PROVINCIAL GOLF

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1929, Page 4

PROVINCIAL GOLF

SOUTH PLAYS NORTH . CONDITIONS MAR THE' MATCHES. SUCCESSFUL FIXTURE REVIEWED.

(By “Stance.”) It Avas a pity tho south-easter should choose the week-end to sweep the country, for otherwise the North v. South Taranaki golf match would have been easily the most successful fixture the New Plymouth club has held for years. The course was in great order and the greens were better than they have been for some time. But the wind! It was awful. One played at the sixth —hit a perfect shot with a wooden club which he had visions of finding , on the . green, but no, it climbed higher and higher and then started to come back to; him and ran at least a chain tlie wrong way after landing; But the other , way with the wind, Grey and Dale both hit their tee shots right through the green at the first into the gully beyond. ' - . There were many stories about some hefty wallops at the-eighth and ninth. Neverthless these were soon forgotten playing into the wind at the fifteenth and sixteenth again. One player is reported to have won the latter with a bloodless,eight, but these things are-best forgotten. It was also unfortunate that the south players were Avithout Wiggins and J. Quin; otherwise the game would have been much closer. Quin is at present on a visit to . the south while Wiggins, was laid up with an attack of .iniluenza. It was a happy thought on the part of the organisers of this contest to run it oh the same lines as the Kirk Windeyer, Walker and Ryder Cups—foursomes and singles. • The foursome ' is golf at its highest form and the contests'during the w6ek-end were'most enjoyable and did the golf-of all' concerned a lot of good. Most interest of course centred round tho game between Grey and Cliong, the runners-up in the Dominion championship, and tho crack Eltham pair, Leo Quin and H. P. Dale., Despite the unfavourable conditions both pairs played fine golf and the game was, very evenly contested all the wajr. They were all square after playing the 16th, but then Dale pulled his tee shot over the fence and tho New Plymouth pair, making no mistakes, Avon the hole and Avere dormy. The last hole Avas halved, leaving Grey and Chong the winners.

CoiiAvay and Ilasell were both, playing very AA’ell and their opponents, Abbott and Little, vvere troubled by tlie conditions aiid never seemed to get going, with the result that the northern pair scored rather a decisive win.

Both Stephenson and F. Quin Avere deadly round the green and this proved tho deciding factor in their game Avith Alex Stewart and G. F. Wills, though it is only fair to state that the latter was having his first round on the course.

Anderson and St. L. Reeves scored South’s only win of the day when they defeated H. N. Johnson and S. Lovel by the narrow margin of. one hole. The visitors started badly and Avere soon three doAvn; but then played very, steadily and took'advantage of the mistakes of _ their opponents. Leo Quin started rather shakily against Conway in the afternoon and the latter, playing his usual steady game, soon had a handy lead of three holes. Quin Avon the eighth and from then, on .to the finish he never lost the honour. He squared the game at the 15th and took the lead at the next hole, Avhere Coinyay struck trouble with his too shot. Quin’s putt for a win at tho 17th balanced on the edge and stayed out. He seemed sure to halve the last hole but missed a simple putt on the last green and ConAvay Avas enabled to square tho match. Both played very fine golf under the trying conditions. Had the day been calm it is quite probable that they Avould have recorded some great figures. '.

On tho Waiwakaiho course Grey has ahA r ays proved Dale’s master and he. proved it again in this match. He alAvays held the upper hand and .was dormy at the 14th, and though the Eltham man won the fifteenth with a great five Grey put the result beyond doubt by annexing the Dell. Grey did some rather, prodigous hitting in this game. He Avas. right through the green at the first and at the eighth ho Avas in the second furi oav on the flat and through - the green Avith a mashie second.

Chong was playing his iron second extremely well against Abbott, and his. putter Was also doing its job in fine style, with the result that the Eltham man Avas five doAvn at the turn, and seven at the finish. / Nevertheless tho game Avould hav’o been considerably closer if

Abbott had had an ounce more luck with his putts, Stephenson Avas five up on Little at the turn, but put a ball over the fence at the 10th and 11th and gave up both holes. Little won the 13th but from thence on 1 could hot improve'his position and the New Plymouth man finished Avith a three hole advantage. Alex SteAyart, who .is coming back to his best form, gave A. S. Hasel! a great go, losing only on the eighteenth green. F. Quin was in great form and R. B. Anderson Avas unable to hold him. Quin was round in 81—a splendid, performance under the circumstances—and the Stratford player can count' himself very unlucky to run into a man shooting stuff like this.

G. F. Wills, the Patea player, who during the season has been associated Avith W. B. Reilly in an almost invincible four ball combination, had a strenuous struggle Avith H. N. Johnson and succumbed only on the last green. Included in his card was a tAVO at the seventh—a fine effort in the wind, which was at this hole very difficult. 8. Lovell proved far too good for St. L. Reeves, his poiverful iron shots being very in the Avind. Though the North.VAms:so overwhelmingly successful in ..this inaugu'ra’l contest the southerners. are. ; ,yery confident that with the reinforcement of J. Quin, Wiggins and O’Callaglian there’will be a different story to tell next time, and certainly the including of these three players Avill make a great difference, Avhilo in' addition to these both Abbott and Wills Avill improve a Avhole lot during the next tAvelve months. There is no doubt that the fixture has coine to stay and should soon become . one of the events of the Taranaki, golfing year. The idea of limiting ,the players, to eight, though a.t times rather difficult from the poor selectors’ point of view, is an excellent one, as it confers an honour on and gives a standing to; the players selected. Another very pleasing feature was the big number of visitors besides tho team that made-the-trip, despite the unfavourable conditions.

NEW PLYMOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS. It is doubtful if ever a championship final -at Waiwakarho . has been played under more trying conditions than those which prevailed' on Saturday-last. The Avind in itself was-bad Cnbugh but when in the afternobn the rain started to come 'down heavily,’ trying was not the word ;for it, and both players are to be heartily congratulated upon thfc fine shoAving they made. The Avinner, CoiiAVay, played exceptionally steadily except' for one break from tho 11 th in the morning. He started off in great style with 4,4, 4,2, and though he reached the turn .in 39 his chipping with his mashie was not up to his usual high standard. Nevertheless, missing out these four holes mentioned, his game through the green was as near perfect as could be under conditions. His tee shots Avero always , oil ,the line and his seconds Avere usually ; ;iyell hit and Avell directed,. and. 'hd' .was\ timing very well. But for a couple of bad lapses his putting was very. sound. Mackay also played well and. put up a much sterner fight than he was generally expected to do. His play Avith his wooden clubs• Avas. good and his chipping and putting were both right up to his best form, but his greatest failures came through trying to play half shots Avith an iron. It is not-an'’exaggeration to say that fatal .tendency cost -him at least five or ..six .holes;. A half the hardest shot in golf and ■is studiously evaded by all the crack players, as theyhave found from experience that-it is a real deceiver and that it always pays to play a full shot with the right club and not a half shot Avith a longer one. And it Avas this that .really cost Mackay a great chance .of (innexing his second championship, as the writer cannot re-, member ever seeing him play better golf round tho greens and off the tees. It is worthy of note tfiht bdtli the finalists are natives of the West Coast of the South Island.

Though the prizes .for the year will be presented at the conclusion of the ladies v, men match on Saturday, that will not be the closing day. Golf will continue right through the summer, with competitions every Saturday afternoon as usual. Up to the present Ncav Zealand has enjoyed the rather unique distinction of being the only country in the temperate zone in the Avorld Avhere the Royal and Ancient game, is regarded as a winter pastime, and now this idea is quite rightly coming to- an end. With the course in the present splendid order there is no reason why golf should not be more popular in. summer than in winter. It is possible to play a full round in,.the cool of the evening after wofkj and in any base the writer has never found the weather too hot, even .on the hottest- day in summer, as the links are so favourably situated on the.,, sea coast that there is ahvays a cool breeze bloAving off the Tasman during* the warm afternoons.

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS MATCH.

Tho champion of champions match organised by the Auckland Golf Clubs took place bn the Middlemore links on Saturday. Tho conditions were not the best and heavy rains had made the course sloav and had filled .several of the bunkers with water. -, The result came in the nature of a surprise, all the first three places being filled by players from the smaller Clubs, Croxson (Otaliuhu) AVinning with Dr. llowden (Waiuku) second and C. G. Johnson (Pukekohc) third. The fancied competitors, E. L. Bartlett, H. Brinsden and B. J. Smith, jun.,’followed .in that order. ‘

Following Avere' tho results:-— L. J. Croxson (Otahuhu),- 78, 80—158. C. E. Howden (Waiuku), 81,'84 —165. C. G. Johnson (Pukekohe)’, 87, 84 —171. E. L. Bartlett (Auckland)", 83, 88 —-171.: H. Brinsden (Maungakiekiej, 87, 85— 172. . ... ■ < . B. J. Smith (Akarana), 84, 91— -175. , C. F. Alleott .(Glendowie), -88, 95—177. M. E. Thompson (Pupuke).,.S2, P. Hogan (Eyers.lie), 94, 93-r-dBL‘