GOLF

Southland Times, Issue 25306, 8 June 1935, Page 14

GOLF

(By

“Cleek.”)

INVERCARGILL CLUB. June B.—Cuthbertson Memorial foursomes handicap. June 22.—Medal handicap. QUEEN’S PARK CLUB. June B.—June medal, and first qualifying round Holloway Shield. June 22.—Second qualifying round Holloway Shield. June 29.—Captain v. Deputy Captain teams match; first round Holloway Shield to be played. Cuthbertson Memorial foursomes, bogey handicap, will be played at Otatara this afternoon. June medal handicap at Queens Park this afternoon. Annual contest for Holloway Shield begins. The medal handicap set down for next Saturday at Otatara has been postponed for a week on account of the visit of the Indian hockey team. Many golfers will want to see these jugglers with stick and ball in action. In the paragraph printed in this column last week with reference to the New South Wales state handicap list it was mentioned that young Jim Ferrier was rated at one. During the past week a cable was published reporting that Ferrier had been handicapped at plus one, and that he was the lowest handicapped amateur in Australia, if not in the world.” As to the latter point the meaning is, of course, that Ferriers handicap is the lowest of all amateur handicaps based on par. In Britain there are dozens, probably hundreds, of so-called plus golfers, some of them boasting handicaps as low as plus 4But the British basis is not par, and the majority of these British plus four gentlemen could no more hold their own with an American rated at minus two or three than they could fly. And the fact that Ferrier has earned a. plus handicap suggests that par needs tightening up in New South Wales, for, so far as the writer knows, no amateur has ever been rated at better than scratch on the American par system not even Bobby Jones, with his unparalleled list of open and . amateur championship victories. Ferrier’s plus one means that Ferrier has been beating par as it is reckoned in New South Wales, but it does not necessarily mean that he is on a lower mark than the scratch man in U.S.A. Nevertheless the N.S.W. par is a drastic standard. Ferrier has been playing magnificent golf in competitions and should be a conspicuous figure in this year’s state and national tournaments in Australia. ' Miss Wanda Morgan, British lady champion, has been in the first flight for some years. She won the English championship in 1931 and in the same year was runner-up for the British ladies’ championship. She is a fine golfer and a great match player. It is doubtful, however, if she is quite as good a golfer as Miss Pamela . Barton, whom she beat in the final. Miss Barton was runner-up last year also, and last year she won the French ladies open championship. Miss Barton is not yet nineteen years of age and has undoubtedly a great future before her. Miss Morgan is only a few years older. Both these players may be seen in New Zealand later in the year as members of the British ladies’ team that will leave England next month to play in Australia and this country. It cannot be said that the foursome is popular among golfers in this part of the world. The foursome is here spoken of in the strict sense, the side consisting of two players who play one ball, taking alternate strokes. The Americans apply the name foursome to any game in which four players take part: the foursome proper they call the Scotch foursome” to distinguish it. The average golfer likes to have a ball to self from the tee to the hole, and he likes, also, to be able to duff a shot without bringing disaster upon anybody but himself. The merit of the foursome lies in the very characteristics which deprive it of popularity. It calls for a good understanding and consistently good execution by two players who stand or fall together. Both are kept up to the collar all the time and the strain is never relaxed. The foursome is severe, and for that reason it has a standing which the four-ball has not. In all the big international matches the foursome has a place, and it ought to have a place in all club programmes. The Cuthbertson Memorial Cup is keenly sought after not only because of the trophy itself and.its associations, but also because it is won by a form of play which makes an exacting demand upon the skill, coolness, resourcefulness and determination of the player. LADIES’ MATCHES.

On Thursday last the Invercargill Ladies’ Golf Club played their monthly medal match. Owing to the softness of the links, teeing up was the order of the day. The ball presented by Mrs Anderson for the lowest net score was won by Mrs Broad, 103—25 —78. Other good scores were returned by Miss C. Smith, 93—14—79; Miss N. Gilkinson, 100—17—83; Miss Henderson, 100—16— 84; Mrs H. M. Smith, 102—17—85. The best score put in for the Handyside Cup for May was that of Miss L. Douglas, 111—33—78. The monthly L.G.U. match was played at Queen’s Park on Tuesday when the best scores returned were: Silver division, Miss Guest, 94—13—81; bronze division, Mrs Earl, 103—28 —75; Miss McDowall, 102—2 G—76. Mrs Earl reduced her handicap by three strokes and Miss McDowall took two off hers. QUEEN’S PARK CLUB. Only two players were able to get the better of bogey in a match played at Queen’s Park last Saturday. The weather was beautifully fine and a very large field turned out. The best card returned in the A grade was that of E. H. Ball, who was 1 up. Only a week previously he had an impressive win in a B grade match, his performance on that occasion earning him promotion to A grade status. He has made great progress this season after an uncertain start. O. Gt Gilmour and J. R. Nicholson were 1 down, then followed J. G. Niccol, J. R. Deal, R. Kidd, F. J. Perham, I. W. Campbell, H. R. Mottram and T. Double, all 2 down. The most consistent performer among the B

grade players at present is J. M. Daly, who scored another win with a card marked 1 up.. He is moving along steadily to an A grade handicap. C. Fleming was next on the list,' finishing all square. Others prominent were G. R Hanan and S. N. Griffin, 1 down, R. T. Barnett, A. E. McGrath. D. W. Robinson and A. J. Stubbs, all 2 down. Handicap reductions have been made as follows: J. G. Niccol to 3, F. H. Hughes to 6, R. W, Pollok to 7, J. R. Nicholson to 8, E. Halder to 11, T. Double to 13, P. E. Rice to 14, A. K. Mac Ewan to 17, C. L. Stubbs to 18, G. McQuarrie to 18, R. G. Scandrett to zO, D. W. Robinson to 21, T. A. Nicholson to 22. MEETING OF N.Z. COUNCIL. The monthly meeting of the council of the New Zealand Golf Association was held at Wellington on Tuesday, ■when there were present:—Sir Alexander Roberts (chairman), Messrs W. E. A. Gill, C. H. Andrews, J. H. Drake, A. R. Welanders, J. C. Peacock and G. O. Sutton (secretary). On the motion of the chairman the council expressed keen appreciation ot the services rendered to the association bv Mr Justice Page while he was a member of the council, (which office he has now found it necessary to resign), particularly in regard to bis guidance in arriving at decisions m connection with the laws of the game. It was decided to convey the resolution to Mr Page. Mr Peacock, whom the last meeting had decided should be asked to fill the vacancy, attended, the meeting and was elected a member of the council. . ~,,,, Six new clubs which had duly made ..application were elected members oi the association. . " , A letter was received from the Christchurch Golf Club together with a draft programme of the 1935 championship tournament. This was fully discussed and it was resolved to make certain inquiries from Christchurch relative to some of the matters embodied in the programme. A sub-committee was appointed to finalize the matter upon receipt of a reply from ChnstThe question of instituting interprovincial teams’ matches was brought up by Mr Andrews and after discussion he agreed to draft a memorandum for the next meeting, outlining suggestions for such a scheme. OTAGO v. St. CLAIR. On the St. Clair course last weekend, in fine weather, teams from the Otago and St. Clair clubs met m an inter-club match. Since most of the players are well-known locally and have been seen in action at Otatara the results are worth noting. It will be observed that the match was played in foursomes and singles, a proper recognition of the value of the foursome as a test. The four-ball is worthless for such a purpose and the Ota D o and St. Clair clubs are to be commended for giving foursome the place in inter-club matches that its merit entitles it to. Of the four foursomes each club won two. Of the singles Otago won four to St Clan s three and one was halved. The final tally therefore was:—Otago, 6J matches, St. Clair, SJ. Details were:— FOURSOMES. K. Ross and A. G. Sime lost to C. B. Wight and W. Clayton 5 and 3. T. B. Ferguson and J. A. Scouler defeated D. C. Bennie and J. E. Matheson, * J. P R. Laidlaw and W. G. Wight defeated H. A. Gamble and A. Lawrence, 1 S. P E. Field and J. H. McDougall lost to D. S. McLean and F. V. Drake, 3 and 2. SINGLES. K. Ross lost to C. B. Wight 1 down. A. G. Sime defeated W. Clayton, 3 aI T. B. Ferguson and D. C. Bennie all Sq j a A'. Scouler lost to J. E. Matheson, 1 J. R. Laidlaw defeated H. A. Gamble, 3 and 3. , « T W. G. Wight defeated A. Lawrence, S. E. Field defeated D. S. McLean, 2 an j. H. McDougall lost to F. V. Drake, 2 and 1.

KING’S BIRTHDAY TOURNAMENT.

Excellent entries, efficient organization and, last but by no means least, beautiful weather were the mam reasons for the outstanding success of the King’s Birthday tournament at Queens Park last Monday. It was really the first big tournament run by the Queen s Park Club, and the manner in which it was handled indicated that the Invercargill Club’s confidence in the ability of the Park Committee to rise to the occasion was not misplaced. The bulk of the work fell on the shoulders of two or three stalwarts, but all connected with the organization of the fixture pulled their weight and a first class job was the result. In order to reduce congestion to a minimum it was necessary to despatch the big field of 120 in fours, and although progress was slower—the shortest putt had to be holed—the time taken for 18 holes was not too long with the result that everyone was able to complete the two rounds before light failed. The tournament is unquestionably 3 very popular one, especially with , members of country clubs for whom it was chiefly organized in the first place, and as it is reasonable to assume that entries in future will increase rather than decrease the club may have to consider limiting the entry. It was gratifying, too, to find the country players figuring so prominently in the lists of results, the success of a youthful Wyndham player in the B grade championship being generally acclaimed. An Invercargill championship was introduced this year and was decided by two rounds of stroke play. An intermediate championship, for players with handicaps of 10 to 14, and a B grade championship were popular events. J. G. Niccol added another scalp to his belt when he won the main event, the Invercargill championship, with 75 for each round. It was a fine performance, especially as he was far from physically fit on the day as a result of the effects of influenza. This success, following his win in the Southland championship at Easter, places Niccol at the top of the tree as far as golf in Southland is concerned. He is now on a handicap of three. Niccol was closely pressed by H. W. Rogers (Invercargill Club), who had some good scores, including a 69, to his credit while playing on the Park during the summer. Niccol held the slender lead of one stroke at the end of the morning round, and when each returned 75 in the afternoon he was still one ahead on the aggregate. Rogers, however need not despair; he is playing sound golf and is sure to come out on top in a big event sooner or later. G. E. Glennie (78) and J. R. Nicholson (77) were within striking distance of the two leaders after the first round, but although Glennie improved three strokes in the afternoon he was still three behind the winner. Nicholson, who could not do better than 82 in the afternoon, has plenty of golf ahead of him and the experience would have a good effect. F. H. Hughes began with 81 and in the afternoon improved to 75, but he had too much leeway to make up to have a chance of winning. Others prominent were H. W. Norris, 81—80—161; C. G. Davey (Wyndham), 85—79—164; P. B. Barnett (Wyndham), 80—85—165; G. Robertson, 81—85—166; W. R. Patrick, 83—85—168; J. J. Banks (Riverton) 84—85—169. The intermediate championship was won in a canter by R. W. Pollok, who dashed out from the barrier and kept

up such a hot pace that at the end of the first round he was six strokes clear of the field with an amazing round of 73—the best gross score of the tournament. Pollok played superb golf all the way and was continually putting for birdies, which he narrowly missed on several occasions. But he was a different player in the afternoon and his score jumped to 84, a figure that does ( not indicate the standard.he has reached. His handicap has come down to seven, a mark that he should not have much difficulty in playing to provided his shots to the green regularly find the target R. G. Hay-Mackenzie (Wyndham) and E. Halder (Queen’s Park) tied for second place with aggregates of 163 and will play off for a trophy. The former always seems to be close up and although he has returned better scores than he did on Monday he does not seem to produce his top form in tournament play. Halder’s scores of 82 and 81 were surprisingly good in view of his infrequent appearances on the links this season. Two Wyndham players, D. Crawford (84 and 81) and J. Henderson (81 and 84) were next with aggregates of 165, followed by J. D. Strettell (Invercargill), 85—83—168; T. Double, 83—86—169; G. F. Tobin (Invercargill), 85—84—169; J. E. Lewis (Ohai), 81—89— 170; C. L. Rice, 86— 84— A. P. Gibson (Wyndham). 86— 85— H. R. Mottram, 84-88-172. The B grade championship was keenly contested and it was only after a tie had been decided that the winner was found. He proved to be L. Harper, jun., of Wyndham, probably the youngest competitor in the field, but a golfer who is going to make his mark. He played steadily all day and returned two cards of 86, his aggregate of 172 tieing with that of P. T. Trevella (Invercargill), who followed a first round of 84 with one of 88 and thus spoilt his chance. The tie was decided by three holes of stroke play and by the time they had finished it was quite dark. Harper was the steadier of the two and thus came in with a notable success to his credit. S. Giles, a keen golfer from Ohai, C. H. Hargest, of ■ Mokoia, and P. E. Rice were right on the heels of the other two with aggregates of 173. Rice was leading the field with a good 82 after the first round but he dropped to 91 in the afternoon, and another glorious chance was wrecked. Next in order were H. P. Fougere, 89—86—175; V. S. Milne (Wyndham), 89—87—176; R. T. Barnett, 88—89—177; C. L. Stubbs, 87—90— 177; J. J. White, 88-99-178; G. McQuarrie, 87—94 —181. The inter-club match resulted in a comfortable win for the Wyndham No. 1 team (C. Rout, F. A. Pankhurst, D. Crawford and A. P. Gibson), whose net aggregate of 287 was four strokes better than that returned by Mokoia No. 2 team (I. Haggitt, J. A. Sinclair, A. Gourley and J. Russell). Riverton No. 1 and Wyndham No. 2 tied for third place with scores of 295. Handicap matches were played in conjunction with the championship rounds. In the A grade R. W. Pollok had an easy win in the morning with a card of 73—11—62, while in the afternoon F. H. Hughes, 75—7—68, and E. Halder, 81—13—68, tied for first place, Hughes winning on the count back. Both B grade medal matches were won by Wyndham players, L. Harper, jun., being first in the morning with 86—21— 65, and K. Traynor leading the field in the afternoon with 87—24 —63. A prize was also given to the 24-handicap player with the best gross aggregate for the two rounds, and this was won by J. Russell (Mokoia) whose figures were 92—98—190.

GOLF CHAMPION’S OPEN SECRET.

“What is the secret of your play?” a reporter recently asked a golf champion in Britain. “There is no secret,” he replied. “The main thing is I. always use Dunlop golf balls!” It is a fact that the Dunlop ball has more golf successes to its credit than any other ball on the market to-day. The reason is that scientific accuracy is demanded at every stage in the manufacture of the Dunlop ball, acclaimed by the leading players as the extralength golf ball. Next time play with r Dunlop Golf Ball—the choice ol champions.—Advt.