GOLF NOTES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXI, Issue III, 18 July 1903, Page 164

GOLF NOTES.

(By

“Stoney Dead.”)

The Fry Challenge Trophy was won last Saturday by Dr. Coates. His seore was 3 down, a score that should never have been closer than 4th or sth when the links were in fair order, as they were on Saturday. The next return to his was 4 down, and then 5 down. The three lowest handicap players in the club returned (or rather were ashamed to return) 10 down. Certainly, the wind was a little puzzling, but that should have made very little difference; in fact, to the scratch players it ought to have been au advantage. It is wonderful to hear the excuses that are given for a disgraceful round. One man says he was dancing too hard and late the previous night, another that he had too many late night in a late business trip, another that his shoes were new and chafed his heels, another even that he had new gloves on and so could not grip his club. I don’t mean that there is nothing in all these excuses, for there is something, but not enough to account for a really bad round. I remember a story which may be new to some of my readers on the subject of a golfer’s ex euses. We are all familiar with the man who misses a putt because the caddie moved just as he was striking the ball, and the same man who foozled beeaus l some one spoke: but the piece of best cake is taken by the man who, after missing a ridiculous easy put, glared round and found the caddies as stiff’ as trees and as quiet as mutes. Suddenly he became aware of the fact that there was a lark singing in its joy some hundreds of feet above him, and he ejaculated with necessary expletives. “Who can putt when there is a lark making that noise!” In regard to last Saturday’s play. I can congratulate the genial doctor on his win. and the rest of. the clut on nothing else except the multiplicity of their excuses.

A little time back a unique match took place between two of the club members. A was donny three, playing the 18th After playing their thirds it was just A’s turn to play the odd from about 49 yards from the hole. He put his shot stone dead, or at any rate .what looked like stone dead from 40 yards, and what if not actually dead would certainly be holed by a putter of A’s class. B had thus to play a 40-yard shot to hole out to have any hope of halving the match, This mirabile dictu he brought off, making his score donny two down. He followed on by playing the last two holes in fine style and halved the match.

The final for Mrs Carrick’s prize pro dueed a very close match. Mrs Bloomfield got a lead early in the game, but Miss l.ewis altered the aspect of the game by brilliantly playing six consecutive holes in 23, thus putting herself into the strong position of 2 up and 3to play. However, Miss Lewis did not continue her effort, and Mrs Bloomfield just got home by one hole.

On Thursday the competition for a club presented, by Hood took place. Miss J. Draper proved to be the.winner with a return of 53. The handicapping was very close, as several were just a point or two behind the winner. The course was a short one, excluding Jacob's Ladder.

It has always been a mystery to me why the ladies play their present dodging in and out course that they do, and also why the Men’s • Committee allow them to play it. Ladies realise that it is inconvenient for them to be continually passed by men players, and goodness knows it is annoying enough to be always passing people. But as the

ladies have their course at present it is possible for one couple of men players to pass the same three couples of ladies three times in a round. I don’t know which is most annoying, to pass or be passed. Aud the matter could be so easily altered. Make the ladies’ coursethe same as the men’*, with much shorter tees, and the thing is done. Once a couple has passed or been passed they are done for that round and everything goes smoothly. So far no friction has arisen on this point, as most of our ladies are so exceedingly nice in allowing men to pass, and most of our men are very earcful never to drive into the ladies.

This Thursday I believe the ladies are to play for a 36 hole bogey eclectic competition for a prize presented by Mrs Lewis. This form of competition requires explanation. 36 hole bogey speaks for itself. An eelectie competition is one in which the player plays -the same hole twice, or more than twice, and has the right of returning the best score for that hole. But this mixture of eclectic with bogey is neither bird. fish, nor fowl. The eclectic . scoring system is an adjunct to medal scoring, and originated in the idea that it is very hard for a play er to be hopelessly out of a competition by playing one real bad hole spoiling the return of 17 good ones. If a player fails twice at the same hole nothing more can be done for him. So a second round is played, and the player plays for brilliance at the holes at which he has already got a safe return, and plays for steadiness at the holes at which he has bad scores. But playing bogey the return is, win half or loss, and not 3,4, or 20 (Jacob’s Ladder),-and so eclectic scoring is out of place for bogey. If the players want a 36-hole match, let it be all bogey, and if they want eclectic scoring. let it be an 18-hole medal competition scored eclectically from two rounds of IS holes eaeh.

The English amateur rule reads as follows: —An amateur golfer is a golfer who lias never made for sale golf clubs or balls, or any other article c-onnec-ted with the game; who has never earned clubs for hire after attaining the age of 15 years, and who has not carried clubs for hire at any time within six years of the date on which the competition begins, who has never received any consideration for playing in a match or for giving lessons in'tlie game; and who has never received a money prize in au open competition. This rule was formulated in 1886, and I believe has never been altered up to the present day. Under it the majority of those playing in the late English amateur championship would be disqualified. Many of the leading amateurs are connected in a financial way with the making of golf implements and patents. Many have received money for giving lessons. Horace Hutc-hinson wrote Badminton on golf. Nearly everyone has received a money prize in an open competition. Nearly all clubs have open competitions to which sweeps are attached. The faet is that the rule is a dead-letter, and ought to be amended to meet modern conditions, which requires the rule to be based on the principal that anyone is an amateur who does not make his chief or only source of livelihood out of the game.

I came across a good story the other clay. A Scotchman who had been a keen golfer all his days was pursuaded by a golfing pal to attend a race meeting. When the big event of the day, the steeplechase, came on, the sporting pal told Sandy to put a little on a grey horse •that was a dead cert. Sandy put up his five shillings, his only bet of the day, and felt comfortable till the grey took the sod wall very badly and came to grief Shortly af-ter the race Sandy was asked by an acquaintance how he was getting on, to which Sandy replied, “Mon, Mon, 1 was doing fine till yon grey beastie made such a horrible foozle at that sand bunker o’er yonder.”