AROUND THE GOLF LINKS

Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1929, Page 30 (Supplement)

AROUND THE GOLF LINKS

PROGRESS OF THE GAME NEW PLYMOUTH LADIES V. MEN. H MOVEMENTS OF CHAMPIONSHIPS

(By

“Stance.”)

Despite the high wind that made conditions rather difficult at times the annual match in New Plymouth between the ladies and the men was a great success. No fewer than 74 players took part and considering the time of the year this number augured very well for summer golf. The course was again in splendid order, tho fairways being especially good. The men had to concede their opponents a stroke at nine of the 15 holes and taking a line through other years it was generally expected that the fair sex would score a comfortable victory. But the unexpected happened and tho men won by the narrow margin of two games. Their success, however, was due not to the efforts of the top players but to the rank and file, showing that the recent experience they gained in the intermediate and junior championships and the Coltman cup competion had not been wasted. Miss Brewster was using her putter with deadly effect and reeled off a string of bogies that Conway was unable to cope with and the game ended early. Grey was playing well; in fact ho put up some really good figures, but 'his opponent Miss Dell rose to tho occasion and with tho assistance of her strokes ended the game on the sixteenth. Chong went out in the fine score of 39 but found himself two down to Mrs. Russell. Tho shock must have been too much for him as the game ended three holes later. Mrs. Duff had Stephenson working overtime all the way and was one up with two to play, but Stephenson sank a couple of ten footers for fours and wins at the last two holes and just scrambled home. Mrs. Nicholson and A. S. Hasel! had a great struggle, tho latter winning 'by the narrowest of margins. JOHNSON-MACKAY BEATEN. H. N. Johnson and T. V. Mackay had to lower their colours to Mrs. Strang and Miss Gavin and Johns managed to square his game with that much-im-proved player Miss Blundell. Tho next three "were won by the ladies, Miss Rollo having a comfortable win over Kirk by 4 up and 3, and Mrs. Hill accounting for ■McQuade by a similar margin. Miss Smart triumphed over Elliot only after a stern struggle. In the remaining matches the men held the upper hand and just pulled the side through. The closeness of the‘match was very gratifying as for a long time it has been very hard to estimate tho handicap that ought to be allotted to tho ladies and Saturday’s game showed that at last an equitable system has been reached.

The season will be continued on Saturday when a medal handicap tfill be played. With the links in their present state some good cards are sure to be returned and it would create no surprise if some were under the 70 mark, t hese competitions have been arranged right up until next March and are sure to he well patronised. In the theatrical world we have heard of “The Five O’clock Girl" but from the look of the links of an evening at present the day of the Five O'clock Golfer at Waiwakaiho has arrived, and if this continues as at present the handicapper will soon be busy. There is nothing like continuous practice to improve one’s game and twelve to fifteen holes every night will work wonders with younger players. The champion of champions event in Auckland appears to hate been an outstanding success and is likely to be copied by. other centres. There is no reason why such an event could not be organised in Taranaki and be run by the New Plymouth and Hawera Clubs in alternate years. The recent north and south match showed conclusively that Taranaki players are getting together more than they have ever done before and a further fixture of this description would be very benificial, especially if the officiating clubs threw its links open on' the day as was done at Waiwakaiho a fortnight ago. SURPRISE TO GOLFERS. The result of the Auckland event was somewhat of a shock to followers of the game. The issue was generally expected to lie between the champions of the two big clubs —E. L. Bartlett arjd H. Brinsden and young B. J. Smith of Akarana, who performed so brilliantly in the recent Dominion championships, but none of these was first, second or third. The winner proved to be L. J. Croxton, Otahuhu Club, with E. C. Howden, Waiuku, next. The winner played two fine steady rounds under conditions that were far from ideal. Young Smith had a chance of being second after the morning round but a disastrous teir at the third in the afternoon proved the end of his chances. Neither Brinsden nOr Bartlett was ever a possibility. The course improvement scheme at New Plymouth is well under way. Already the new third and sixteenth greens have taken shape and the tenth is being rapidly moulded into its new formation. The gang is expected to move over to the new fifteenth (just by the present thirteenth) this week. Mr. Redhead passed through New Plymouth last week and expressed himself very pleased at the progress being made. Some of the new bunkers present a very formidable looking appearance but it will be found that they are not as difficult as they look at present. With the scheme completed New Plymouth will have a course that will compare favourably with any in the country and there is every probability of being able to secure the New Zealand championships in 1933 or 1935. The visit of Hagen and Kirkwood is already a big topic of conversation among golfers throughout the country and there is no doubt that they will be watched by big galleries wherever they appear. They make their initial appearance at Miramar and then proceed to Shirley. An endeavour is being made to get them to take part in the professionals’ annual tournament at Ileratanga. If they play in that even they will not have time to appear elsewhere, and it is sincerely hoped, the idea will be abandoned and tho two world-famous golfers will be seen in action in Wanganui and Auckland. It is scarcely fair to the rest of the golfers in the Dominion to keep them in Wellington all the time. Few can spare the time and the money to make tho trip to the. capital in February and the tremendous gallery that followed the final at Belmont shows conclusively that a match at Wanganui would not only be a highly successful

financial venture but also would serve a big golfing population. In fact if the time was available there would be no lack of support for an exhibition match on the links at Waiwakaiho. ■ Tho departure of Sloan Morpeth to take up a position as secretary to one of the big Melbourne clubs will be regretted by New Zealand golfers. The announcement was not unexpected after tho great showing the Aucklander made during his recent visit to the Commonwealth. His salary there is a very considerable advance on that he is receiving and no one can blame him for bettering his position. New Zealanders will all join in wishing him the best of luck, and his fortunes in the big events across tho Tasman will be watched with interest. He is already as popular with the Australian galleries as he is with the gallery here and is sure' to be amon£ those chosen to oppose Hagen and Kirkwood in their coming tour. It would create no surprise should Hagen prevail upon him to go even further afield to the Land of the Almighty Dollar; a player of Morpeth’s calibre, with his tremendous tee shot, his spectacular recoveries and his uncanny putting, would undoubtedly 'be a great draw card in the States. In the course of his remarks at the presentation of trophies ceremony at New Plymouth on Saturday the president, Dr. Walker, stated the membership of the club consisted of 120 men and 80 ladies. He drew attention to the fact that the course could comfortably hold at least 50 more players and the club should have those extra players. As a matter of fact the clubs could do with another. 100 or even 150 players, for :f it could obtain that number a further nine holes could be laid out. One does not have to be a champion to get the maximum of enjoyment out of the game; in fact the ordinary player gets far more pleasure out of the game than does the crack. A bogie to him is a joy, a thing to be remembered, and two or three in a round constitutes a miracle, while to the low handicap man the failure to get one is a source of worry. The duffer always envies the man who sends that long mighty crack down the pretty but it is a moot point whether he is to bo envied or pitied. The writer would like to suggest that a strong effort be made to interest high school boys and girls in the game during their vacation. This has been done very successfully in Wanganui and has been responsible for those brilliant youngsters B. M. Silk, C. N. Armstrong, B. Howarth and F. Darcy, and there is no reason to suppose that there is not equally good talent in Taranaki. It might even bo good policy for some of the heads of the clubs to approach the school authorities with a view to paying a visit to tho schools and putting tho position to the boys, too many of whom arc inclined to look upon golf as an old man’s game. Golf has the distinction of having champions whose ages range from 14 to GO, showing conclusively that it is ! a game that lasts a lifetime and one from j which a maximum amount of pleasure can be derived.