GOLF.

Southland Times, Issue 18975, 23 June 1923, Page 12 (Supplement)

GOLF.

(By

“Cleek.”)

Arthur Duncan played a great round at Miramar a few days ago:—Six 3’s, six 4’s, and six s’s. The monthly Medal Match was played at Otatara on Wednesday and Saturday. The best cards recorded were:—A. Grade —C. A. Masters 78, hep., 3, 75. B. Grade —R. R. Binney, 97, hep., 22, 75. The weather conditions were good on both days. Only about half the usual playing members took part in the match but this was due no doubt to the altered conditions consequent on reverting to the Wednesday halfholiday. The draw for the Monthly Medal Match on the Park to-day (Saturday) is as follows:—J. Macleod and W. Gellatly, C. B. McNatty and T. D. Pearce, Dr Johnston and R. G. J. Wilson, J. Collie and J. D. Robertson, J. R. Dundas and A. W. Morgan, G. J. Reed and G. R George, G. R. Cooper and G. Cruickshank, A. B. Caverhill and W. A. Stout, J. K. Garrett and G. F. Ferguson, C. A. Masters and J. Hain, F. K. McNatty and D. McPherson, W. M. Marcussen and R. Kidd. In the Bogey Match on the Park on Monday last Miss Stout and Mrs Collie tied with scores of one down. Next in order were Miss Seater, 2 down; Mrs Jones, 3 down; and Mrs Longuet, 4 down. Four ladies returned scores which would have reduced their handicaps had the match been a medal one. The annual match between the Wellington and Miramar Clubs took place last Saturday, when the former club won fairly easily. Twenty-four a-side were played, the A teams meeting on the Miramar links and the B teams at Heretaunga. The Wellington senior team had a sweeping victory, completely outplaying the Miramar men by 7 games to 3, while the remaining two matches finished all square. At Heretaunga each side won five games, the other two being halved. Wellington thus won by 12 matches to 8, with 4 games halved. The New Zealand Golf Council at its last meeting instructed the chairman (Mr R. C. Kirk) and the secretary (Mr G. 0. Sutton) to draw up a circular to clubs, with a view’ to endeavouring to obtain more support for professionals. It was considered desirable that one or two professionals should be employed by the council, and that the clubs which employed these coaches should pay fees fixed by the council. The Troon Golf Club, which was founded in 1878, is the home of Willie Fernie, formerly of Felixstowe and Dumfries. He was one of the foremost players of years gone by, and his most notable success was in the open championship at Musselburgh in 1883, which he won after a tie with Bob Ferguson. On five other occasions he was runner-up in the open championship, and in 1908 he was beaten by Willie Park in a match for £lOO over 72 holes. Probably no one is better qualified than Fernie to give a description of the Troon course, and in an article to a London sporting journal he imparts some of its characteristics. The course provides a thorough test of golf, he writes, the middle portion being situated in golfing country which is unsurpassed anywhere. Troon has been long famed for its putting greens, and the fairways throughout the course are in fine condition. The ground is undulating, and there are many bumps and little hillocks, with the consequence that there is a variety of lies and stances. The N.Z. Golf Council, at its meeting early in the week, decided to follow the lead recently given by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in allotting ■national handicaps for all players likely to compete at championship tournaments. The Council decided to invite all such players to apply for national handicap. Of course, when doing so, they will have to supply a card for their course, the bogey score, and their present handicap. The lead set at Home in having no handicaps below scratch will be followed here. Probably the best men in New Zealand will be placed on the 2 mark. Fortunately the N.Z. Council has a good line to go on in A. Duncan’s recent visit to England, when he played with men with plus 3 handicaps. These men will now, under the new system, receive one or two strokes. At one club with which he played while in England, Duncan was placed plus 3. The idea is a sensible one, and the Council is to be commended for so promptly following the lead given by the controlling body in Great Britain. To assist you in keeping your head down, get your caddie to tell the spectators how many your actual—not approximate—score was for the last time you went round. The principal items in the programme submitted by the Wanganui Club and approved by the Council for the championship tournament are as follows: (a) The amateur championship of New Zealand, in which the 32 players returning the best score in the four qualifying rounds will play off by match play over 36 holes. (b) The open championship of New

Zealand, four rounds of stroke play, open to amateurs and professionals. The prizes, if won by professionals will be £25, £lO, £5 for first, second, and third. Trophies for first, second, and third if won by amateurs. The winner of this event will be the holder for a year of the handsome trophy known as the Brodie Breeze Cup, and will also be presented with a miniature of the same cup.

(c) The professionals championship match. The eight professionals in the open championship returning the lowest gross score will qualify and play off over 36 holes each match. Prizes: First, £2O; 2nd, £lO. There will also be two handicap bogey competitions and two handicap stroke competitions, and also four-ball bogey handicap, these five events being 18-hole matches. Another interesting competition, which is played each year, will be the inter-club championship, for the trophy presented by the late E. Dennis O’Rorke. This is competed for by teams of four players from each club, and the aggregate gross score of each team for the 4th qualifying round of the championship will decide this event. Entries are to close with the secretary of the Wanganui Golf Club on Friday, 7th September, 1923. For the first time in the history of the game the British Open Golf Championship decided last week was held on the Troon (Scotland) links. When the championship was held at Prestwick, the qualifying rounds took place at Troon, but this was the first occasion on which the final stages were played there. The Scottish amateur championship are also to be. held at Troon next month.

The fact that since the beginning of the present year eight men have died in Britain while playing golf has given rise to the. question : “When is a man too old to play with safety?” (says the London Daily Mail). Golf has always been believed suitable for even aged people. A physician of one of the London special chest and heart hospitals, asked what is the age when a person would be wise in giving up golf, said it was not entirely a question of age. “Of course,” he said, “the heart and blood vessels, and all the organs, become progressively less competent as age advances, but golf is not a very strenuous exercise; and again, some men are physically as young at 70 as others at 40. “The mental stress is perhaps worse than the physical exertion, especially in the case of elderly people who take the game too seriously. “It would be prudent for men over 50, unless they have been playing all their life, not to play more than one round on any one occasion. To say that golf is a dangerous game for men over 50 would be an exaggeration, but I think any man of middle age, if he suspects weakness of the heart or any other part, should have medical advice.” One shot more than all others which counts at golf is the short approach from round about the green. “There is just one shot which I consider that the Americans play better than we do,” says George Gadd. “This is the one from, say, just off the green, when, if it is nicely judged, there is a good prospect of getting down in one putt.” That’s just it. We do not guard against the error that is always apt to creep in. Keep your head down and your eyes glued to a spot at the back of your ball until some seconds after you have ployed your shot. Mr J. Francis Markes, the secretary of the Sandy Lodge Golf Club, England, has designed a card of instructions upon gallery etiquette, which he has had printed, and each person attending an exhibition match receives a copy on entering the course. It is worth reproducing:— 1. Do not move or speak when a player is making a stroke. Do not stand nearer to a player than 10 yards; keep further away if possible. 2. When lining up to watch the drives, dress back at an oblique angle away from the players, so giving them a wide course for the finish of their shot. Also you will thus see perfectly and will not get hurt by a ball, nor will the ball be stopped—the latter is always a regrettable occurrence. To preserve the line do not press forward because your neighbour does. Show him this. He is not selfish, only a little thoughtless for the moment.

While awaiting the arrival of a player extend in a line either side of the ball steward, but not behind him. This will leave him visible to the approaching player and the latter will not have to elbow his way through the crush. 3. In following the play do not go through bunkers, go round them. Your deep foot-marks in sand may cost a player dear. 4. When at a green awaiting players keep well to the sides and leave the back of the green quite clear so that the players can see the flag instead of it being lost against a background of figures. A sight of the flagstaff is necessary for judging distances for long approach shots. 5. Walk round greens, never cross them; they get wear and tear enough from the traffic of play only. After leaving a green do not cross to the far side of the next hole till the players have driven off; it is dangerous and it delays the play to do so. 6. Show no partiality to one player in a match. Do not applaud a good putt till both have holed out. Even if you know a player well, do not accost him. Let him concentrate on his play. 7. Respond quickly to any request from the course stewards, and to a call of fore. As golf is becoming so popular with the public, it might be a good idea for the New Zealand Golf Council to issue a similar card of instructions at the next championship tournament. The championship committee of the Royal and Ancient Club has issued the following statement:—A firm of golf ball makers has inquired if the “note” to the definition of an amateur golfer is intended to prevent makers from sending to prominent amateurs samples of any new balls for testing purposes. The firm has been informed that the “note” is not intended to affect the status of amateur golfers who accept samples of balls for testing purposes, but that in any case not more than two balls should be sent, and these balls must in every case be clearly marked with the word “sample.” The game still continues to grow in public favour and four more clubs were affiliated to the New Zealand Golf Association at the recent meeting of the council. These were Kaimarama (Auckland), Putaruru, North End (Timaru), and Toko North (,Milton). The Sporting Life of April 6 has the following:—“The New Zealand lady amateur golf champion Mrs Guy Williams, landed at Southampton yesterday afternoon. Interviewed, Mrs Williams said that she came over to see English women play golf and to take part in the ladies’ amateur golf championship at Burnham-on-Sea in May.” Mrs Williams, unfortunately, was defeated in the first round of the championship. The victory, however was gained only after a hard fight. Mrs Williams, as well as her mother (Mrs E. Hope Lewis) were laid up with the influenza, and it was only a few days before the meeting at Barnham that Mrs Williams had an opportunity for practice. This naturally handicapped the New Zealand champion considerably.