GROWTH OF GAME

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20762, 24 June 1937, Page 10

GROWTH OF GAME

25.000 ACTIVE PLAYERS IN DOMINION The growth of golf in the last few 8 years has been one of the phenomena of New Zealand sport. To-day there are 25,000 active players of the game affiliated to the New Zealand Golf j Council, and the sport ranks below only j Rugby and tennis in playing popularity, j From figures supplied by Mr G. O. j Sutton, secretary of the New Zealand j Council, one gathered that the increase of players and clubs in the past year j had been about the same as previously, j That is, 20 more clubs, bringing the ] total to 292 for the country, had ; brought in another thousand or so j players. Last year, the increase was just slightly less, though, as with this ] year, it was spread evenly over both Islands. Outside the pale of affiliation, there ■ are still quite a few clubs and players. But golf Is fortunate that its players are apparently a clannish lot, for the game is not troubled as greatly as tennis, for instance, by numbers of clubs which will not affiliate. It is possible, too, that most of the 292 clubs j affiliated have honorary members who have ceased active playing from a variety of reasons ranging from sheer blood-thirsty bad temper to economic duress. Temuka Fourball Challenge As one of the additional competitions to assist in maintaining interest, the Temuka Club is holding a fourball challenge competition. At the present stage Dr. A. 8. Mclnnes and T. B. Edwards appear to be invincible. Variety To Temuka Programme The Temuka Club has this season been addir.g variety to its programme by a series of continuity competitions which have been creating much interest. The latest has been an eclectic ringer competition, which Dr. G. H. Gilbert won, with a number of others close up in the table of results. For the coming week-end the club has a match with North End at Temuka. Ladles’ Canadian Foursome: In a Canadian foursome played at Highfleld Mrs Cameron and M!rs ' Sowerby topped the list with 105-35-70, while Miss Horwell and Miss J. Robertson came second with 83-11-72. Playing Steady Golf: Mrs Grant of the Timaru Ladies’ Club is playing a very steady game at ■ present and qualified first for the . Templer Cup. L.G.U. Medal: ’ For the Timaru Ladies’ Club L.G.U. medal Mrs Grant and Miss Morgan ’ tied in the senior division with 77 net, Mrs Coxhead winning the junior with , 101-26-75. Canadian Foursome Winners: In a Canadian forsome match at Glen-iti during the week-end D. . Menzies and H. Baigent returned a net 74, one under the course bogey. Glen-iti Players Reduce: i Players who recently reduced their e handicaps at Glen-iti are C. C. Leitch, I. M. D. Grant and C. Durnlng. 1, ■ Improved Player: W. Stafford who considerably reduced his handicap at Glen-itl earlier in the season, is playing very consistent golf. It would not be surprising if he was amongst the finalists for the club championship.

L.G.U. Medal

Impressive Performance

The only senior to deal effectively with bogey at Highfleld on Saturday was G. Fairbrother, who was 5 up after a particularly steady display. Fair-

brother, who has shown good form this season, played his best winter round for 75 off the club. English Close Champion: The new English Close Champion is J. J. F. Pennink, the Oxford University captain of 1935, who in the final at Saunton defeated L. G. Crawley by 6 and 5. The meeting of these two was a contest between youth and experience,” says “Golfing," for Pennink. although he has already some notable minor successes to his credit, is but twenty-four, while Crawley, at the age of thirty-three, was making his third appearance in the final, having won the title in 1931 and taken Stanley Lunt to the thirty-seventh hole in 1934. It was a battle also between North and South, for Pennink belongs to Royal Ashdown Forest, while Crawley, though he plays cricket for Essex, enters in big golf tournaments from Brancepeth Castle. •

Courageous Effort: The courageous effort of a little Irishman almost overshadowed the brilliance of Henry Cotton, former “Open” champion, who won the £lOOO professional golf tournament at Moor Park, Rickmansworth (Eng.), with the low aggregate of 279 for 72 holes. Cotton, displaying uncanny accuracy with his putter, had a last round of 68 after starting the day three strokes behind the leader, but not until Patrick Mahon (Royal Dublin) had finished, was Cotton certain of victory. Mahon also had a last round of 68 and finished one stroke behind, beaten by a putt in a thrilling struggle for the first prize of £2OO.