TRIALS OF GOLFERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22098, 31 October 1933, Page 6

TRIALS OF GOLFERS

CAUSE OF POOR STROKES SNAKES AND MAGPIES CANBERRA LINKS INCIDENT. With the coming of spring to Canberra snakes have made their appearance and magpies have resumed the pugnacious habits for which at this time of the year thety have won a bad reputation. On a recent morning a golfer, who was playing in a match on the Acton course between two teams of pressmen, noticed as he was approaching the fourth tee that his dog was barking savagely in the “rough” a few yards away. With his driver in hand, the golfer and his partner made a search and found that the dog with bristling back was bailing up a large brown snake, the head of which, a foot above the ground, was striking at the accurately placed strokes with the golf club killed the _ snake, which measured more than 4ft P.JJ en |L ‘. it was placed on the tee, and the effect it had on the nerves of other participants in the match as they walked up to drive off was blamed for many bad shots. Several magpies, old offenders, have attacked golfers on the Royal Canberra course. One at the tenth tee makes a habit of swooping on players as they are about to drive off; it invariably makes a double attack—a dart from the rear at first, after which it rises almost perpendicularly, and then drops with snapping beak on its victim, who, by this time, is usually waving his club around his head in defence. Though so far no one has been actually struck by the bird, it also is blamed for bad golf strokes. Another magpie swoops on players from a willow tree on the fourteenth fairway. A well-known civil servant, in the act of striking the ball was beard from a great distance to make wild exclamations. Other players looking around noticed that the ball, mishit, had gone into the rough. The golfer explained subsequently that as he was at the top of his swing the magpie swooped upon him. These two magpies have been on the course for several years, and they always make their attacks-—only at this time of the year—from the same places. This is the breeding season.