GOLF

Southland Times, Issue 20496, 26 May 1928, Page 18 (Supplement)

GOLF

(By “Cleek.”) ; June 21—American Open Championship, Olympia Fields, Chicago. Aug. 30—Britain v. America, Walker cup International, Chicago Golf Club, Wheaton, 111. Sept. 10—American Amateur Championship, Brae Burn Country Club, West Newton, Mass. Sept. 24—American Ladies’ Open Championship, Virginia Hot Springs, Va. Oct. 10—20—N.Z. Open and Amateur Championships, Balraacewan, Dunedin. Bogey match at Otatara to-day. Flag match concluded on the Park to-day. Final of British amateur championship at Prestwick should be reached to-day. Members of the Invercargill Club should note that 31st inst. is the last date on which the concession on the annual subscription is allowed. Those who leave their subscriptions unpaid after that date forfeit the reduction made for payment within the specified time. R. H. Camm, formerly a regular player at Otatara, turned up as a successful competitor in a four-ball bogey competition at Harewood, Christchurch, last Saturday. His partner was Captain J. L. Findlay, and the pair finished 7 up. T. H. Horton, ex-amateur champion, is evidently keeping in form. In a competition at Masterton, his “home town,” he was round in 73 and with a handicap of plus 4 his score was 77. He was just beaten for first place by another competitor whose card was 87—12 —75. In the second round of the Otago Club’s championship the matches resulted as follows: —G. F. Barnett beat W. G. Wight 5 up and 4 to play; G. C. Henderson beat J. W. Trewern 8 and 6; K. Ross beat D. H. Butcher 5 and 4, Colbeck beat Galway 5 up and 4 to play. Geoffrey Henderson, exOtatara player, is playing an improved game. He qualified high up on the list and has won his matches up to the semifinal stage by large margins. He has now to meet players of considerably heavier calibre than those he has defeated. In the semi-finals Ross plays Henderson and Barnett plays Colbeck. All his golfing friends will congratulate C. A. Masters on the promotion which has come to him in the service of the National Bank of N. Z. Ltd., but they will regret exceedingly that the acceptance of promotion entails hie removal from Invercargill to Wellington. Masters is not only the best player in the Invercargill Club but also the best player the game has so far produced in this district, and his loss will greatly weaken the playing' strength of the principal Southland Club. Apart from his capabilities as a player Masters has been an enthusiastic worker in the management of the Invercargill Club, and has rendered invaluable service as committeeman, deputy captain, captain, handicapper, and keeper of the Club records. The vacancy left by his removal will be. hard to fill. On the other hand there is no doubt that the transfer to Wellington will give Masters great opportunities of improving his game. Wellington is the strongest golf centre in the dominion. All the leading Clubs have players of exceptional merit, and the interclub fixtures are marked by matches among “the tops” of championship status. Masters will have to produce the best of which he is capable to get a place in the leading division and the effort to improve must make him a better golfer. So far all his golf has been played in this district, where, to be quite frank, the standard is not high, and Wellington offers a much more attractive field to a young and ambitious player. The loss to the Invercargill Club is a heavy one, but that is a minor consideration after all. “Mac” Masters will carry with him the best wishes of all his golfing friends in these parts, not only for his continued advancement in business, but also for his steady advancement to front rank in the game to which he is so wholeheartedly devoted.

The Melbourne golf clubs, practically without exception, decide their. Club championships by three stroke rounds. This year Ivo Whitton won the championship of the Royal Melbourne Club for the sixth time. His rounds were 71, 76, 76, and his total, 223, was better by two strokes than the previous best. The rounds were played at intervals of a week and weather conditions were not always favourable, so that Whitton’s scoring on the long and difficult Sandringham course was remarkably fine. On his recent trip through New Zealand Whitton put up some brilliant scores on the principal courses of the Dominion. His game has been consistently brilliant, in fact, and he should play a conspicuous part in this year’s Australian championships. He has already won the Australian amateur twice and the Australian open three times. The weather was not at all in sympathy with the idea of jollity in fancy dress in the open air on the golf links last Saturday afternoon. It blew a gale and rain showers were frequent. But the golfers were not to be deterred and at Otatara upwards of 120 gathered in the Club House, in which j bright log fires entirely counteracted the .coldness and dampness of the weather outside. The company consisted of members of the Invercargill Club, with friends and families to swell their numbers, and all but a very small number were in fancy dress. Some of the hardier spirits braved the elements and played a few holes, but the. great majority found their entertainment in indoor competitions—putting, nail driving, quoits—and in each other’s costumes. Some of the fancy dresses were very fine, ’ some of them as odd and grotesque as they were meant to be, and nearly all of them amusing. The Mayor and Mayoress of i the Carnival paid the golfers a welcome visit, and the mayor in his happiest style distributed the prizes, which were in keeping with the spirit of the afternoon and were certainly not to be appraised on their intrinsic value. The couple of hours of ; tom-foolery were enjoyed by all who took part, and incidently the funds of the Club benefited by quite a substantial amount.

Though Bobby Jones was not at Sandwich to defend his title the British open championship was retained by the United States, thanks to Walter Hagen, and though Mddle Thion de la Chaume, holder of the British ladies’ championship, was defeated in the early stages at Hunstanton last week, the championship was again won for France by Mddle. Manette le Blan. This lady is no stranger to British courses and her win at Hunstanton would occasion no surprise. Last year she got through to the semifinals in which she was beaten by Mias Pearson 4 and 3. In Mddle de la Chaume and Mddle. le Blan France has two very fine players, and they have proved strong enough to win the British ladies’ championship for their country two years in succession. Of course it has to be borne in mind in regard to this event that Britain’s outstanding lady players, Miss Cecil Leitch and Miss Joyce Wethered, do not now compete in the championship. If they did it would be long odds that one or other would win. Mddle. de la Chaume was beaten this year by Miss Glenna Collett, the American star, but she in turn must have gone down in a subsequent round. As in the case of the open championship the cables gave us very meagre information as to the progress of the matches. Australia was represented at Hunstanton by three ladies—Miss Cecily Lascelles and Meedames Bowie and Adams —all members of the Royal Melbourne Club. The following note on the origin of the term “Bogey” is of interest, and is taken from the “Golfers’ Handbook.” The term was used first in 1891, Hugh Rotheram, Coventry, suggesting the idea of what was termed the “ground score” of the Coventry course. The scheme propounded by Rotheram was taken up by the Great Yarmouth Clubs’ hon. secretary, Dr. T. Browne, who inaugurated matches for Great Yarmouth on the lines indicated. About this particular time the popular music hall ditty, “Hush, hush, here comes the Bogey man,” was on everyone's lips, and it must have been uppermost in the mind of Major C. Wellman one day when he exclaimed to Dr. Browne, “This ground score of yours is a regular ‘Bogey man.’ ” The exnression “Bogey” was at once adopt-

ed at Great Yarmouth. Dr. Browne introduced “Bogey” to the United Services Club as “a quiet, modest, and retiring gentleman, uniformly steady, but not over brilliant.” “Bogey” was heartily welcomed by the United Services Club, and the hon. secretary, Captain Vidal, impressed with the personality of the newest member, suggested that it was but fitting that he should be given service rank, and he was accordingly given the rank of Colonel, which he still retains. The Royal and Ancient Club did not recognise the term until 1910, when the Rules of Golf Committee framed special rules for Bogey competitions. Someone should now frame an ideal name for “scratch” which will probably replace bogey in the near future.

Amateur golf in New Zealand loses one of its leading players by the decision of Norrie Bell to re-enter the ranks of the professionals and to open a coaching school for golfers in his home town —Hamilton. Although many will regret that Bell has forsaken his amateur status, his return to the ranks of the “pros.” will add a brilliant golfer to their number, says a golf writer in the Dominion. All his life Bell has been a golfer, for he first handled a club at the age of eight, when he played his own little game in a paddock alongside the Miramar golf links in emulation of the adult players over the fence. When thirteen years of age he came under the notice of the late W. B. Simpson, who had recently arrived from St. Andrew’s Scotland, and was then the professional'at Miramar. Under Simpson, young Bell made excellent progress, so much so that he soon became the assistant

“pro.” at Miramar. He learned the business of club making, and when, three years later, Simpson left Miramar, Bell acted as coach for all the clubs from Eketahuna to as far north as Waipawa, at the same time playing exhibition games with the late Gilbert Martin in aid of Red Cross funds. Bell was next appointed professional to the Johnsonville and Wellington Municipal Clubs, and later he went to reside in Hamilton. He left for the front with the Mounted Rifles, but contracted illness, and after six months in hospital was invalided home. He did not play immediately on his return, but endeavoured to get reinstated as an amateur, and in May, 1921, he received advice of his clearance as a professional. The same year he won the Hamilton Club championship, having held this honour ever since—seven years in all. He has also held the championship of Waikato for seven years, and the South Auckland championship for five years. In 1925 he won the Rotorua open tournament. On two occasions he has competed in the New Zealand championships, the first being in 1926 at Miramar, when he was in the last eight in the championship, and the second being last year, when he was a semi-finalist in the amateur championship played on his home links at Hamilton. His performance at Hamilton, when he was runner-up to Moss in the open championship, with a score of 304, and which equalled Joe Kirkwood’s record score in 1920, was his best to date.