GOLF.

Otago Witness, Issue 2467, 26 June 1901, Page 56

GOLF.

A new teeing ground has been invented at home, which, it is paid, seems destined to come into favour on inland courses-, where* th© turf gets worn quickly. The tee is made of aahes, large cmdera being used ac thf bottom, and small ashes at tho top. The whole i.- firmly rolled, and iv then ready for use. Such a tee has been in Utsc* at Headingly, near Leeds, during the past winter, and ha 9 proved most serviceable. It is always 'dry, affords a firm foothold, and does not require any treatment. So well has it answered its purpose that it is intended to construct a "small tee of this kind for every hole for winter use, the ashes being placed in a framework of wood. Fanie, the inventor of the tee at Headingly, has also designed a new roller for putting greens TTiat has been coming into favour auickly. Tt is of light constiuction, from. r2in to 14in in diameter, and about a yard wlc'e, divided into three j>H?ce-- A Leeds firm made tin roller from Fanie't pattern, and has since sold a large number of thit particular make. Admiral Kennedy tells the following true story of a rook and a golf bal l : — "While playing on our links near Sheerness, a rook pounced down on my ball and flew away with it. The biid passed 20yds over our he?df, and we all (three men and a lady) distinctly saw the ball in its beak. Th thief then settled down in a field near by, and proceeded to digest the morsel, under the impression, we suppo&e, that it was an egg, but on beiile; chased by the flag-lieute-nant and two bluejackets it flew away. On resuming play, we found, to our great amazement, a new golf ball on the ground o'i the spot where we had lost mine. How did it come there? Some maintain that "while our backs were turned the rook circled round and dropped it ; others, that the bird passed it, but this I cannot believe. Anyhew,, the fact is woith recording. I have always heard it said that fishers are great liar&, but golfers are above suspicion, so I send this in hopes that some enthusiast of tho game may explain the mystery." The solution of this mystery is either that the look had not digested the previous golf ball he had fewallowcd, or else the found ball had been lost by another player. The Chicago Post is responsible for the following story, which, as an example of hero-woiohip, is not without interest: — "When Harry Vardon left for Ganton, England, he gave Tom Bandelow several of his much-prized clubs. Yesterday n wcalthv man from Wisconsin used hi* artci of perpua.'ion on the owner of the sticks that had been used in at least two cluin-imonships, ant! finally induced Bandelow to parr with one^ a cleek,. Turning as ho reached ik*

floor, tie new owner of the cleek remarked-: (1 see another club iv that bag that I must ha-ve. What will you take for it?' Thinkang that he would close the incident- immediately, for he did not want to sell the club, IBandelow replied: 'Oh, 150dol would be a itfair price.' Til give you that much for Ifit,' was the Wisconsin man's £nrick reply, feut the club remains with Bandelow." I In Golf Illustrated Mr A. O. M. Croome Bias a good article on "Team Matches. !lAfter discussing the different ways of scortdng, he goes on to show how all games are feelfiah— the footballer, the cricketer, etc. He Jthen goes on to point out the great stumb-ling-block in the way of team matches, and What has been found, here as- elsewhere, as its greatest difficulty. "The man who really Jehowß unselfishness in hie game is the golfer Jwho, though, he lives within a stone's throw x>f a good course, gets up earlier than his travels— at hw own proper chargesplay a man whom he doeß not know, and snay find unsympathetic, over a course poeEibly worse than his own, where inferiority fin local knowledge will handicap him to the «xtent of at least two shots, and all for the honour of his club."