ON THE LINKS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 4 June 1926, Page 11

ON THE LINKS.

(By “Mashio”)’

"Mashie” wiil.be glad to receive items of interest to golfers for inclusion in this column. These must reach the “Herald” Office not later than Tuesday of each week. * * * Bowe Cup to-morrow. * . -a * Owing to the match against Oamaru at Oamaru, last Saturday was an off day at Highfield, and' there were fewer players than there have been for some time. To-morrow, the second round of the Bowe Cup is to be played. The best and second best aggregate scorers have then to play the final over 18 holes.

The amateur championship is now a thing of the past, and America duly provided the winner in the person of Pesse Sweetser, who is generally considered to be second only to Bobby Jones in the excellence of his game. Jones was defeated by the young Scotsman, Andrew Jamieson, by four up, and the latter in his turn fell to a compatriot, J. Gordon Simpson. Sweetser defeated Simpson in the final by six up and five. It is now twenty-two years since America carried off the Blue Riband of amateur golf, for in 1904, the Australian-born Walter Travis won it. British players will be keen to wrest the open championship from the Americans, the holders, to make amends in some degree for the present loss.

The first big event has gone to the States, but there are several yet to be played off. On June 2nd and 3rd at St. Andrews, the international match, Britain v. States will be staged. On the 22nd of June, there is the open, and later the ladies' golf championship, while across the Channel in Prance are several titles to be decided soon.

Somo of Sweetser’s successes may be.of interest, proving that it was a player of some standing who annexed the title. He was American amateur champion in 1922; runner-up, 1923; metropolitan champion, 19 22; intercollegiate champion, 1920; runnerup, 1921; winner of the American Victory Cup, 1920-21; runner-up, 1919; a representative of the States against Britain in 1922, 1923, 1924. This latest success crowns his career, and never has he felt the thrill of victory as he will have felt this one.

In view of the-writer’s remarks on length as opposed to accuracy in late columns, it is interesting and encouraging to note that, in the match of Bobby Jones against Jamieson, the latter, who won the match, was invariably outdriven off the tee. But he was by far the steadier player, and had Jones well beaten at the short game. Of a truth the match is not always to the long driver.

The ladies of the Highfield Club are reminded that a special general meeting will be held at the Golfhouse on Tuesday, June Bth, at 4.15 p.m. The business to be discussed is the improvement to the lockerroom.

A special general meeting of the men’s club will also be held at the clubhouse on June sth, to consider various alterations in the club rules. It Is hoped , that a large number of members will be present. -* * * The following list gives .the winners of the amateur championship since 1910: 1910 John Ball. 1911 I-I. H. Hilton. 1912 John Ball. 1913 H. H. Hilton. 1914 J. Jenkins. 1915—19 None plaved. 1920 C. J. H. Tolley 1921 W. Hunter. 1922 Id. Holdcrness. 1923 It. Wethered. 1924 14. Holderness. 1925 It. Harris. 19 26 J. Sweetser. * * m

One of the leading golfing critics in the Old Country attributes the success of American golfers to the fact that they study the essentials of the game,,and, then create a race of players striving to create the same results ~ by . the same methods. | Their players are thus all poured out of the same mould, or made to the same pattern, and, on the whole, j have a better style than the BritishI ers. Apparently they all swing their i clubs alike, they all putt in the same I way,, thrusting out the elbow in the | line of the swing. " Stereotyped golfj ers they may he, but they can certainly deliver the goods. Of course, as far as golf is concerned, it is the results which count, not the method, but if certain methods are found to produce these results more accurately and more consistently, then it may safely be said that these methods are the best. That is why there are certain methods of making a particular stroke. A player may , chance to get that stroke if he attempts to play it in another way, but it is exceedingly doubtful whether he will bo able to do it so often or so well as if he were to adopt the stereotyped way of playing it. And the strange part about the growing American ascendancy is that their methods are based on a swing brought from Scotland in the first place, but it has been adapted to new conditions, and improved until it has been used successfully against the players of its native heath.

Yesterday saw the South Canterbury golf championship played off, and during the-evening'the golf ball

was held. Unfortunately for this column both events fall too close to Friday morning’s paper, so comment will be held over until next week. Otherwise the writer might have difficulty in filling his programme owing to his late arrival at the ball.