GOLF

Southland Times, Issue 21662, 26 March 1932, Page 14

GOLF

(By

“Cleek.”)

Easter tournaments in full swing. Local golfers busy—men at Otatara and women at Queen’s Park. At both local tournaments there is a very satisfactory sprinkling of “foreign” as distinct. from local competitors.

From Invercargill to Auckland the provincial championships are being decided at the annual Easter tournaments in the provincial centres.

At its first meeting the new Committee of the Invercargill Golf Club had the satisfaction of receiving nominations for membership more than sufficient in members to fill all the vacancies left by recent resignations.

There was a big turnout of players at Otatara last Sunday. In addition to members of the Invercargill Club who were having a final round in preparation for the Easter tournament, Queen’s Park members who had entered for the tournament availed themselves of the opportunity of familarizing themselves with fairways and greens. B. V. Wright, ex-Timaru crack, who was round Bahuacewan in 66 a fortnight ago in a private game, gave a further taste of his quality last Saturday when in a medal competition he established a new course record of 67. Wright is a top-notcher. He has quite exceptional length from the tee, is sound in the short game, and is rarely at fault in direction. He must be considered for the next New Zealand Kirk-Winde-yer Cup team. The weather last week-end, and for days before and after, was gorgeous and it will be hard to bear if nature, having given such a foretaste of her bounties, should be so unkind as to send wind and rain for the Easter holidays. Thousands of people besides golfers will think themselves hardly done by if that should happen. There is this to be said of course —that the weather matters less to golfers than to most. Despite hard times the Royal Sydney Golf Club ended its year with a surplus of £4340. Subscriptions from members amounted to £26,288, and entrance fees to £2935. What a big golf club means as a wage distributor may be judged from the fact that clubhouse wages amounted to £6163, while course maintenance, mostly labour, cost £5751.

Last year the Invercargill Club was favoured with a glorious day for its opening, but last Saturday, for the 1932 opening, weather conditions were even better. They were, in fact, perfection itself. It was not surprising therefore that there should be a record entry for the mixed foursomes. One hundred and twenty players were the President’s guests at afternoon tea. The Agnes Smith Memorial Cup, one of the handsomest and most valuable of the Invercargill Club’s trophies, the gift of Mr A. E. Smith, was won by Mr H. T. Thompson and Miss D. Stout, who had a day out and showed the field a clean pair of heels, or, as it was a foursome, perhaps we should say two pairs of clean heels. Their score 92—20—72 was so good that it was four strokes better than the next best. These mixed foursomes, year in and year out, have shown that whatever the field the best pair will do level fives, or 90 stroked, for the round. It was so on Saturday •when E. Russell and Miss Pilcher and B. O’Dowda and Miss Dixon returned cards of 90 gross. Thompson and Miss D. Stout received a good many strokes from these pairs but their gross was only two storkes more, so that they player! very nearly to the scratch figure for the field. The purpip patch on their card was a four at Long Tom. The leading scores were:—

H. T. Thompson and Miss D. Stout 92-20-72 O. G. Gilmour and Miss B. Lawrence 102-26-76 W. S. Ayson and Miss Thompson 101-24-77 A. E. Smith and Mrs Handyside 96-18-78 M. O’Dowda and Mrs Dixon 90-12-78 IL M. Smith and Mrs Smith 95-17-78 J. S. Dick and Mrs Israel 92-13-79 A pleasing feature of the competition was the creditable score returned by the Presidential team—Mr A. E. Smith, President of the Invercargill Club, and Mrs W. Handyside, President of the Invercargill Ladies’ Club. After the game Mr Smith officially'declared the season open in his happy way and nearly all' the competitors went out for some more golf. It was certainly a particularly happy and promising “kick-off” for the Invercargill Club’s new year.

Arrangement for the Kirk-Windeyer Cup competition have advanced a stage by the receipt of dates for the competitions open to the New Zealand team if one is sent. These include the New South Wales championship foursomes, June 11th, Kirk-Wind-eyer Cup, June 13th to 15th, and New South Wales State Championship tournament, June 18th to 25th. The New Zealand players who have been sounded as to their ability to join the team include former cup players in A. D. S. Duncan, T. H. Horton, J. L. Black, and K. Ross, while of the younger generation R. Wagg, B. M. Silk, J. P. Mortland, B. J. Smith, H. A. Black, and B. V. Wright have been similarly honoured.

Judging by some of the scores returned recently On the Park, there will be a good deal to be -done in the way of revising handicaps once the official matches begin. One player who has been placed on the 15 mark was round in 75 this week and has several other scores below 80 to his credit. Others, too, have been allotted liberal allowances, and, providing they can play to anything like the scores they have had lately on the Park, they should figure prominently in the handicap events at the Otatara tournament.

The second round of a bogey eclectic match was played by members of the Invercargill Ladies’ Club at Otatara on Tuesday last. The weather conditions were excellent and several reductions of handicaps were reported. Mrs Israel and Mrs Chilwell tied for first place, each being 4 up on bogey. The next match—a medal round—will be played on Thursday, March 31.

“Some people look upon golf as a luxury,” said Mr Malcolm S. Holmes, the new-ly-elected President of the North Otago Goff Club, at the annual meeting, “but it is nothing of the kind—it is a necessity.” Mr Holmes went on to say that if he were a doctor he would advocate golf as a cure for many complaints, and all members present at the meeting showed by their applause that they were of the same opinion. Mr p. Cuthbertson announced at the annual meeting of the North Otago Golf Club that Mr B. Sincock, of the St. Clair Club, Dunedin, had presented a shield for annual competition between the St. Clair and North Otago Clubs. The shield would arrive in a short time, and the St. Clair dub would make arrangements to travel up to Oamaru. The shield would be competed for on a handicap basis.