GOLF

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4740, 23 August 1902, Page 6 (Supplement)

GOLF

(By "All Square.”) By winning the championship of the Wellington Club after a tight match with David Pryde,. Arthur Duncan again proved himself a brilliant and resourceful golfer, although in the final he was not seen at his best and his. card was disfigured by some rather tall figures. However, his four threes kept the aggregate down somewhat, and despite a seven (through pure bad luck following and punishing an illplayed hall) an eight, and a brace of sixes he finished up in 83. to his opponent’s 87, Prydo played with his customary doggedness, and at 1 up and 3 to pltiv tilings did not look at all well for Duncan. However, the latter’s luck stood to him, and instead of a badly pulled ball from a nice lie finding an impossible drain as it deserved to do it had enough curl in it to climb the hank and lie nicely towards hole, whilst a sliced ball of Pryde’s. from a questionable lie. got into a cup of sand and refused to travel when ejected. With two up and two to play Pryde’s very questionable chance of wrestling the honours from the champion was spoiled by-bis ball ditching in a parallel drain and again finding a similar hazard in the second attempt. As, however, Duncan holed in four, - and Pryde would have had to do the 256 yards hole in- three to win, it may be said that there was no possibility of his winning at that stage, although the last hole fell to him in a nice five. Duncan is at present playing magnificently. and it is safe to predict that whoever beats him at Christchurch will be the champion of New Zealand. A number of Wellington players will be represented afc both the Hawke’s Bay and Christchurch championship meetings. It was stated the other day that Ken Duncan was the holder of the record for the Masterton course W'th a score of 37. This is not correct. Mr Duncan’s record has reference to the old coursj, not. the new one. The record for the new course Ml) is held bv Mr X,ambie. the local champion. Scores of 42 have beei» made on the course by Messrs Jvcbbell, Boss, and Came Bidwill. The game for the semi-final of the Wellington Club’s championship was a hotgo between Messrs D. Pryde and C. Gore. When it got to 3 up and 4 to play Pryde’s chances looked none too rosy, as Gore is lust now right on his game. However, with characteristic, dogged perseverance the older player reduced the gap to all square and one to nlav. The long holes having been plaved first, "the bunker” was the hole which the players had to

face in (lie final phase of the tussle. Ib.vde ‘'pulled” and got in! 0 the rushes to- the leit of the green, leaving Gere a i/ce chance for a win. But the latter “pulled” also, and fell into a deep and almost unplayable rut. Fry do lay on the green in two, went down in tour, and v.ou tire game. Mr R. Vaile. of Auckland, who is on an extended \isit to Australia, writes to (lie golf contributor of the “Weekly News,” irom Sydney, under date of July 27ih. as inflows: —“One of the pleasantest du.\ s 1 have- spout in Australia was ii Sunday which i put in on the links of the Royal Melbourne < ; o!f Chip at Sandringham. Tho ciiampi ;i:ship of Australia is to bo played on these -inks in tho second wee!-; in October, and I am confident Irom what I saw that by October Hie links will he in fir-.t c-le.sr. condition. The club has spared no expense in preparing Hie links, and lias now engaged a n: ol'essioual green keeper with an Australasian reputation, who guarantees to have the greens in perfect order by the time the Irg event is to be decided. Mr Ross Gore, tho energetic and popular secretary, and the committee lie.ve put in a surprising amount of work since the country was taken .ip hand. The bunkers are what the girls would call ‘dreams.’ I found thorn stern realities. Some of our local players would describe them as nightmares. They would often have been of immense service to our men could they have had them in the Transvaal. In'tho afternon I went round with Messrs W. J. C. Riddell (champion of the colony), Ross Gore, and, P.vne, and Mr Riddell returned the- splendid score of 79 without a scrap of luck; indeed, it was a!) the other way, as ho had very bad luck with tlives splendid putts. There was roc a had lie for him throughout this | round, and ho did not play a bad stroke. Ho is a very fins player,' and as steady ns a rock, lie had only one hole over five, and this (a six) was had luck. a. am mentioning nil this, ns I have hoard that some New Zealand players are under the mistaken impression that the links will not he fit to play on by October. Mr Hyland, a rising young player, it l credited with having gone round in 77. These scores, wii bout my testimony, should speak for tho course. Tho clubhouse find situation is lovely, am! visiting golfers may. if ipy experience goes for anything, look forward to a royal time of if. with the Caulfield Cup and oddments to follow-.” The clubhouse on the Shirley Links. (Christchurch) will not Ire erected in H-ine for tlie coming New Zealand Championship meeting. When the Chicago Golf Club men set to work six years ago to seek links they bought 200 acres of partially-cleared land of great natural, hut not golfing, beauty, at Glenview, the site of an old battlefield between the French and the Indians, 170 years before. ■ The battle decided the location of a trading post, and consequently tho site of tl-c Chicago to come. The clubmen, while retaining the natural beauties, pulled out the stumps of 300 large and over 2000 smaller trees, transplanted 20.000 shrubs, put in over twelve miles of drainage, made four wells to

supply two large reservoirs for the course and the club house and cottage, and •’made” turf throughout the links (6266 yards long), which is now so fine that it is claimed that a cuppy lie will bo tmdiscovcrahle when the American Championship is held on. ic this year. They also made a 2000 yards nine-hole practice course. Tiro big railway company built a station half a mile from the course—it is thirteen miles from Chicago—and called it. Golf. Tire clubhouse has twentyfire double bedrooms, and there is as well a large “cottage” in which members and their families live during the summer. The locker room has 287 lockers, and the dining-room scats 250. Membership is limited to 375. For the championships the chib is constructing a spur railway on which private cars and Pullman ears will be placed to afford visitors additional sleeping accommodation. This is what a singlo club can do for golf when it happens to ho run by Americans in America.