GOLF.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16330, 20 January 1921, Page 3

GOLF.

AT HOME AND ABROAD. (By ‘ THE CADDIE.”) Both Vardon and Bay have returned from America as deeply impressed as other voyagers from this country by the excelienee of the present race of American amateurs (writes R. E. Howard -in the London “ Sportsman ”). Anybody who doubted the stories concerning the wonderful powers of -“Bobbie” Jones would cease to be sceptical if he could hear Vardon and Bay on this Georgia prodigy. Vardon says that lie hits tlie bail just as the first-class British professionals do—tremendously hard, and yet with perfect control. “ I tell you, he does hit that ball,” is Vardon’s comment., and it conveys a world of meaning. Exactly how old he is nobody seems to b© quite sure. season, when he reached the semi-final of the United States amateur championship, Jones was reported te be seventeen, but, as somebody said the other day, be was fourteen for about three years.” Consequently he may bo twenty by now. Anyhow, he is still at school, so tiiat he must be very young as top-sawyers go on the links, and only his scholastic ties are likely to prevent him from coming over to lake part in next season’s British amateur championship. He would have been at Muirfield in June with Robert Gardner and the other American entrants but for the necessary nuisance of going on with his studies. However, he is so keen to compete, and his compatriots—as well as our own people —tnink such a lot of his golf that I daresay a way will be found of excusing him from being educated for a few months in 1921. I gather that he is a little fellow—about oft Tin—but a strong one.

“ Chick ” Evans is reported to be better than ever, mainly because, during the past season, he has been just about the tno«t successful putter in the States. Vardon and Bay played against him several times, and always found him deadly anywhere within twenty yards of the hole. Th© short putts used to be his bugbear and hindrance. Apparently Evans is one of the now numerous American golfers who believe in systematic physical preparation for the game. We are told oi exercises in which they engage to promote the perfect bodily condition, of a powder preparation and other substances with which they massage themselves at the end of the~ day’s play in order to be ready for the. morrow’s. That is something new in American specialisation in sport, and I daresay it will have its effects.

For the first time in competition since he went to the United States nearly three months ago. Air G. J. H. Tolley played the golf which we know is in. him when be took part in the Oxford University Club’s meeting at Frilford Heath last week (says an English writer on November 22). He accomplished a, score of 74. Frilford Heath is among the best courses to be found inland—it calls for shots of the very highest quality, and punishes inevitably those that are errant —and 74 simply could not be done by a semblance of fluking. In America Tolley

contracted two faults of method which neither he nor anybody else could detect at the time, and which brought about his discomfiture. He bad his club in the wrong position at the top of the swing, and he developed a tendency Io slew round on his feet at the finish. These little golfing troubles are like the coughs, colds, and other small ills to which the human flesh is heir—they visit, themselves upon everybody from time to time. Evidently Tolley has effected a euro, and h"c will be ouc of the bulwarks of British golf when the Americans come over next year.

In an article entitled Gamblers and The Caddies,” in the London “ Sportsman.” B. E. Howard deals with the tipping of caddies, suppression of which led to those youths going on strike last year, and also with the custom of some placers ol playing matches for large stakes. He says:— The real root of the evil lies not in Treasury note*, but in silver. Some golfers consider sixpence or a shilling a round ample by way oi" bonus for a caddie, while a good many others baud nut half a crown as a matter of course. The half-crown “tippers” are so large a body that they must be held responsible for the dissatisfaction that exists among the caddies with the distributors of nimble sixpences. The caddiemaster is often an old sergeant-major—-which ought to be a sufficient guarantee of bis ability to instil fear into anybody -but even he is powerless to cope with the wiles of the youths, awe-inspir-ing as may have been the approach of bis footsteps and the sound of his voice in the Army. “I’m waiting for Mr So-and-So.” says the caddie when he is told to go out and carry for one who is notorious as a sixpenny patron.

He’s engaged mo for the day.” How can the ex-sergeant-major assert his authority in these circumstances? If A!r So-and-So puts in his customary week-end appearance, he asks, naturally, for the caddie who usually goes out with him. And so that faithful henchman appears before the caddiemaster in. the light of a devoted and truthful servant. It" Air So-and-So happens to have taken a week-end off from the course it is easy for the caddi© to obtain a job. He makes bis bid for the change—“ Air So-and-So can’t be coming ; I’ll go out now if you like ” —•when another half-crown “tipper” appears upon the scene. A short time ago a farmer, filled with righteous indignation, .came to see me. “ AYhat am I to do?” he demanded. “I' c-an’t get any agricultural labourers. They all go caddying. I asked one of them the other day how much he earned at it. ‘ I get 6s for two rounds ’ this caddie said. 4 Then there’s a shilling lunch money, and a gentleman what is a gentleman gives me a 4 tip ’ of os at the end of the day.-’ ‘ Who wants to work all day on a farm when he can make that money carrying clubs for a few hours?’ ” So that is what bountiful golfers do for the country, as well as expelling their more economical brethren from the good graces of the carrying community.

The subject owes its resuscitation to a member of the Coombe Hill Club, who drew attention to a rule drawn up by th© management of that club increasing caddies’ fees by sixpence a round and prohibiingr “ tips.” Incidentally. he remarked upon th© heavy wagering that led to excessive “ tipping.” and instanced a match in which two member* met for £AOO, and then played a return for double or quits—that is. £IOOO. The ' caddies made short work of the ban on “tips” They went on strike—and be hanged to the rise of sixpence a round—and in a, day they hod gained their point. “ Tipping ” and the lower rate of fixed remuneration were restored. Coombe Hill is, perhaps, an exceptional club or. at any rate, one of a dozen or so round London where matches are sometimes played for very large sums of money, and where a gratuity of 10s or £1 to the caddie is not uncommon. Th© club did the bold thing on behalf of the average member in trying to abolish 44 tipping " altogether, but th© move failed. And I fear it alwavs would fail.