GOLF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20282, 15 December 1927, Page 5

GOLF.

By Divot.

The Otago Club -will entertain members of the North Otago Club at Balmacewan links during the week-end when singles and fourball matches will be played. “'A perfect afternoon! On Saturday the sun shone brightly and the gentle breeze from the sea at the St. Clair links made conditions pleasant for golf. Ihe occasion was an auspicious one for the members of the St. Clair Club who pLayed the interclub fixture against 24 players from the Otago Golf Club. The course possessed summer-time conditions—the fairways wore hard, the greens fast but true, and the rough, though cut near the fairways, devoured many badly sliced bails from the tees. Generally speaking, the course was in good order and some great golf was brought to light in the course of the 36 holes. The team of 24 sent from the Otago Club was a very strong one and it was doubted whether the home side could extend the tail-enders of the visiting combination. The results of the singles show clearly that local knowledge is a big asset which is equal to a few strokes for the first round at least. To the leading members of the Otago Club s team the lie of the ground surrounding the_ St. Clair greens was known as well as the country round their own course.. It was on the links by the sea that Dr Barnett, W. Wight, J. G. Dick, D. Irvine, R. W. Dick and C. Irvine spent many a weekend in days gone by. Such holes as Pines, Cliffs Spion Kop, Porridge Pot, Old Nick, and Stocks held no dangers, no traps that they were not fully acquainted with. Ihe Qtago leaders are all old campaigners and were considered hard nuts to crack in match play. A few words about the team chosen by the St. -Glair selector should be ■ sufficient. It was the best that could be put on the field, >erhaps with one exception. There are some good young players coming on to' steady golf, among whom three stood out from ■ the ■ remainder by reason of excellent rounds. It would be unfair to mention names because every one of the local team played up to his best in an attempt to hold or defeat his man. The total number of wins and halved games show that their efforts were in a large measure successful. It was the golferg who broke 80 that gave the opposition no chance to hold them. In the singles the home team had 13 wins, 6 losses and 5 squared games. This gave them a lead ot seven for this section. In the fourball the Otago members played better short stun and were ahead in this section of play by six to five games. In the singles the meeting of the two firsts—Dr Ross and C. B. Wight—aroused the interest of a number of enthusiasts who followed the match. The game was a close and keenly contested one. The Otago champion adapted his play to the course and very quickly showed that he knew how to putt on fast greens; on no green did he take more than two putts. It was in this department of the game that the St Clair player let his opponent in on several holes. The 4ft putts were the ones that worried C. B. Wight. The figures of both players were good up to the tenth where, unfortunately, the doctor’s ball finished .up against the fane© an;d refused to be shifted easily. As Wight was nicely on the green for two the Otago champion picked up. There was a difference or one hole most of the round. It was, however, at the short seventeenth that Dr Ross, with a bogey 3, was able to put the final touches to the game. The score was 1 up and 2 to go in Ross’s favour when they hit off from the seventeenth tee. The St. Clair representative’s shot was short and he followed this up with another short one which left him a long putt. . Ho missed the putt and Boss had it all his own way and won by 2 and 1. The game between Dr Barnett and W. Clayton was a little onesided. The Otago second man has not been playing his best golf for some tune. His opponent, on the other hand, has been at the top of his form and his victory of 4 and o was therefore, not unexpected. Ino next, pair—Butcher and Humphreys—had a stem struggle which Lasted. to the homo green wliere the lufcter held the fi-dve-Dt&RC of the odd hole. This was, indeed, a surprise for the Otago man was in the lead by three holes at the turn. Butcher is regarded as one of the best match players of the Otago Club and his defeat after possessing such a lead says a good deal for the fighting spirit of his opponent. W. Wight gave his opponent (H. Stevens) no quarter and won his game handsomely by a margin oi 7 and 6. J. G. Dick and J. E. Matheson were evenly matched and a halved g 3 *? l ® was a happy ending. In the next match in which L. H. Marshall and D. M. Irvme were engaged, the St. Clair player had a brilliant round of 77 in which were two ‘•birdies.” He held the advantage the whole way through and finished 5 upand 4 on his left-handed opponent. F., Dra A,® met , and defeated, C. T. Irvine, by the narrow margin of 1 up. The gam© 1 close, evenly contested one with Drake just a hole ahead at the right time. H- _ ■ Salmon an old campaigner, went under by 2 and 1 to L. Walker who played a great round of 79. J. Spence has been handing in very good scores on Hal macewan links and was expected to ex- . tend A. Gamble fully. After the first half had been played the St. Clair man holdthe advantage and went on to win by 4 and 2. E. J. Hocking and A. Lamg had a dingdong" straggle for supremacy. However, the/ could not get ahead of each othe. and were content with a squared match. J. Watson was 2 up. with three holes to go in his match against R. W. Dick. Ihe latter stuck to his opponent and halved Boundary in 4, and won the short hole with a 3 making him one down and one to. play. Ho won the home hole by holing his ap, preach from the back of the green and squared an evenly contested game. u. Forbes defeated V. F. Galway by 2 up and 1. It was on the greens that the Otago player missed his chances Forbes was steady throughout the round. W. MG hie was up on R.. E- Hayward daring most of the round and .after -laying Eounclarywas dormv 2 on his opponent. The St. Clair player let up a little at this stage and Hayward won the next two holes to square another match. M‘Arthur and Scou er were also evenly matched and the resultall square —was a happy ending. • Ritchie filled the place of J. W. Edgarand secured a win for his club oyer H. M Lean, the score being 5 and 2. At this stage the St. Clair Club was well in the lead haviup lost only two games. J. W. Trewern broke the spell by registering a substantial victory of 6 and 4 over W. Shepherd. J. Kilpatrick had an early lead in his game against P. R- Fordham and stuck to it throughout, finishing 3up & n d 2on the Otago man. W. D. M'Oarthy gave of his best and held an advantage of 1 up at the end of the 18 holes. J. R. Laidlaw found a heap of trouble on a strange course and had no show of holding H. Hooper who defeated him bv 5 and 4. H. Chapman s victory of 3 and 2 over J. R. Lemon was the result of a good round. D. M'Lennan secured another win for the Otago Club when he defeated J. A. Paterson by 2 and 1. and F. Throp was at home on the St. Clair greens against H. F. Sineock; the score was 6 and 5 in the Otago representative’s favour. A left-hand player—J. P. Rutherford C. Amtman by the narrow margin of 1 up. The match between the captain of the St. Clair Club, A. Hanlon, and H. Barron was won by the former by 2 and 1. The space left for details of the fourball games is very little. I shall have to limit these to a few lines. The golf in this section of play was of a very high standard, the visitors showing up to better advantage on the. greens. C. E. Wight and W. Clayton mixed so well that Dr Ross and Dr Barnett could not hold them and they won the match by 5 and 4. The best ball of the St. Clair pair whs 63 (bogey is 78); a score which has not been accomplished on these links for many a day. An even game between Butcher and W. Wight and L. Humphreys and 11. Stevens ended in a victory of 1 un for the Balmacewan players. The next five Otago pairs ail had good wins. J. G. Dick and D. Irvine were 3 up and 1, C. T. Irvine and Salmon 3 and 2, Spence and Hocking 5 and 4, R. W, Dick and Hayward 3 and 2. and Maclean and Trewern 4 and 3 wore the margins. It wag the tail-end of the St. Clair team that wagged and brought the number of wins in this section to within one of the op ponents’ figure. The members of the Otago team spoke well of the hospitality extended and the pleasant afternoon’s coif enioyed bv them and the wish was expressed on all sides that these gatherings bo more frequent. Hero may be added the thanks of all golfers to the ladies who officiated at a sumptuous afternoon tea, A suggestion that a quarterly match be placed on the programme of the resneotive clubs will probably be considered by the match committees. If the interdub fixtures were more frequent, and there is no reason why they should not bo, the standard of local golf would surely be raised. It would mean that the dub ladder matches would have a fresh interest that the match and healthy intercinb rivalry spirit would be further developed, that the golfers of Dunedin would get to know one another better and by keen gfimes help one another along to bettor golf.