GOLF.

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17134, 22 June 1927, Page 2

GOLF.

HAMILTON CLUB. >■ m, ■■■' BELL CUP POMPETITION. (By "Niblick.") That the Bell Cup competition is extremely popular amongst the Hamilton Club's" members was amply evidenced by the large contingent who turned up on Saturday to do battle in the first - round. Some players who put down balls on the first tee shortly after 12:30 did not get* away until nearly 2 o'clock. At one stage a line of'l7 balls down on the tee indicated the number of pairs awaiting their turn at that particular poiift.. This, of course, meant quite a considerable "gallery" for the earlier contestants to hit off before, and this, it is reliably'slated, had a very notice- ' able effect. In some instances quite good players barely' reached the i "pretty," direction was erratic, and more than one perfectly good Spalding found a watery grave in:the Waikato River. The gem : of. the* . afternoon, however, is generally conceded to have been a shot which struck the sandbox on the ladies' tee; thence rebounded to the cabbage tree to' the left rear of the tee, and from there almost on to the tee from which it had just been struck. It' was just' such a shot as Wodehouse might have delighted to honour. There were several tough contests and plenty of easy wins, and in quite a number of cases players generally regarded as "good things" In that particular round managed "to fall by the wayside. For these, however, there is yet another chance ere ..they may regard themselves as finally numbered •with the slain, as a consolation event for those beaten in the first round of the Bell Cup begins next Saturday, J when the winners in the major; event | play their second rounds. A Very Happy Idea. In a competition such as the Bell Cup, the conditions of which provide for match play on club handicaps, any short handicap players must necessarily be consistently in top form . , , throughout to have much chance of ' ; running out the eventual winner with 'such a big field-to get through. It is 'always possible that someone well out .'towards the limit will cut loose one day with a round a good deal better Uhan his average, and on such an occasion the scratch man can scarcely hope i-to : concede the *umber of strokes de4 ,manded. 'Fortunately, however, the • J shorter handicap men, although fully 'realising this, are sporting enough to ;ehter just the same", and'it'would to' Sa large extent spoil the event did they ! indl do so. It is certain that quite a j of mediocre players enter the ;,c4mpetition without regarding themJscjves seriously as possible winners. -;What is probably at the back of their ,'mjnds is the hope of lasting long enough to get a few games with- play- j jcrs better than themselves, against I 'whom, in the ordinary course of: •events, they would not be likely to j *p&y- •. , ~ , I ,» -At all events, whatever the reasons i X may be, one feels . that : the donor of I Mho Bell Cup,' when suggesting the | .conditions under which it should be. \ played for, was particularly happy in ~his choice. One fancies that in no * other way could so much interest and * enjoyment have been given to so many "mehlbers of the club generally. . '.".. Divots. ;,' Playing in a three-ball game at the ,;week-end W. Wynne did a nice round Jjbf 75 at'St. Andrews. ,; ,; J ,*. 5 One 'competitor in the .Bell Cup is .said to have conceded his opponent ! difference between their respective j jnedal handicaps instead of the correct procedure for match play, that is 4he difference between three-quarters -of each of their respective medal han- j -dicaps. The error (which of course was mutual) in the case in point was •One stroke, and may or may not have the result,,as with the.stroke •wrongly conceded at the sixteenth the 'player who gave it was dormy two ulown going to the seventeenth, which .; " : was halved, leaving him two down and ■'one to play, v , A week-end game in which N. Bell and Colbeck conceded four holes to * Gillies and J. Horton resulted in a ; grc&t .struggle, with honours even when the deciding putt had been sunk. Play began at the seventh and proceeded with varying fortunes until playing to the 18th Bell and Col- ; beck ■ were nicely on in two, whilst ! Gillies was short and Horton had put I his drive up .on; the: rise near the out- j . of-bounds -fence. "Making a great re- | covery from the rough.-Horton put his j second on the green and won the hole ! in three. This left Colbeck and Bell - three <iown \yith. -six to go, and only one hole >( the* 4th) -, at which the long driving ability of Bell and Colbeck was likely to be'of any particular advantage against a,, player of Gillies' skill in the. short game.' With halves at the first, Jlortpp, driving from the second, pulled his ball on to the third fairway, but put his second on the green and halved the hole. Colbeck won the third in three and the fourth was halved. With two short holes to gQ/lhe Bcll-Colbcck combination were still two. down. At both these holes a three for-a win wai necessary-when Ihc green was reached, and in each case Bell was successful in sinking his putt, the game in consequence finishing all square. The sequel, one learns, is to be a 36-hole match next weekend in which Colbeck and* Bell will endeavour lo concede their doughty .rivals eight holes. '

TE AWAMUTU LADIE6' TEAM. TE AWAMUTU,. Tuesday. The Ladies' Golf Club team to Tc A\yamutu in the King Country ladies' championships on Friday at To Awamiitu is Mrs Teasdah\ Mrs' Blundell, Misses Woolly, Wallace, Burke, Frocke. Teams will compete from all the King Country clubs. The men's championships will bo played on Saturday!;