GOLF

Southland Times, Issue 17482, 24 July 1915, Page 10

GOLF

(By “Cleek.”) The competition organised throughout Xcw Zealand at the instigation of Watt and Douglas who donated two kits of clubs as prizes, resulted in £9:’. 10s being raised for the fund for wounded soldiers. Among the ladies Miss .). .1. Shearer, Karori, won with 103—39—til, and among the men .Mr C. Mcßride, Cambridge, S2— 2o —H2. The committee has received a letter from Clements, the well Known professional, offering his services for a period of coaching at Invercargill. A visit from a professional of Clements’ ability would be a splendid thing for the young golfers of the district and it is a pity the club is not stronger financially at the present time or it would have readily found the necessary retaining fee for a month’s visit. The offer has been referred to the committee controlling the municipal links. There is no doubt that Clements would do very well here. Writing home, amid a hail of bullets and shells, after describing his experiences in the Dardanelles, a New Ply - mouth soldier, a golf enthusiast, interpolates; “Will you please have a look at my golf clubs, find see if they want another oiling.’’ in the Fulled Slates the golfers increased last .year by 50, into according to the representatives of golf supply houses. At the recent meeting of ’the .United States Golf Association a gain of membership running into thousands was reported over the previous year. The growth of municipal golf courses has brought out great numbers of new players in me larger i-ilies of the country. There is every reason to believe that the present season will see a groat many more recruits.

H. l>. Gillies (cx-New Zealander) has joined the sinff of the Belgian Field Hospital (;ii Hoogstadt, near Fumes, in Belgium). His numerous performances of merit are mo well known to be particularised. B. Snowball, the well known professional golfer, has been killed in action. For some years he was engaged in Ireland at Portmarnock and Portrush, and was justly considered one of the strongest players in the country. When war was declared he was fultilling an engagement at Carnoustie, and immediately joined the Black Watch. He was one of the select few who could boast that he had defeated Harry Vardon in a set match.

Bob Ferguson, who died at Musselburgh on May 18. was one of the groat figures in the history of golf, with which he was connected for over sixty years. He began to carry clubs when he was a mere child, and it is on record that hefpre he was ten years old lie was capable of offering advice to his employers about the execution of kittle, shots, and would see to it that ills advice was followed. His career as a player was comparatively short, for after winning three successive open championships in ISSP, 1 SSI, and 1882, and tioing with Willie Ferine, in ISSB, lie suffered from an attack of typhoid fever, which had a disabling effect upon him. Otherwise there was no reason why lie should not have gone on winning. PTe was a most vigorous driver, and few golfers have been more consistently up to the hole in approaching and putting. Since his retirement from competition golf he had found employment at Musselburgh teaching the game and carrying clubs. Like all great caddies lie was an acute judge of character, and consequently lie was ■worth on the average at least a couple of strokes in each round to his employer. A foursome in which lie and “Fiery” were engaged on opposite sides was an experience never to be forgotten. The conditions under which the game is now played are unfavourable to tiie production of caddies such as' were these two and Crawford, of North Berwick. Consequently there is a distinct loss of dignity and romance. —The Field. When the result of the American open championship was cabled Without any

mention being: made of Vardon, Bay and Duncan everyone was -wondering: whether the British professionals had again suffered defeat. News Is now to hand however, that the trio did not go to America as intended.

British golf has-attained a somewhat remarkable success in the realms of American golf, in that Miss Vera Ramsay, one of the most youthful of British prominent lady golfers, has recently annexed the championship of Boston, defeating in the final round (by the substantial margin of 7 up ami 6 to play) Miss Margaret Curtis, who in the past has thrice won the Women's Championship of the United. States. Miss Ramsay, who hails from Leatherhcad, and has often done duly for the Surrey county team, has been looked upon as one of the most promising players for some time past. In the Ladies’ Championship at Hunstanton last year. Miss Ramsay survived the fourth round, one of her victims being Miss M. Harrison, the crack Irish player. Demands of war have been made upon the Miramar Golf Club membership. Accordingly a request was made by the club to the Miramar Borough Council seeking a reduction of the rates on the club ground on account, among other things, of a serious depletion in the club’s membership consequent upon a number of their members having gone to the front, and pointing out also the fact that the golf links would benefit the borough by making Miramar the principal golfing centre of the province. The council held over consideration of the request until next meeting.

The abandonment of the New Zealand Ladies' Golf Championship Meeting is hut in keeping with the policy adopted by the Men's Association. The New Zealand Ladies’ Golf Union wrote to all affiliated clubs to get an expression of opinion as to the desirability of holding the championship meeting this year, and evidently the vote of the clubs was against (he holding of the meeting. The secretary of the Ladies’ Golf Union ( England) recently wrote saying that the only matches being played by ladies at Home were for the Red Cross and Patriotic Funds. All club matches had been declared off. The Queensland Association decided to hold the championship ‘ of Queensland, after a great deal of deliberation. The entrance fees are to go to the Wounded Soldiers’ Fund, and the trophies will be bronze medals. The widely - heralded Open Amateur Tournament at the Panama Exposition found a couple of hundred entries, with a field of quality dwindled down to an even dozen at most. There were 56 strokes difference between the leading score of 143 made by Mr “Chick” Evans and the last qualifier of the 64, showing the great disparagement. The final saw a newcomer in the person of Harry Davis, a six-foot-three golfer, combating against Schmidt. The latter was five up at one stage of the game, but lost on the home green. Davis did the last IS in 71. and the last nine in 33. He is the best of tile new golfers America has produced in the last 12 months, and bids fair to take high national rank. The prize was a cup, valued at 1300 dollars. The game of golf is all the poorer for the loss of another of the old stalwarts, in the person of Bob Ferguson who passed in May in his 70th year. Ferguson was a great player in his day. For a time at least he must have been the finest exponent of the game in the Kingdom, as he won the championship on three consecutive occasions—viz., in the years 1880. 1881, and 3 882 and only just missed the honour in the following year, as he tied for first place tvith Willie Fornie, who, however, defeated him in the play-off.

Longer carries with the Challenger Golf Ball, because it is designed and constructed to carry further than the heaviest halls. To play one is to ensure full value out of every stroke. 59