GOLFERS CONFER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 233, 1 October 1929, Page 8

GOLFERS CONFER

SUB-ASSOCIATIONS MOOTED. PROPOSAL EEJECTED A lively discussion over the proposal of the Parkvale Club to amend the New Zealand Golf Association’s rules in order to provide for the formation of district associations, ensued at the annual conference of the Association held last evening. The weight of opinion was against the proposal which was ultimately defeated. The conference was presided over by Mr W. E. A. Gill. The attendance of delegates was a large one. The Council’s report for the year ending July 31, 1929, was as follows: The revenue for the year was £1163 17s lOd, comprising subscriptions from clubs £1139 and interest on deposits £24 17s lOd. The ordinary expenditure was £lO4O 16s Id and the steamer and train fares and hotel accounts of the Kirk-Windeyer Cup team which visited Melbourne in July £199 16s, making the total expenditure £1240 12s Id, which was £76 14s 3d in excess of the year’s revenue. After providing for this deficit there remains a surplus of assets of £209 8s 2d at the close of the financial year. Our team which played New South Wales for the Kirk-Windeyer Cup at Melbourne, Messrs Sloan Morpeth, T. H. Horton, J. L. Black and Dr. K. Ross, although not sucessful in regaining the cup, put up a performance of which New Zealand golfers will doubtless fell proud, and Mr Morpeth is also to be congratulated upon winning the Victorian Amateur Championship and in reaching the final in the Australian amateur.

During the year twelve clubs ‘joined the association and one resigned (due to having merged with another club) making the membership 159 clubs at July 31, 1929, as against 148, 134 and 123 in the preceding three years.

There have been no changes in the personnel of the Council during the year, but since the close, Mr H. R. Balneavis has resigned his seat owing to his inability to attend meetings. Colonel R. O. Chesney has been nominated as a member, and his nomination will come before the annual meeting of delegates. The Council received with deep regret the news of the death of Mr A. J. Abbott, a former member of the Council, who died in London this year. Chairman’s Address. In moving the adoption of the annual report and balance sheet, the chairman stated that a perusal of the revenue account showed that the income was not sufficient to meet outgoings by £76 14s 3d, but the cost of the Kirk-Windeyer Cup team’s visit to Australia accounted for £199 16s. The visit to Australia by the team, consisting of Messrs Sloan Morpeth, T. H. Horton, J. L. Black and Dr. K. Ross was a feature of the year’s golf, and Mr Sloan Morpeth was successful in winning the Victoria Amateur Championship. As indicating how close the contest for the Kirk-Windeyer Cup really was, an analysis of the results showed that had Morpeth been two strokes better on the whole day (or his opponent two strokes worse) and had Ross also been one stroke better, to make him one up, each side would have won three matches, and New Zealand would have won the cup by one hole — 14-13. Seeing that Morpeth’s opponent put up a course record, it would be realised how close the contest was. The team met with a splendid reception from the time they arrived in Sydney, and the thanks of the New Zealand Golf Association had been conveyed to those clubs which so lavishly entertained the visitors. There were 105 clubs affiliated in the North Island with a membership of 5269 men and 5157 ladies, a total of 10,426. The South Island had 54 clubs affiliated, with a membership of 2828 men and 2609 ladies, a total of 5437. The grand total for New Zealand at May 31, 1929, was 15,863, as against 14,802 at May 31, 1928. t Since the last annual meeting at Dunedin, clubs had been requested to adopt the standard scratch score of the courses, but it was just questionable whether the fixtures of the national handicaps was going to work out as satisfactorily as anticipated. During the year, continued the chairman, the professionals have been retained and John Lambie paid fourteen visits to eleven clubs and T. Galloway sixteen visits to fourteen clubs. An aggregate of thirty visits were paid by these professionals to twenty-five clubs. To give an indication of the work in connection with these visits, the secretary has a file of correspondence dealing with the matter, consisting of 425 letters in a period of six months. Your Council was glad to see that two professionals visited Australia, and, although unsuccessful, they hope it will be the forerunner of Australian professionals visiting New Zealand. You will observe that the accumulated fund has now dropped from £286 2s 5d to £209 8s 2d. As, however, there will be no visit to Australia in this financial year, there should be sufficient in hand at the balance date of 1930 to provide for the visit of another team to Australia in 1931. It is very gratifying to know that we are shortly to have visits from Walter Hagen and Kirkwood, and no doubt their visit will improve the standard of play in New Zealand. The motion to adopt the annual report and balance sheet was seconded by Sir Alexander Roberts and carried. The former Council was re-elected with the substitution of Colonel R. O. Chesney in the seat formerly occupied by Mr N. R. Balneavis. On behalf of the Parkvale Club, Mr F. C. Fryer moved, in accordance with his notice of motion, that the Council amend the rules of the New Zealand Golf Association to provide for the setting up of district associations and that the delegates at the annual general meetings of the New Zealand Golf Association should only be delegates from district associations. A further remit was that the capita levy of the New Zealand Golf Association should remain at 2s for men and one shilling for ladies, but that a percentage of the sum raised by each individual association should be retained by the said association and the balance remitted to the New Zealand Golf Association for general purposes. A Natural Sequence. The motion before the Council, said Mr Fryer, was the natural sequence of the motion of the Parkvale Golf Jlub unanimously carried a year ago at the annual meeting of delegates to the

New Zealand Golf Association held at Dunedin, This motion requested the Council to consider the setting up of district sub-associations. With the carrying of this resolution it was to be regretted that the Council had apparently done next to nothing in twelve months, either to give effect to the proposals, or to obtain evidence as to the working of district associations. The proposal was that the Council amend its rules to provide for a patron, president and vice-president and a council, consisting of the association and delegates representing the affiliated associations of which there would be nineteen. The delegates would appoint a management committee of seven, an auditor and a secretary and treasurer. It must be remembered that new clubs had been forming at an average rate of ten a year, and golf was making such rapid strides as a popular game that nothing could stop these vigorous young clubs from banding together into a live organisation. It was absolutely the business of the Association to provide such’ an organisation.

In regard to the second remit, Mr Fryer contended that a considerable portion of the per capita levy might be profitably diverted to the district associations and the Council’s loss in that respect made up from sources over which had constitutional powers, but which had never been tapped. The subsidising of professional visits to country clubs was unnecessary, or, in special cases, could be best arranged for by the district associations. In passing the motion there would be no serious effect upon the Council’s revenue and, while greatly benefiting a very great majority of the affiliated clubs, was harmful to none of the remainder.

The motion was seconded by Mr Peacock (Waipukurau). Mr Robinson (Christchurch) stated that, as Mr Fryer had stated that there were to be 19 district associations, with interest which he sard would be taken by the delegates, considerable expense would be entailed in attending meetings at Wellington. It also meant 19 secretaries either doing good work for nothing or being paid. Something Had to Go Short Any money taken out of the funds meant that something had to go short, said Mr Seifert (Palmerston North). It seemed to him that any expenditure by the Council was very necessary indeed. Golf could not be worked in New Zealand without some centralised organisation. He did not think that anyone would like to see the KirkWindeyer match cancelled. Mr Fryer: No one wants it to be.

Mr Seifert went on to say that he did not think the proposal a practicable one.

Golf differed from cricket or football, said Mr M. J. Crombie. In cricket and football, interclub events were the life of the game but golf was an individual game. He could not see what work there would be for the sub-as-sociations to do.

Mr A. R. Blank (Norewood) agreed with the previous speaker that golf was an individual game and added that it had prospered in that it had not been over-governed. The motion on being put to the meeting was lost, 29 votes being recorded in favour and 89 against. Mr Fitzherbert made formal application that it be a recommendation to, the Council that the Manawatu links be the course for the. next amateur championship. The links, he said had been improved and were quite attractive. A hearty invitation was extended to the members to go over the course next Sunday. A recommendation that Kirk-Winde-yer Cup teams sent out of New Zealand should consist of five players was made by Mr L. D. Hirst (Miramar). Mr F. Hill (Wanganui) recommended that the Council consider the separating of the amateur and champion events. The time was going to come when the entries would increase and a lot would have to be excluded. A vote of thanks to the Council and the chairman was carried with acclamation.