GOLF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20288, 22 December 1927, Page 4

GOLF.

By Divot. HINT FOR THE WEEK. The hardness of the fairways and the keenness of the greens during the summer months add to the uncertainty and trickiness of the pitch-and-run approach. The measure of skill that is necessary when playing a shot to land short and trickle on to the green must have with it a fair amount of good luck, for the slightest bump, rut, or tuft of grass will deflect the ball and there is no telling where it will finish. Even when a little back-spin is put on the best executed strokes sometimes go astray. The shot which gives the best results is the pitch to the pin which has plenty of cut on it. The ball which is lofted goes straight for the pin and, if it has back-spin on it, stops dead where it lands. A little out is no good; the shot must have a strong brake and the best club to use is the niblick.

The weather during last week was not the sort that invited one out into the open fields; the thought of a soaking by one of the many heavy showgrs kept many lady members of the golfin'?? fraternity away from the links. Towards the end of the week the weather looked a little more settled. Despite the rain that fell on Saturday morning golfers who journeyed to the links had a good outing with no rain. The rain held off during the week-end and_ allowed those who played to enjoy conditions which generally prevail during the winter months. In places the fairways were on the heavy side, and the greens had lost the keenness they possessed the previous week-end. The St. Clair course was greatly improved by the rain of the week, its fairways which are usually very hard having a springiness and softness which made the journey ever so much more pleasant. The course at Maori Hill looked ite best during the week-end and looks did not belie the trueness of both fairways and greens. The North Otago Club’s team, which played a return match with the Otago Golf Club during the week-end, was not the strongest combination that this club possesses. The contest was, therefore, decidedly one-sided, the local team losing only four out of 17 singles and one out of eight four-ball matches. The score board showed that most of the games were won by substantial margins. In fact finality in all but two of the 25 games was reached ore the seventeenth green. The game between Ross and Cuthbertson, although close at times, could not be said to be other than Ross’s game from the turn. Cuthbertson played some very good long stuff and kept the doctor up to scratch at most of the holes on tile outward journey. J. G. Dick was defeated by an ex-Otago Club player— Pert Reed—by a 2 and 1 margin. Reed played steadily throughout the round and took full advantage of the few mistakes that his opponent made. Humphries was no match for W. Wight on Balmacewan and went under by 5 and 3. J. Spence, R. Dick, Trowern, and Hayward all had gooo wins for their club. Laid law found > M’Gregor a solid proposition and had to submit to defeat by 4 and 3. Then came a succession of wins for the Otago Club. M’Lennon, Lemon, Wyn Irwin, M Kinnon, Wright and M’Kochnie had won their games on or before Roys. Salinger was taken as far as Gums by Clark. D Solomon went under to Ewart by 3 and 2 and the last Otago man—F. Halstcd—-came home the victor by 5 and 3. . In the four-bad games the match hot ween _ the Ro-ss-UicK and Cuthbortson-Rocd combinations uas the first and only match squared. Hie remainder of the games, with the exception ot one, were won by the Otago pairs who combined exceptionally well and gave tho opposition no chance. The defeat of Halstead and D. Solomon was accomplished after a meritorious round by Ewart and M Death. The secretaries of the local clubs will bo glad of a short spell in their activities at the club house. No competition will be held for a few weeks at tho bt. Clair links. The Otago Golf Clubs first event in the new year will be held some time towards tho end of January. , At this season of the year goiters thoughts are taken up with other things besides their pastime. There arc some who have decided to leave their clubs in their lockers for a month or so and enjoy themselves at a quiet seaside resort. The keen golfer, however, when selecting the city or township that has attracted his attention as a holiday resort, invariably inquires whether the place has a golf course and what facilities there are for a game during the week or fortnight’s vacation. To him the golf equipment is the most essential part of his luggage, A few years ago the Otago Club held its tournament at New Year time but it was found that at this season of tho year tho local golfers preferred places like Titnaru, Roxburgh, and Wanaka, so a change, which has proved most successful, was made ihc Christchurch Club, however, has its annual tournament during Christinas and _ New Year and local golfers who intend visiting Christchurch are assured of a warm welcome at Shirley. Tho New Year golf tournament which will bo held at the Miramar links, Wellington, commencing on Saturday, December 31, will be another golfing attraction. Both these tournaments aro very popular in tho north. The programmes appear at the foot of these notes. Wherever tho golfer may choose to spend his vacation may it bo a holiday worth while. The compliments of tho season to you ! It is not often that C. B. Wight has a game on Balmacewan links and there are some people who say that the St. Clair champion does not like tho course. On Saturday, in company with Cuthbertson, of Oamaru, he had a couple of rounds on the Otago Club’s course, the first of which was a 73. In this score there was one bad hole—a seven at Hawthorn. The second round took him one stroke more and the aggregate of 147 for the two rounds was a good one. It proves that if there is any truth in the assertion that C. B. does not like the course then he can nevertheless produce good figures there when ho is on his gn mo. , , Tho annual Christmas tournament at Slmlcv will open on Monday, December 26, with a bogey handicap in tho morning and a four-ball bogey handicap m the afternoon. On Tuesday, December 27, the Christchurch Open Amateur Championsnip wili be decided over two rounds of stroke play Tliis is the third year the R. E. M’Dougall Challenge Cup, attached to this event, has been played for. E. M. Mac farlane won it in 1925 and C. A., Seymoui is the present holder, having won it last year Stroke handicaps will be played m conjunction with eaefi rounu of the ch-ani pionship. Tho New Year golf tournament, to no held at tho Miramar links, Wellington, on Saturday, December 31, and Monday ami Tuesday, January 2 and 3. 1928, promises to bo as much of a success as last year, when it was considered one of the best events of tho vear. The programme includes the Miramar Open Amateur Championship, consisting of two rounds of stroke play, 16 to qualify. The play-off will be by march play over 18 holes; the Miramar Golf Club Stroke Handicap, over 35 holes, to be played concurrently with the qualifying rounds of the championship; the Miramar Group Handicap. All competitors, except the last eight left in the championship, will bo divided, according to handicap, into groups of eight, and ti competition, match play on handicap and over 18 holes in each case, will bo held among the members of each group, lire eight eliminated in tho first round of the championship will form a separate group. The other events are a bogey handicap, a stroke handicap, and a four-ball bogey handicap. Entries close on I'rida-y, December 23.

The St, Andrew? Rules of Golf Comn?ittee has given the following ruling on ;i point submitted to it b v the secretary of an English club When a player has driven a ball and presumed it to he out of bounds and to save delav plays a second hall, he may continue playing the second ball till bo' -caches the spot where the first hall is likely to he. If the first ball be found, all strokes played with the second ball are wiped out and the plater continues play with the first ball. fine Rules of Golf Committee* rule that the words ‘ In order to save delay he may at once phiv another hall,’ do not limit th" number of strokes which may be_ played w'th that ball in accordance with th" rule.”

Few golfers realise also how the turn of the body from left to right, with the weight transferred properly at the turn, affect? the entire swing. Few of them pivot enough, and so fail to got in position to apolv miv newer, rr in attempting to pivot thev swav to the right instead of turning the body with hip? as the main n\i?. The correct turn helps to keep the e 1 ids head ; n nhaee on the down uvinifor the right side i? going to turn in to ward the hall on the down swing, and if thee lire, nor hern sufficient pivot this wifi ilgrv.v everything ahead of the ball before (lie moment of impart, wb-ch for one of the o!.le«t slogan? in golf—“ Keep back of the ball.'’ f the right side gets in ton nuieklv then- i? then little power left to hit with and the "nlfe’- >. •- t m no Irion 10 get either direction or distance. He is all 01 of focus.