GOLF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20316, 26 January 1928, Page 4

GOLF.

By Divot. HINT TOR THE WEEK. “Never up, never in!” To judge distance and weight correctly on a wet green is a difficult thing, and a margin of luck comes into the playing of approach putts. Every green has not the same length and thickness of grass on it and the quantity of water held on the surface, after a shower of rain, varies. Sometimes during the course of a match a heavy shower will so alter the condition of the green that the approach putts will stick halfway up to the pin. When the putter is used, under such conditions, the water on the grass appears to suck the ball right down. If, however, a midiron or mashio iron is taken and the hall hit with the same amount of weight it will finish closer to the pin. The loft on these clubs slightly elevates the ball at the beginning of the putt and gives it a chance to reach the desired goal.

Competitions will not be held at Bab mace wan links till the middle of next mouth. It is a pity that full advantage should not be taken of sucli perfect conditions as those which the Otago Club’s course offers at the present time. There is, however, every indication that once the dub gets into its competition stride again it will afford ample opportunity for young and old golfers to produce their best golf for the Easter tournament in the early part of the year and the New Zealand tournament later on in the year. Where do the Dunedin golfers go for their holidays? One of the favourite spots is Timaru whei'o a game of i df can bo intermixed with a life at too seaside. Duripg Christmas and New Year no fewer than 30 Dunedin golfers played on the Timaru course. The course, contrary to expectation, was not at its best at this season of the year and many golfers were disapppointed. One player, who is a lOhcp golfer, told a mournful tale about a presentation box of golf balls. “ The whole 12 were just off the fairway, just far enough to wish them goodbye.” A totally different story was told by another golfer who had played several rounds over the same links. He was loud in his praise of the perfect state of the course in general. He had, however, delayed his holiday till the middle of January when the preparation for the professional tournament was well on the The programme which has been drafted out for the St. Clair Club is one that will keep the players in competition every other Saturday for the best part of the year. The first event—a four-ball bogey—will be played on Saturday week. After a spell of nearly two months players should be keen and a big field is anticipated on the 4tb of next month. On Monday the Kirk-Winder or Cup contest, which for Australasia is as important as the Walker and Hall Cup is for Britain and America, will be played. The members of the New South Wales golf team, which represents Australia, arrived in Auckland last week by the Maunganui. There were 13 in the party (none is superstitious apparently), among whom were Mr A. A. Rankin, president of the Newcastle Golf Club, and Mrs Rankin; Mr A. E. Yeldham avid Miss Yeldham, of Long Reef; Mrs Nigel Smith and Mrs F. M'Donald and two children. Miss Yeldham, who is a member of the Australian Ladies’ Club, is a very fine player. They were met on arrival by Mr W r . E. A. Gill, president of the New Zealand Golf Council, Mr K. Duncan, of the New Zealand Golf Association. Mr A. E. M. Rhine!, secretary of the Auckland Golf Club, Mr S. Morpeth, secretary of the Maungakiekie Club, and other prominent golfers. T 1 e members of the team are well and fit for a stern fight. The party visited Rotorua, Wairakei, and other North Island resorts en route to Wellington. Golfers throughout the Dominion are waiting to see how the Australians shape in the tournament which commences to-day. The visitors were the guests of the Auckland and Maungakiekie Golf Clubs at Middlemore on the afternoon on which they arrived. It was originally intended that they should spend the whole day there, but owing to the late arrival of the steamer they did not reach the course until late in the afternoon. Two fourball matches were arranged, and the results were very interesting. Dr Lee-Brown and W. Smith were paired with Sloan Morpoth and Rex George. After a very close game the visitors won, 2 and 1. Their best ball was 73, bogey for the course being 77. Considering that the visitors had been on the water , four days, they (rave a most impressive display. They did not commence well, but soon settled down to a game that showed few mistakes. . Smith played a very accurate game, particularly with his long mashie shots. Dr Lee-Brown scored a throe at the twelfth, and a brilliant two at the next. Morpeth was driving hi s usual long ball, but occasionally be found the rough. George played careful coif. In the other game Dr Sydney Jones and Dr Nigel Smith defeated W S. Ralph and R. D. Wright by 3 and 1. The visitors’ best ball wa s 75 and their combination was remakably good. Dr Jones created a very favourable impression with his unerringly accurate putting. The local players on occasions showed want of practice,_ but Wright played some brilliant shots at times. At the close of an enjoyable afternoon the visitors were interviewed and expressed surprise at the dryness of the IMiddlemoro links. Taking the "rather difficult conditions into consideration, the golf was of a veiy high order and leaves room for speculation in the major event on Monday. A Wellington writer, commenting on the Miramar links on which the Kirk-Windier Cup contest will bo played, says:— The choice of Miramar for tho Cup is fully justified. It will form a etiffer tost xff golf than Herctaunga and it is desirable that the selected course should thoroughly try out the competitors, and there ig the added reason that it is very rarely that Miramar is in a condition for the best golf at this time of the year. It might not occur again in half a dozen seasons, and when tho most suitable course is fit [or the big struggle of the golfing year, it would have been a pity to neglect the opportunity. Tho greens at Miramar are in excellent order, while the fairways are not too fast, due to the presence of sand in the full sole of turf. At Heretaunga the greens are also in perfect order, but the surface is somewhat fast, much faster than at Miramar.” To win a national title four times in succession as Walter Hagen, the well-known American profession golfer, ha s just done, is a groat feat. In 1924 he won the United States professional championship; nobody has beaten him for it in the interval. In renewing his lease Hagen counted among his victims Tommy Armour, the present holder of tho American open championship. The root explanation of Hagen s consistent success in this event is that a is played oy matches after 32 competitois have qualified, and that Hagen is supremely a matchnlav golfer with a no-surrender doggedness that is unequalled in the game to-day. Even when ho is playing bold.y he can wm‘ by lighting to tho last, and now and then pulled out tho extra big stroke when recovery was desperately wanted. Even to stroke-play success Hagen has brought tho same wonderful will power and perscrvaiico. Tho second of his British championships, that at Hoy lake three years ago was typical of that sort of golf. But in his match-play Hagen finds his better medium and in 1925 victory m tins event, which ho has just won for the fourth time was the greatest example ho has ever gnen of his individual qualities in man-to-man combat Even the Iloylakc struggle against bo’card takes second place to it Hagen was not at top form. Ho did not qualify well In his first round match He was never up on Walrous till the thirty-fifth hole, is opponent snatched the fiom the fire, but .Hagen won a the th.rH ninth by getting down a 3yd putt. _. ills third round struggle against Leo Di®g. rrr'iL'ti 1 s-ss' pi .. Mlvc .Jo ninth, and won at tho next hole At different times the Rules of ”°V; Gomnd ten of tho Royal and Ancient Club have had submitted to it some .queer nroblems to solve. At a recent meeting i was asked to give the ruling on an incident wii ch occurred during the play of ,a competition on the Queen’s Park links in Furdand. A competitor, on the se\ pnth green discovered a worm om his ball just as he was about to putt. the pomt ''«>> submitted to the caddie as m whether the worm could be picked off. and the opinion was r-aveii that, provided the hal was not moved it could be taken off The P layer steadied tho ball with one finger and removed the worm with the other hand Ho finished with a scoio of 71, hl |, nC opponent returning a score of 74. 110 •Question properly arose whether a i ulo had been infringed by the player as ho had touched the ball while it was m play. The ruHa" Authority reamied a vcidict of sruiltv 0 of breaking a rule; penalty, one stroke As it happened the submission ot the ruling had no bearing on the result R, is onlv when these incidents occur and are noted that wo learn the true moanin' 1 ' of some of the rules.