THE GAME OF GOLF

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1929, Page 5

THE GAME OF GOLF

MEDLEY CUP COMPETITION.

NEW PLYMOUTH CLUB NOTES.

(By

“Stance.”)

Though Hie weather conditions were well-nigh perfect at New Plymouth for the first round of the Medley Cup on Saturday, the greens, which had just recently been rolled with the heavy roller, were tricky, more especially as the ground just outside was very dead. Time and again a high approach would land just on the edge of the green and stay there while a chip that landed just on would run right through. Nevertheless the scores on the whole were wood; in fact they were well above the general standard of bogey matches.. G. Haughton’s was the outstanding effort, his card of 4 up being fine. His crame through the green was exceptionally steady, and with a little more of "the element of luck o n the greens he might quite easily have been two or three more to the good. Commencing from the seventh he set off with wins at the first two holes and should have won the ninth but for missing a foot putt. On the homeward half he continued to go well, the only bad holes being Moses, where he duffed his tee shot, and the 15th, where he took four from just by the bunker on the left.

Coming to the first hole he was three up. This and the second were halved, but three putts from a distance of twelve feet cost him the third. He won the next two and halved the last, finishing four up. Haughton is one. of the favourites for the Coltman Cup, and a continuance of this form will keep the opposition busy. Another good card was that of T. V. Mackay, who has taken a new lease of life and is playing as well as ever he' did.

Like Haughton, he started at the 7th and halved the first three holes. He lost the 10th, but then sensationally won three holes in a row with 3,2, 4. He holed a cnip at the 12th. He lost the 14th, but won the 15th. The 16th was halved. He put a ball over the cliff at the 17th and lost the 18th. He was then all square.

He halved the Ist but then came to light with some more Hagenic stuff. His second at the next came to rest eightfeet from the hole, and he canned the putt for an eagle three. He won the third with a four and then proceeded to help himself to another two at the 4th by means of a nice putt. He halved the st'h, but lost the 6th, and finished 2 up on the Colonel.. He did not play the 17th out, but hie score for the remaining seventeen holes was 72, a remarkable effort under the conditions. V. Elliott also showed a return to form, and considering that he was absolutely the last competitor to leave the tee his card of one up was a good performance. He was one down at the turn but came home in fine style, -winning three holes and losing one. G. 11. Saunders upheld the honour of the left-handers by finishing with a one hole advantage of the colonel. A, H. Blennerhassett was wielding his putter in good fashion in the early stages and was one up at the 13th. He lost the next but a nice three gave him a win at the 16th. He played the 17th after a good drive and managed only to halve the last. J. McNeill, who is in great form, and H. S. Weston were also only one down. McNeill meets Conway in the next round of the Coltman Cup and the club champion will have to be at the top of his form if he is to win. The second and final round will be played on Saturday, and though the issue is still open, Haughton and Mackay are in a very strong position, and it would appear to lie between them.

The main topic of conversation at the Wahvakaiho links is the new scheme for reconstruction, and it is certain that when the special meeting is held there will be a record attendance of members to hear the details. This interest is gratifying to the committee, and the more who attend the better it will be satisfied. Mr. Norman Cole, Attckland, who has carried out the new work at Titirangi and Middlemore, was a visitor at New Plymouth last week and spent' several hours on the course with the members of the greens committee. The worm killer has certainly done its work properly and players can expect the greens to show a wonderful improvement during the next few weeks. That industrious little underground worker, however, is playing havoc on the approaches to the greens, and the only way to deal with this appears to be to put the harrows across this portion. Arrangements are well in hand for the big match between the teams of the captain and secretary, and cautious inquiries are being made regarding the capabilities of some of the longer handicap players. The teams will be published during the week, and any player who is unable to take part should waste no time in informing the secretary of the fact. •The next inter-club match will be against Opunake. The links of the Opunake Club are reported to be in excellent order, and all who make the trip should be able to put in a very enjoyable week-end. This game will take place the day following the match between the captain and secretary's teams. Without doubt the most elusive paid; of the game of golf is the putt, and nothing is more aggravating to a player than to be completely out of touch with his putter. And strange to say no player, however good, is quite immune from this weakness. Even that prince of putters Walter Hagen, after a marvellous run with this club, quite lost hi.s touch over the final nine holes of the British open, taking three putts on three greens, a bad lapse for a player of his calibre. The strange part about this loss of touch is that there is no real remedy known; even the cracks do not know how to correct themselves. One just has to go on putting until almost as •suddenly form went back it comes, and one is happy again. Of course all have those glorious days when the hole looks as big as a bucket and the track to the holo appears to be a groove running downhill, but these are few and far between and the rest of the time one is, more, or less, struggling to persuade the obstinate little white pill to disappear into the desired resting place. It is all in the game, and if one could always, see grooves loading into buckets the whole thing would become monotonous and one would try some other game that would set the nerves on edge. ELTHAM CLUB MATCHES. The monthly medal match played by the Eltham Golf Club during the week resulted in a win for N. Phillips, with a net score of 74. Owing to the inclement weather the

inter-club match which was to be played with the Patea Club was postponed. During the coming week-end the first j-ound of the Quin Cup match will be played.