of hitting more under control, realising that straightness was of more 'importance than distance. When at the top of his game he seldom made a mistake, but if “grief” uul' arrive Tait was seen at his best. From lies which ordinary players regarded as hopeless ho would vet away his ball with surprising results in the way of strength and accuracy, and it was this power of recovery that rendered him such a dangerous adversary. His last important match was with Mr John Ball; on 2nd October, 1899, and, winning by'one hole, after having been, three down with five to play, Tait revenged his defeat in "cho amateur championship. Glancing at some polling events in the last rear of the nineteenth century, the “Daily Telegraph” finds. - Revers'd which chum the attention. Vardon’s prolonged tour in the United ta Bites and Taylor's shorter visit to the same country are not without significance as showing how keen-

ly tlio game is being taken up by oncousins aero;..-; the At la Hicic ai c now nine hundred golf clubs iu the Tinted Stales, practically the same, number as in England, and when it i,-, remembered tha'* half a dozen vcai’s ago American clubs could bn counted on tho fingers of one hand, lie.! astonishing nature of the progress becomes aggarent. An iniernational tour naaient between Britain and *Amcrna may bo arranged ere long, and should assist in promoting those cordial relations between the two countries which are new beginning to bo established. Tlio blue ribbon of golf—tiny Open Championship—was carrier! off lass year |>y J. H. Taylor, as all tho world knows , but his play'at St. Andrew’s is deserving of more than a passing recollection, for a finer exhibition of golf was never witnessed. St. Andrew’s is generally considered to be thci most difficult of tho five championship courses, and this opinion is supported by statistics. The par af the green is 70, and until last year tho lowest score ever returned at a championship mooting was 77. Taylor land tho four rounds in 309 strokes, giving an average for each of 77\ .-and ho completed one of thorn in 75. The player that could achieve such success must have been faultless, and scorns almost to raise golf from the domain of chance into that of mathematical certainty. Vardan second with - 317, a score which wouhl have easily won tho championship on the last occasion of its being decided at Wt Andrew’s.

Playing in rare form, Air 11. Hilton had no great difficulty in winning his first Amateur Championship. In no less than four past tournaments his chance was extinguished by the late Air Tail, wh ; seemed always able to got the bolter ot Air Hilton at match play, although m tho scoring game Air Hilton could mote than hold his own. Air Robb, DjC. .Andrew’s, was the runner up, and Mr Brainston, Oxford University, reached the semi-final. For the second year in succession, the Ladies’ Championship was won by an Irish lady. Miss’Khoua Ajlair vanquishing all her adversaries at Wcoward Ho! She encountered strong opposition from tho Alisses Wlngham, worn hail from north of the border, and with more practice iu playing before a ' gallery” these young. ladies arc likely to go far" In the fourth round Aliss Adair holed the course* in 90 strokes, a aerformauce. which first rate golfers or • he stronger sox might not always equal.