GOLF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13846, 8 March 1907, Page 8

GOLF.

Br THE PiFFLEB. Last Saturday afternoon was anything but favourable for good play, and few will daim that it was a. great pleasure to plav. In spito of. the E *r e , Sir IS, Smith put lip ii good score on the Balmacowen links in fcnokt. Andrew's Cross. Plaving from scratan. lie came iu all square with Bogov, tho actual strokes taken being 84. # At fJio St. Clair links driving, approach■"Uf» J lll *}., Putting competitions were held. ... • Byrne won the driving and putting and Mr 0. J. Ronaldson the approaching. Next Saturday the monthly modal competition (stroke* play) will take .•place at the St. ( Clair links, and tlio first Towml of tho competition for the club championship of the Oiago Golf Oiul> will tohe place on the Balmacewcn links.' The links generally are in beautiful order jirafc now; but the scars made in tho dry 'weather, when it was almost useless to leplaco divots, arc painfully in evidence. Aow that there is some eliancc of (lie cutout piece growing, again, I should like to remind all those who play golf that it is the first duly of every golfer worthy of tho name to- replace the divot and ' properly tramp it in. .Much consternation Jus been caused in Jingland by tho Royal Liverpool Club having lest its,'assessment- ease. This club now pays £435 iu rent and taxes, and the taxes :havo been increased to such an JJ'™' that it had to appeal against them. The "Colonel," in tlio Sportsman, thus deals with flic subject:—"Golf has done a great deal for Britain. It has enabled land, which in many cases would have been practically valueless, to be turned to profitable account. It has transformed struggling districts -into prosperous ones, and given employment to many men who, but for this game, would almost assuredly have fallen on the rates. .Not content with this, the people whoso duty it is to extract 'taxes aro ordering tho very folk who have dono so much to dive still deeper into their pockcts and pay more. It is a- little bit abhorrent, that tho pastimes of tho people should be taxed at all; thai, the taxation should bo increased because these pastimes have enhanced the value of property in t.lfo districts which Ihev touch is almost intolerable. A golf club'is not, in tho ordinary way, a business concern. In somo eases companies arc, for convenience sake, formed to run the clubs, but they are not usually launched as money-making enterprises. Tlicy aro contont to exist and allord the recreation which their members desire. The peoplo who benefit most from this desire arc the owners of property in tho neighbourhood and followers of certain trades. The golfers are doubtless pleased that tho pursuit of their game should bo of value to others; but they may bo pardoned for feeling sore when they find t-h'at_ they aro to be forced to suffer for making a district prosperous. n In an interesting leader in Golf Illustrated on handicapping the writer sneaks very strongly about, competitors not returning their cards. Ho says: "Human nature is proverbially vain—golf nature particularly so, Seven cards out of every 10 which ' never reach the secretary's box aro suppressed from feelings of vanity; the other three aro prematurely destroyed through temporary outbursts of anger. Yet it is just these hopelessly bad cards which the handicapper wants to sec if he is to form an accurato idea of tho players average game. The custom of reducing the winner of a competition one or more strokes and of leaving everybody olso iu statu quo is absolutely illogical, alt-hough it appeal's lo work fairly well in practice." In discussing the penalties for not returning cards, the writer goes on to say that ho docs not. think t.ho practico of reducing tho competitor by one stroke is a good one, bccause a particularly vain golfer might suppress his cards until he stood plus 3 or more on tlio list, and suggests that, a- line of 5s woukl have tho desired cffoct. The practice of giving, bisques is coming into matah games a good deal, and T notice there is a question asked in Golf Illustrated about tho matter—Q.: Is the receiver of bisaucs required to declare before driving o(T from any ice whether ho will use one (or more) of his bisques at that bole, or may ho declare thorn iiflor the hole has been played onl ?—A.: The essence of a bisque is that it shall be made use of. not ai: any fixed lime, but whenever the receiver of it- thinks fit. To compel the receiver of ;i bisque to "dfftlara" it before taking his tee shot would bo lo deprive the bisque of its special advantage, since a bunkered tee shot niitvht render the bisque of no use. On tho other hard, wo think that the bismie should bo " declared'' beforo tho - hole has been plaved out. . In a. reccnl number of tho Field some pertinent remarks were made on golf stvle and its absenceTho. variety of styles peon everywhere among learners to-day shows that tho view is widely held that it. is qinto easy to learn tho game without, receiving any previous instruction. In fact, it. is t.ho complete absence of what is popularly known as 'stylo' which distinctively characterise* the new school of modern player; and it is only when he is brouobt :face to face with the practical realities of the game, when he finds that be is invariably beaten in bis matches, when lie realises how little is the progress he has made in the art of hitting tho ball truly and that ho sees how much more profitable it would have been had he begun, as all learners should, by receiving some, preliminary training at the hands of a capable instructor. If there is a small amount of truth in the fact thai; an almost negligib'e fraction of learners teach themselves the game verv well and sonydly. there is no denying the proncsifion that if golf is lo ho learned and plaved with enjoyment, the idea, must be abandoned that it can lie self-taught."