EARLY AND CHEAP GOLF

Southland Times, Issue 19461, 28 January 1925, Page 8

EARLY AND CHEAP GOLF

MR RAMSAY MACDONALD’S MEMORY. HOME-MADE CLUBS. Mr Ramsay MacDonald and Mr J. H. Thomas turned' oyt as golfers recently, when they both drove balls from the first tee at Princes Golf Club, Mitcham, near London, in order to mark the formal opening of the course to the public. Sir H. MalLaby Deely, who has given the course to the public, has not only returned all members’ subscriptions for the past year, as well as entrance fees paid during the past two years, but he has canceUed ordinary shares in the Club, for which he paid £7OOO, and redeemed debenture shares to the value of £lO.OOO. Nov/ anyone may play on the course for 1/6 a round, or 2/6 a day. Mr Ramsay MacDonald, in accepting the trust deed on behalf of the public, mentioned that once, playing over the course, Lord Balfour got into a bunker. He asked the caddie (a precocious youth) what club he should take. Being handed a niblick, he hit the ball out of the sand and it finished close to the flag. Turning to the caddie, he asked him what he thought about it. “Yes, sir,” the boy replied, “with your length and my brains you would make a good golfer.” Mr MacDonald also told of a day’s golf at Gleneagles with Mr J. H. Thomas. The latter was provided with the Club’s best caddie and, after driving off. he called for his brassie for the second shot! The caddie gave him a niblick, remarking: “You may have no reputation as a golfer, but I have a reputation as a caddie.” Mr Thomas took the niblick. Golf to-day in England, Mr MacDonald said, was far too dear. In his young days the game did not cost them more than 6d a year. The iron heads of the clubs were made at the blacksmith’s shop, and they tied them on to sticks with twine themselves, while they made their own balls.