GOLF. NOTES BY BULGEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2857, 16 December 1908, Page 58

GOLF. NOTES BY BULGEN.

I would remind intending competitors, i that entries for the forthcoming tournament at Balmat2w«n clce with Mr D. Crawford, > fc?cretary Outgo Golf Club, next Monday, 21st inst. i The monthly medal competitions of I the St. Ciau- Ciub were clayed on I Saturday. The weather was the re- i \erse of favourable for golf, a gale from . the south militating againGt good scoring. Under the adverse eiieumfctances conic very g-ood scores were handed in. The winner of the senior even; turned up in H. Laingand the junior W. Hotf. The players left in to compete in the final of the "News of iho World" competition were the world-renowned J. H. Taylor and a new an<l young e-oifcr, Fred Rob-son , of Bromborough, in Cli£3hiie. Robion is ' a big-, powerful follow, and there are oertainly immense poibibilities in his game, and ho apparently has the nerve and vemporament for a tr>ing aift] piotractcd match. He plajs with iion shots beauti- , fully, and a fa\ouritj &hct seems to be a half-iron, which he pushes up rather low ] and pitches very dead on the hole. He j holds the club rather low down, and the i easy power ho puts into tjie hole all comes from the wrist*, for his club stops very quickly in the follow through. This shot ife described an be.ing one of the prettieot and mo^t effective that he has in ni» ba.g. In addition to being a long driver, he putle magnificently: co, with all tliese good qualities, there should be- a great future in store foi him. Goifing tluid speaks of the i final:- "Those people who had b^en asking I 'Who's KoJ-t-on V on Tuesday «nd Wcdnee- i day knew quite n. lot about him before the declination of ilie first prize was decided on Thursday afieimoon; and, an to Taylor, ! ; the iici-son nw intimately concerned, he ) 1 probably never had a niore anx.ous time l in hh golfing career. In the firet 18 holes Kob^-ou, a<-^ the phrase hae it, was 'all over' rli<> W>al fa^o'inte, and retired for lunch I with the commanding lead of 3 holes. All f through the morning round ho wa= doing , i erratic work from the tee, and then making i < iroit wonderful recoveries. His short ap- < proaohes and puite of all lengths were ' < things to dream about; and, woll as Taylor j 1 plajed, he could not. hope to 6.: and against ( the j-ort of fcrm that meant the lajin^ of I f c-hip fehot^ out of \\.o- r- ugh stone dead, ! j and (h-> once lia'>j '.'iifcl) holing with an i 80-yaiti rim-up. There v.a<; a kakidofccop.'c i (hii'MZP- on ret-uniincr. After a half in 4at A the fii-t hole RoKou -iiffcred from a bad ♦ attack of < 1 r i \ 3h< o!;. •■)«•. and, failing to j 1 [•■(•cover «o wpII as ho h-x 1 ''on" previously, | c ia<i lost all hi= ,-ui\a\t u f<v J,y th" time the ! fifth was roafiiod. Then I\< 'or, wi'h i':' 1 ; i i:<] of a stymie. ?or ln front for iho fust j ] ■nw 1 at the Pixtli hole. and. with Rob^o:i ■ o naking a bicm' of Ins apnraech, secured an- i f ] Dtlier hole at tho -evrnt'l). A half at th<s ji, ;:ghth and a holed maehie fat the next v , wrought the local man 3 up at the turn — c i chansre incited ! PoopV began to say v bat Kob-on Inr] Vrackod,' but he ga\e v honi the lie direct by hol'ng a lovely 7-yard o )utt for a 2at the e!«>\enfh. Then lie p^ct o n a maarpifif pnt Ion;' approach to the „ wplfth. after h's dn\e lud fr>tin<l a bunker j, :i"l hah"d .-in .ij.puenth !r-.t hji'.o. He J A uft^ic<l from O"p of h<\ few lapsc-s on the ] ■-("'ri at the i.exf, and l<"«-t an ira;;ortant | h liiuce I>\ a niK----<l pu* r However, two I f, riaii'l -hot^ t(oi him on the fourteenth h •:-.-<" 111 1 w!i<~i^-m Taylor wa-= bunkered off in ivofoml the Mid-Surrey man's lead •eing ihus reduced to 1 up. Hard halves

the f.ort of term thar meant the lajin^ of 1 chip fehoU out of tl.c >•• utrh 6tone dead, and (h-> once hai>i -^iiPd) holing with an 80-yaiu rim-up. There v.a<; a kakidof>cop.'c <h;t')[rp on roumincr. After a half in 4 at the fii-t liolo RoKon -uffcred from a bad a track of dri\* hi-ok.-ijr. and, failing to n-cover «o wpII a.<- ho h-«' 'Viha previous! v, had lost all hi= ,id\a-.t u ft- '<y th« rinip the fifrh was rvaoUwl. Then IV ior, wi'h i':' 1 a;<l of a <=Tymie. ?or Jn front for iho fiisi t^nx* at fcho sixth hole. and. with Roh^o:i making a tnew' of his approach, «ecnrod another hole at tho -evrnth. A half at t h<s eighth and a holed ma-hie f at the next brought the lotal man 3 up at the turn — a. change ind<v>tl ! PoopV began to say that Kob-on Inr] Vrackod,' bur he ga\e thoni the lie direct by hol'ng a lovely 7-yard putt for a 2 ar the e!<'\enrh. Th<?n lie' (rcl in a m.'iirnifi'pnt Ion;' approach to the twelfth, after h's dn\e lud found a bunker Hid hah"d :m .ij.puentK !r>.t )>,o!p. He MtrVicd from o^p of lp\ fov; lapses on the er(">ri at the l.oxf, iiik! l/-«-t an important

1 at the seventeenth, after Taylor had saved! himself from the consequence of a elioed ieooud with a pretty pitch, and run. On© down and one to play — what a metal-trying-position for Rob-_on ! His drive was hooked, his second found the bunker guarding the green, and that practically settled it in Taylor's favour by 2 tip." At Sand'ringhani recently D. M. Morg&n put up a fine round of 77, and was 7 up o.i Bogey from scratch. He was 39 out and 38 home, the last eight being brilliantly holed in 32. '

F. B. Alexander, one of the> American I tennis champions, is also a very fair golfer. He holds the championship of both his home clubs un , America — viz., Ardeley andi Sebright. The latter club's course has a. Bogey «f 78, which Alexander has holed in 71. He intends spending- cix. weeks in. New Zealand, when he expects to get some gosf after he has conrpleteti bis tennis en-gage-ments. A. curious case was decided the other day showing how in these days of crowded? courses players have to be careful if fch^y. do not wish to run the risk of defending* an action for damages. A miner was siting with two friends on Blackheath, when* I one of the members of the club drove a. I ball in the course of play which struck j the miner on the little finger of the leffe J hand. He was unable to work for more I than ,i month, And after the finger had beenj examined under the Rontgen rays it was ; put in splint 6. The injured miner claimed 1 £52 9s lOd as damages against the .golfer, who denied that there was negligence, and! contended that the Blackheath jjolfers took sufficient precautions against risl? as be-< tween them and the public by employing- at' foie-caddie to signal to them that th«{ course was clear. The jury found for the defendant. Thus the game, even on public commons, is being carried on under difi f orent -conditions, and with much .greater, risk, than prevailed in tho old days. Musseli burgh, St. Andrews. North Berwick, andi J other puMic courses used to swarm witbJ players, especially on holidays and Saturday. Under the old rules the player was I allowed the law from the tee of having; played two shots before the next couplet drove off. but tho "two-shot law" used to be interpreted very literally. Tho first I shot- might be a foozle of a dozen yardd and the second something* equivalent to 1 100 yds or more— many- times a good deal ' 'ess. At once the next coupla raised stentorian cries of "fore," and their tee shots whizzed over the heads of the unfortunate V I foozlers ahead. Thi6 couple played the' part of hunted hares, and sometimes for^ a hole or two their" main occupation wa* ! not co much to play a polf match a3 to i dod^e fhe flj-ing balls being drhen up be* ', hind them. i i, There was, of course, a. good deal <>E , danger to the couple who we're being' driven,into in this ruthicss way. Players apd caddies were often struck, though, as fac" as recollection serves, never seriously,, and* the practice of the two-shot law iastod ) until the rule wa6 judiciously altered hjfr' the alternative wording of prohibiting the) , novt couple from drivinp off until tho J coupJe ah?ad had played their secondt j shots or were " out of range." But tho j chances of a badly-hit ball giving rise to <■ litigation seem now to (become a reafi. I tlanirer on crowded courses. Mr Balfouc was hit on the head by a ball a few weeks : ajro at the St. Andrews autumn meeting^ and Lord Kyllachy, a judge of the Court! i of Session at Edinburgh, received a naetji;* I out on the head from a pulled shot afc j Presfwick a few years ago. Litigation | amon<r members of a club is not a- likely , contingency, for they understand that suchi ar. unhnppv incident is entirely due to ant accident. But with the general membersi: of iho nublie tho -case is different, amcß hence the need of all players to eeer* 1 ih=j t the fo'irse is absolutely clear beforei an attempt >" even made to strike tho balK These accidents, moreover, suggest tho idea 1 that it is a wrong policy on the part ofi cours-3 constructors to huddle the holes set much together as is the popular fashion, ;ind th'it the** should certainly avoid any-; tiiinr ir> the nature of a oro^inc, or ot ono hole out and another ho'o in being? ii;a do to Tun on t.he same parallel piece 06 turf. The ideal coarse should take tho fomi of the figure eight, making tho ionrnev otit and the ionrnsy home fairly wide avart. so as -to tret rid of the danger of being struck by badly played *hota.— " FifOd.

I Possibiv few go!fer« arc aware tnati j Arthur Duncan, the nopular New Zealander*.. I who played co well in tha Australian openl" and amateur championship held in Sydney [ a few months apo. vanished the great pro* f*»wonil J. IT. Tavlor (who has just wort the News of the World tournament! over his own rouiise. at Mid-Surroy. My informant is "H.fiH.," who writes irt Country Life as follows:— "The victory of Mr Clyde Pearce in the Australian cham* pionship*? is most creditable a3 a win for a mere lad. ami with such an opponent aa Hon. Michael Scort in the field may remind! us of the visit -fo this of Mr Arthur? Duncan, the Now Zralander. I Have to '■onfp.*s. that for mv own nart T .had quite for«:otteji it until reminded by Mr Spencer, Gollan. He 10W me of a match, for money; in which Mr Duncan met and beat Taylor, on love) terms, on the latter's own course,' of Mici-Surrev. doing- a score which' <*ouallecl the record on a Hay bad for golf. Why. then, do we noi hear more of him in tho enatnnionshipc of the Antipodes 7" Aal for Mr Poarce. he i= described is .a pii^litly". made, but very wiry, vounsr feiiow. of the regular Australian type, all whipcord muscles, and not much troubled by nerves. We should like fo *ec him over here. Australia ha* not leen vi^ite'l by nnv of oufl best which seems a pity, but it is a " far cry."

A notable fca'ure of th« late Np.w<? o£ Ihe Wovlrl tournament was the snorismanlike and srenerous manner in which those comnefirois who wen!- nndry accented their rlefeaf. Braid, afror heincr be-nte.n l>v Taylor in the first round, in discussing the mntcW " •■ with a friend afterwards remarked : " One * of u« had to ero. and tho worst player. : went": whikt Massy chserfullv admitted! ' when beaten by vountr Tom, Ball that his' • . onrvonenf'S nUtv was sunerior to his own. This is how it should be. Many of "s are too nrone to excuse our bad pia>£* I instead of giving honour and praise to tha "*- ■ v ; rtor. '

Tho Otaw Lades' Golf Club played aJ We V match voste^ky afternoon Th«f'' following are among tha best cards handedl t in ■ ~~~ *?". Miss Mill H^ D t m * *£• Mi* w. Stag m m ft |. ■g*; •