GOLF

Southland Times, Issue 21850, 29 October 1932, Page 15

GOLF

(By

“Creel.”)

The Queen’s Park Club brings its season to a close this afternoon when competitions will be held. This evening the prizes won during the season will be presented at a smoke concert. The Invercargill Ladies’ Golf Club spent an enjoyable day on the links on Thursday last. In the morning Canadian Foursomes were played, several good scores being returned. The winners were Mrs Israel and Miss M. Pilcher, 76 net, the runners-up Mrs McCarthy and Miss E. Bews being two strokes more. In the afternoon an interesting match was played—approaching and putting over 18 holes. The winner of this—Mrs Handyside returned a good card of 55, the runner-up, Mrs Hall-Jones being one stroke more. A putting championship has been started, the first round of which must be completed by Tuesday next. Although the weather conditions were not by any means pleasant last Saturday, a sufficient number turned up at the Park for a “scratch” match to be played, the choice being a sealed holes competition. Bogey for the nine holes sealed was 43, and half handicaps were deducted. D. Cochrane was nearest to that figure with a gross 46, but his half handicap of three did not give him a net score low enough to win. The best card was returned by J. F. Miller, who had 50—9—41 which gave him the victory bv half a stroke from J. R. Woods’s 49— Vi— 41k G. R. Milward with 52—9—43 tied with Cochrane for third place. The Queen’s Park Ladies’ Club experienced perfect weather for its Canadian foursomes on Wednesday, which was the last but one match day of the season. Mrs McHugh and Mrs McCreary combined well together and their card of 93—19 —74 was the best. Next Wednesday the club closes its season with two matches. The first, commencing at 9.30 a.m., will be a sealed holes match over 13 holes, and the other, beginning at one o’clock, takes the form of a one club competition over 10 holes. Although Jim Ferrier, last year’s amateur champion of N.S.W., did not play in this year’s open championship of Australia and the amateur championship of Australia, he has performed very ably. During the present season, in competition golf only (all practice rounds being eliminated), in 50 successive rounds on all courses near Sydney, he has had an average of 73.1652. Miss Valletta Purcell, who commenced golf only this season, holed in one on the Adelong (N.S.W.) course, the first time the feat has been accomplished at Adelong by an associate. A Sydney Referee correspondent states: “The young lady was showered with kisses by the members present.” Does this mean that the men were in it, too?

The Queen’s Park Club has every reason to be well satisfied with its tournament on Labour Day. The weather was ideal and the fixture was well supported by members of not only the two city clubs, but of country clubs as well. A better system of starting would probably have avoided the congestion that occurred both in the morning and in the afternoon, but as the weather was so pleasant the waiting did not prove as tedious as it might have been. The fields were divided into two grades, thus giving the lower handicap men a better chance of winning something. The bogey match in the morning resulted in keen competition among the A graders. D. Cochrane and L. Henderson (Tuatapere) tied with three up, the former having a fine round of 77. They played off in the afternoon in conjunction with the medal competition, Cochrane maintaining his good form to finish in 78 and take the trophy with two up. T. H. Mills had the next best card, being two up. A. C. Steele, J. A. Thom and W. Fordyce were all one up. The B grade match resulted in a walk-over for F. Ball (Wyndham), who had the remarkable score of 9 up. Ball, who won the B grade championship of his club this year, was round in 84 and was in receipt of no fewer than 17 strokes. His 84 must represent his best round to date. R. T. Barnett was four up, but on the day was only a poor second. N. Earl (three up), L. S. Edmond - (Ohai, two up), H. Edginton (two up) and G. McQuarrie (one up) were next. W. Fordyce went better in the afternoon and won the A grade medal match with 79—11 —68—a tip top performance'. J. A. Mangan (Tuatapere) was also going well and completed the course in 80, his handicap of 10 giving him 70 net, which tied for second place with O. G. Gilmour’s 82— 12—70—also an excellent card. D. Cochrane had the best gross score with 78. In the B grade section J. D. Strettell had a round that suggests that his handicap will soon be substantially “cut,” his 81—16—65 giving him a comfortable win. N. Earl with 87—18—69 and N. S. Kenward with 93 —24—69 were together in second place. The next best was G. Robertson’s 86—15— 71.

Contrary to the advice of his best friends, Norman Von Nida, who won the amateur championship of Queensland last May, elected to enter professional golf by means of a small-sal-aried job with J. R. Quarton, wellknown golf mentor at McWhirter’s emporium in the Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Now, after the short experience which four months may bring to one, he is so convinced of his mistake that he has walked out. To employ his own words: “He would a thousand times sooner get a job and work for a living.” The pity of it is that he had to attach semi-professionalism to himself to learn His lesson (states the Sydney Referee). But he is quite young (18), a little headstrong, and unusually confident, and it is very doubtful whether his perspective could have been really adjusted without something of such severity. Now he is in touch with the Secretary of the Golf Council, Mr T. B. Hunter, on the subject of regaining his amateur status. Whichever way things go, the boy has quite made up his mind that professional golf is not for him. '

On Saturday, October 8, the brilliant N.S.W. professional Sam Richardson made a start of achieving the high honours that have been predicted for him during the past few years. By defeating Charlie Gray at the 37th he took the professional championship of N.S.W., and, incidentally, his first big title. But even then Richardson did not fully overcome his putting weakness, and lapsed badly on several occasions. Four putts on the 31st and then a missed two-footer at the 36th are ample evidence. But the remainder of his game was practically flawless (comments a writer in the Sydney Referee). He was rarely off the line with his wooden clubs, while his control of the long iron shots was particularly fine. It was a beautiful No. 2 iron which put hint on to the green at the 37th aftes Gray had once again hooked his wood shot. But Gray lost little by defeat, and showed admirable fighting spirit. Behind practically all the way—Richardson was sup at the 10th—he fought every hole, and time after time recovered magnificently after his hooked tee shot had finished in the rough. It was a remarkable display of fighting golf. Richardson, broad of shoulder and built like a heavyweight fighter, is a dashing type of player. He looked the part, too, attired in a symphony of tan and white. He wastes no time with his shots. He approaches his ball and selects his club on the way. There is nothing indecisive about Richardson.

TUATAPERE NEWS. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS. The following qualified to play off for the men’s senior championship: S. A. Walker plays Walter Mangan; Dr. Dodds plays J. A. Mangan. For the Junior Cup, J. J. Lawson defeated A. D. McClymont and P. Scott defeated R. Henderson. The final over 36 holes will be played between J. Lawson and P. Scott. Ladies’ Club Championship. The semi-final for the above was played on Wednesday when Mrs D. McLeod defeated Miss W. Hannan (holder) on the 18th green. The match was all square at the 17th, Mrs McLeod holed a good putt on the last green to win the match 1 up. The final over 36 holes will be played between Mrs. D. McLeod and Mrs P. Scott.