GOLF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23539, 30 June 1938, Page 5

GOLF

By Divot

FEATURES FOR SATURDAY St. Clair.—Monthly medal match. Otago.—St. Andrew's cross. OTAGO CLUB The University Club's team of eight played a team from the Otago Club and showed itself to be a formidable side. Although Otago did not field its strongest team, it included most of the leading players of the club. In the foursomes, Otago had a lead of one match, winning two games, halving one, and losing the last. A. Gibbs and J. Falvey led the University team and finished all square agairst A. G. Sime and W. G. Wight. In the Singles University made up the leeway to claim a drawn match. A. G. Sime found A. Gibbs right on his game and had to lower his colours on the eighteenth green. J. Falvey also proved too good for W. G. Wight. A. Lucas gained the first victory for Otago by defeating the long-hitting J. Davies by 2 and 1. University obtained another point when J. Dodgshun. who plays a very sound and steady game, defeated the runner-up for the Otago championship. D. A. Ferguson. University has a very strong side, and should be able to beat any other University team in New Zealand. In the medal match played on Saturday there were some good scores. The winning score in the B Grade was returned by W. W. Johnstone, whose net 69 should qualify him for a handicap reduction. Another good card which also deserves the notice of the handicappers was that of the runner-up. H. H. Dobie, who finished with a 70. H. J. Pollock played steady golf, which, with a little more luck, could have been several strokes better. His card of 77 4 73 tied for first place in the A Grade with that of R. R. AsDinall on the 10 mark. ST. CLAIR NOTES E. G. Doogue and J. O'Donnell combined to advantage to return the winning card in the four-ball bogey handicap held at St. Clair on Saturday. Their score of 5 up was a good one under winter conditions. It is not by any means an exaggeration to say the St. Clair course is playing three strokes harder now than it was a month ago. It is certainly becoming a very stiff test of golf, and at a meeting of the Handicapping Committee the majority of handicaps were adjusted accordingly. FOUR-BALL KNOCK-OUT D. C. Bennie and F. Dixon started rather shakily in the final of the Knock-out Competition against J. A. Templeton and K. D. Anderson but they steadied down to solid golf on the home half to win at the eighteenth. Bennie is the most consistent golfer in the club at the present time, a fact which is amply borne out by the fact that he is in the semi-finals of the Paterson Cup Knock Out. Dixon also is playing sound golf, and does not seem to be troubled by the heavy conditions. He drives a long ball, which obtains its distance by a high carry, and his short game is consistently accurate. St. Clair Ladles' Club The flag match which was to have been played at St, Clair on Tuesday was postponed for a week owing to the inclement weather. Mrs Dodgshun, an ex-member of the St. Clair Club, has presented to the club for competition a golf club which she won in competition at St. Clair in the early days of the Ladies' Club. Schoen Cup The knock-out competition final for the. Schoen Cup was played between Mrs Burnett and Mrs Lawless, and a very close and interesting match resulted. Several times Mrs Burnett took the lead, and just as many times Mrs Lawless squared the match. They were all square at the eighteenth, but.playing sound golf, Mrs Burnett won the nineteenth and the game. CHISHOLM PARK Amongst the new clubs elected members of the New Zealand Golf Association at the last meeting of the council is the Chisholm Park Club. This club has been very well supported and although it is not yet in perfect order, offers a good test of golf to those taking up the game. The competitions have been excellently supported and several players are showing distinct promise. The standard scratch score of the course has been fixed at 67. The innovation of a match for players on a 24 handicap made an instant appeal to the large number of keen but hesitant limit players in the club, and a good field of 40 started out. Three consistent improving players in E. Falconer, M. Elder and V. Todd drew for the honours and in recording a gross 44 each, improved on their handicaps to the extent of three strokes—a good effort considering the conditions. The club has decided to continue these limit matches in order to foster the improvement of the many new-comers to the game, through the medium of competition. The senior match was won by the ever-consistent A. W. Greville, who putted remarkably well on the soft greens. G. Burns, who is playing good golf at present, was unfortunate in incurring a penalty at the first, otherwise he might have won. While constructional work is proceeding at the second green it may be timely to point out the simplicity of forming there one ideally-bunkered green. All that is needed are mound bunkers and the sand is there in tons for sand bunkers on the other side of the mounds. It is not hard to imagine the envy of the majority of clubs in New Zealand, one of whose main troubles, not to mention expense is keeping bunkers filled with sand MACANDREW BAY CLUB For no apparent reason the players generally were below form in the Macandrew Bay Club's Medal Match on Saturday. Even the winner, A C. Penny, started badly but a series of threes enabled him to make a good recovery and he returned a gross 41, his handicap of 9 bringing his net jeore down to 32. H. Bevin, who remains the most consistent player in the club returned a net 33, and this performance was equalled by J. Bevin, playing off the six mark. Conditions were extremely pleasant throughout the weekend, "cid there was a large number of visitors to the course. It is proposed to make an early start with the major competitions this season, and the first round of the contest for the Knock-out Cup will be played on Saturday TAIERI CLUB The council has fixed the standard scratch score of the Taieri golf course at 68 FORTHCOMING TOURNAMENTS Avondale Club.—June 25 and 26, South Island Veterans' Tournament. Rotorua Club.—August 23 to August 26, Open Tournament. August 29 to September 2 Veterans' Tournament. Timaru Club.—September 24-26, South Canterbury Open Championship. Wanaka Club.—September 2 and 3. Annual Tournament. Otago Zealand Championship Meeting. SOUTH ISLAND (CLOSE) CHAMPIONSHIP The council, after considering the advice received from the Southern Advisory Committees, has resolved to give the Timaru Golf Club another opportunity of holding the event If it does not wish to undertake the holding of the tournament, the offer which has been received from the Harewood Golf Club. Christchurch, will be accepted. Whitcombes for Golf.*