GOLF

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16902, 29 November 1922, Page 2

GOLF

THE ROYAL AND ANTIENT GAME OF

By

“The Caddie."

| Ah© Mitchell shone out. brilliantly I a stroke player at the Southern open championship meeting at the Belle Mode Country Club course. Nashville, L.S.A., on September 28 and 30. With rounds of 68. 69. 69. 74. he com pleted the 72 holes in 280 strokes—B under 4's. This was not good enough to win, however, for Leo Diegcl had the same aggregate with rounds of 74. (jK, 69. 69. Jim Barnes was third, with 283 and Geo. Duncan fourth with 286. In a piay off over 36 liolei -Mitchell and Dicgel tied again with scores of 146. They decided to play three more holes and Mitchell won in 11 to .14. The committee, however, ruled that the arrangement could not be accepted as deciding the title, as after a tic it was necessary to play a. full round. Mitchell won 1500 dollars | and Dicgel 1000. “ Blind ” or hidden holes on a golt c'ourso are always a perplexing feature to players—the chief consideration being the necessity for ascertaining if the fairway is clear for the approach shot to the green to he made. Ordinj arily, when caddies are employed, one j has to be sent forward to signal the | " all clear ” ; otherwise the* duty deI volves upon the player himself. But I a periscope lias been designed and ; fixed on th course at Bexhill (Eng- | land). It is a simple solution -of the difficulty which might be followed with advantage at blind boles elsewhere. It is about 20ft in. l-eight, and affords clear view ; though at some holes in that countrv it would need to he much higher. There has been some mild protest against the innovation b.y ! yonng couples playirtg in mixed singles, remarks an exchange GOLFERS’ “ While I was in England, the most promising member of the young English professionals—Arthur G. Havers, of Lancashire—accepted an engagement to go to the United States, v rites Norman Rope in the- Sydney " Referee. *' When talking to Hutchinson I expressed regret at seeing England lose this voung player, but

j him. Mr Pope. Take my own case. If T came hark to {Scotland I should probably be offered £2 10s or £3 per week as professional to a- golf club by way of salary, where I now get £25 a. week salary from my golf club in the United States.’ “ T had confirmation of these big figures which were paid to professionals in the United States when I wa-s entertained there in June last. My host told me that his golf and country club were very anxious to put a pair of men up to beat Duncan and Mitchell, who wore touring the United States. In the end they arranged that Hutchinson and Barnes' should play Duncan and Mitchell a 3(3-hole match, for which purse of loOOdol was put up. This works out at between £BO and £9O per man for this one match. Further than this, im host told me that the salary of the professional of hicountry club ijafl IO.OOOdoI. per annum, which is well over £2OOO. with the right to practically be away as much as he likes playing exhibition matches, and, of course, other sources of income from tuition, sale of clubs, halls, etc ” You will gather from what I have said that the cost of playing golf in America must be considerable. I will give you two instances which T know ) of. and which refer to clubs in the j State of New York. In one case .1 member must take up 2000dol worth of the club’s shares, which bear no interest, and hold thooi long as he i- a. member. The entrance fee is 4 OOrlol , and the annual subscription 200dol per annum. This means in the first year, allowing 6 per cent on th = ?000dol of shares, something over £l6O as the fee for playing golf at tlxat •dub. “ At another club. 10 mile? away, the member must hold lOCOdol of the club’s shares; the entrance fee is 300 dol. and tlie annual subscription 160 do! so that the first year's expense is over £IOO in that club The caddy fee is a dollar per round, say 4s 6d, with a quarter (26 cents) gratuity, making your golf cost you nearly 6s per round. With large memberships and high fees, it is possible to have a standard of luxury and comfort far I in excess of anything that the rest I