LADIES' GOLF.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 17, 26 October 1910, Page 10

LADIES' GOLF.

New Plymouth. Golfers were favoured with splendid weather last Saturday week, when the season was brought to a close by a mixed foursome match for prizes presented by the captain. The following are the six best scores:—Airs Gunson and Armitage, gross 92, handicap 8. total 84; Miss Glasgow and Mathews. 99 —-13—86; Mrs Paton and Paton, 93 —6—87; Miss Blundell and A. Bewley. 98 —8—90: Mrs Weston and C. H. Weston, 103—13—90; Aliss Jackson and Elliott, 103—13—90.

Manawatu.

This club closed its official season on Saturday. 15th October, with mixed foursomes. The day was perfect, and a large number of competitors took part. The match was a sealed handicap stroke competition. The l>est results were:—Miss Humphreys and H. C. Mellsop. 93—20—73; Alias McLennan and St. C. Jounneaux, 90—15—75; Airs Moore and H. GAloore, 91—16—75; Mrs Warburton and S. Tyerman, 90—13—77; Alias S. Abraham and A. Barrami. 86—8—78; Mrs Sim and P. L. Sim, 93—15—78; Aliss Abraham and L. Abraham. 89—10—79; Mrs Watson and H. N. Watson, 103—24 —79; Mrs Cohen and M. Cohen, 104—25 —79; Miss Wrav and C. Louisson, 86—6 —BO. PRIZE LIST. The prize list for chief events of the season is as follows.-— Monthly Medal Matches. —Senior, A (playing for President'a trophy) : Miss Sybil Abraham, after a tie with Mrs Innes. Senior, B (playing for Mrs Abraham's trophy) : Airs Wilson. Junior: Airs Beale. Monthly Bogey Matches.—Senior, A (playing for the lady captain's prize): Mrs Abraham, after a tie with Airs Mellsopp. Senior. B: Miss Sylvia Abraham, after a tie with Mrs F. Seifert. Junior: Airs Bendall. L.G.U. Silver Medal (handicaps, 25 and under).—Mrs Innes (11). with 4 net scores of 92, 93, 95 and 99—379— 94J average (par. 84). L.G.U. Bronze Medal (handicaps, over 25). —Aliss Moore (29), with 4 net scores of 86, 95, 90, 92 —363 —90| average.

American Tournament.—Senior: Mrs Mellsopp. Junior: Aliss D. Waldegrave. Airs Mcßae's Trophy for 4 best gross scores made on medal days.—Aliss Wrav. Mrs L. Seifert’s Trophy, for best gross score made on any day by Alanawatu player.—Miss Wray, 85 in match against Wanganui. C * - Mrs Alellsop's Trophy, open to all who square or beat the "par” in competitions held during the season.—To lie played off between Mrs L. Seifert and Aliss "Sylvia Abraham. Freeth Cup,, to. be held by player who makes the best score for the year.—Aliss Wray. 85. • Club Championship Cup.—Miss Wray, winner; Airs Innes, runner-up. In tournaments. Manawatu players scored the undermentioned successes: — Wairarapa.—Miss Sybil Abraham won 18-hole stroke match, and was third in driving competition.N.Z. Ladies’ Championship.—Miss Wray, runner-up in the championship; Miss Sybil Abraham won the consolation prize in the long handicap class. Wanganui.—Aliss Slack was second in the 18-hole bogey match; Mrs Mcßae won in the 9-hole bogey foursomes, and also won a putting prize. Napier.—Miss Sybil Abraham won the medal match, and Perry cup for the year, after a tie, and was also the runner-up for the Hawke’s Bay open championship. Alanawatu.—Miss Wray was runner-up in the open championship, third in the first medal match, and third in approaching; Aliss Sybil Abraham was second in the bogey match, and first in driving; Mrs Innes and Miss Ethel Abraham won putting prize.

Wanganui.

On Wednesday. October 12th. the last match of the season was played against bogey, and resulted in a win for Mrs. I. Saunders (17). 1 down; and in Class B Miss Krull (30) and Miss Mcßeth (30) tied. 3 down. Aliss Krull won the play off. Airs. Palmer (President of the Club) presented the trophies won during the season. Champion Challenge Bowl, presented by Mrs. Cleghorn, and Club's Gold Medal for Championship. Miss Cave; runner-up, Airs. Good. Class- B. champion. Miss Harper. Silver medal. Miss Darley. Bronze medal, .Mrs. I. Saunders. Al. Palmer's prize. Best score. A, Aliss Cave (99) ; best score, B, 95, Miss H. Anderson. Mrs. Brookfield's prize for aggregate of four best scores. Miss Cave. Air. D’Arcy’s prize for status matches. Airs. Sarjeant. Airs. Howorth’s prize for eclictie score. A, Miss Cowper, 76. Mrs. Sarjeanfs prize, eclectic B, Miss Spencer, 90. Aliss Cave's prize for ladder competition. Mrs. W. Paterson.

“ A Salutary Distraction. .

THINKING ABOUT NOTHING. Andrew Lang, in a witty, if somewhat inconclusive, article in the "M-orning Post,” says: — It may be that golf is sat, as it were, on too high a pedestal. It may be that golf occupies too much of the general mind, and comes between statesmen and more important business, -though, to be fair, more probably it is a salutary distraction. Statesmen are never good golfers; not one of them has ever been at scratch since Duncan Forbes, of Culloden, played a first-rate game on Leith links within sight of the gibbet of his regretted Captain Green. Alany ladies believe that Mr A. J. Balfour is as good. at golf as at the Higher Aesthetics, but I think they are confusing him with Mr Leslie Balfour (now Balfour- Melville), an amateur chatfipion some years ago. Great intellectual eminence does not usually consort with golfing prowess. In my poor opinion the golfer needs, in addition to keen eyes and muscles of steel, the power of keeping his mind in a perfect vacuum, wholly undisturbed by thought. Absence of self-eonsciousness, plenty of confidence, natural gifts of eye and muscle, an empty mind, and imperturbable temper, these are the natural qualities which the golfer must possess. All the rest is vanity. Andrew Kirkaldy is not usually foremost in great competitions. His intelligence is too active and versatile. I would hint nothing against the mental greatness of Taylor, Braid, A’ardon, Dunean and other eminent men, but they

have learned to keep their mind* in theftr proper place while golfing; that is, in due subservience and modest abeyance. Putting is a feeble thing, and, like love, i» “firU of anxious fears.” ByhoHing the iniquities of the ordinary manion the links, his slicing of the sweet turf, his sclaffing, his infinite capacity of error, I often wonder how such fellows as he go on trying to play golf. The player looks at the .'ball, thinks about nothing, and sends the ball where it ought -to go. Genius, for golf or poetry, or anything else, is subconscious, not the result of a fretted self-eonsciousness. - lhe duffer studies strange photographic diagrams of golfers apparently within a closely-barred cage, and tries to reproduce the attitudes in front of a mirror. The player never looks at such scientific puerilities; he merely plays the game.

The American Lady Champion,

Miss Dorothy Campbell, who created a new record last year by winning the ladies’ championships of both England and America, intends to enter again and defend her titl“ She -has every chance of retaining her title, for she has been playing a very fine game recently in Canada. In a tournament held at" the Hamilton Club, Ontario, she met Aliss Nesbitt of Woodstock in the final round, and won with the greatest of ease.

Miscellaneous.

LIES. From the many lies upon the links, St. Andrew’s, guard me still! From the lie in the sand and the cappy lie, And the lie on the steep side-hill; • From the lie in the grass and the stymied lie. And the lie of the golfing bore—■ And of all bad lies I pray the grace From the lie about the score. TEN UP ON BOGEY. I question if any bogey ever received so severe a beating on level terms as the Spook of Portisbead Course has received from G. A. Bowyer, the local professional, who actually defeated the Colonel by 9 up and 7 to play. He was not quite so brilliant after the 11th hole, but finished 10 up on bogey in the round. Bowver's score: Out—3, 3,4, 3, 3. 4. 3. 4. Bogey is: Out —4,5, 4, 4. 4, 5.4. 5, 4—39. Bowyer's score: In—4, 3, 4. 3. 5,4, 3,4, 5—35=66. Bogey is: In—s. 4. 4,3, 4,4, 3, 5. b—3 B—i i. A ONE-ARMED PLAYERS DRIYE. D. R. Anderson recently made a drive of 300 yards at the Joliet Country Club. This is probably the record distance for a one-armed player. Air. John Graham, jun., won his first competition at the age of 11, with a score of 97 for the full round at Hoy lake. James Braid, at Walton Heath, had succeeded in driving on to all the greens, which can be regarded as drivable, not counting the short one. Only the 11th remained unaccounted for. It is not an easy drive. In fact, most people would take 2, for it is some 352 yards long. But the other day Braid accomplished it. Curiously, Braid has never had a hole in one at Walton Heath, although he has several times accomplished this feat away from home. A famous golfer once declared that if lie had. a four-foot putt to hole, and Could delegate the stroke to somebody else, he would unhesitatingly choose Mr. S. Muir Fergusson out of all the golfers in the- world. About- the end of the 17th century there were many instances of by-laws forbidding the playing of golf on Sunday during ’‘the tyme of the sermonnes”; but it is clear that in the latter part of the day it was at least tolerated. A. N. Anais (finishing a long account of his round) : ‘ And I assure you, until .1 missed, that one bn the last green to break the record. 1 hadn’t a putt of under ten yards that- didn’t go down.” Our Quiet Alember: “Ah, old man. it’s a pity your stories don’t go down as easily as your, putts.” It is interesting to note that the only 'American player in the last Amateur Championship sent in his entry at the last minute by a wireless telegram from mid-Atlantic. There are said to be sixty-seven things to be thought of in correctly addressing the ball on the tee. It is the natural dread of these seventy-six conditions (bat makes the earnest beginner at tile tee a spectacle for men and angels.