GOLF

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 220, 11 June 1921, Page 12

GOLF

ALL-TIIE-YEAR-ROUND PLAY MUNICIPAL ENTERPRISE Golf used to bo considered a winter game, which was respited to by those who played cricket, bowls, or tennis throughout the summer, but such is the popularity of the ancient game that it is now played the year through. That is evident’from the- fact that whilst local clubs aro well forward with their handicaps, rejrorts of "big golf" are filtering daily over the cables from England. The establishment of municipal links in Wellington has been a great success. The nine-hole course at Borhcmporo is so well patronised that it shows a profit, and has encouraged the council to extend the links by the addition of another 9-hole course on the western side of Adelaide Road, on the Town Belt. When visited recently, the work of preparing the greens was in a forward state, and it will be welcome news to the army of golfers who swarm over these links, particularly at week-ends, to know that the full 18 holes will be ready in a few weeks—possibly by the end of the month. MIRAMAR CLUB. ROUNDS* IN CAPTAIN’S TROPHY. The second round and portion of ihe third round of the captain's trophy of the Miramar Golf Club have been completed. The results are:— Second Round. Conway beat Barrow. Liddle l>eat Kirker. Gambrill beat J. G. Hughes. Wynyard boat Matthews. G. H. Grange beat Hornabrook. Crombie beat Beasley. Robieeon beat Hurst. Richardson beat Porkin. Third Round. Crombie beat G. H. Grange. Richardson beat Robieson. RIBBED CLUBS TO BE ALLOWED IN CHAMPIONSHIPS. The Rules of Golf Committee has issued the text of the rules which fell to bo altered- by the decisions of the Royal and Ancient Club at the autumn meeting in September last. The alterations refer to the out of bounds, lost ball, uind the unplayable baJl sections of the rules, foi both stroke and match play. An important statement is made by the committee concerning the ribbed, grooved, and slotted clubs which have become ho popular in America. The statement is: “The committee had nnder consideration the question of corrugated, grooved, or slotted clubs. The committee has as yet had little exixuienco of these clubs, and has made no pronouncement on the subject. Alanj members of the committee are against i-he use of these "freak” clubs, and as they understand that the Executive Committee of the United States Golf Association‘adopt a. similar attitude, if. is probable that they will be barred in the near future. It is not the intention of the committee to take this course until after the amateur nnd open championships hare been played.” Tfiiis announcement by the Rules Committee has the important point that action over those grooved clubs will not be taken until after the championships.. It is felt to be diplomatic to delay legislation until after the Americans have had full opportunity of in the British amateur championship, for the Americans who are shortly to visit us all favour the club for approaching, and they might have felt their championships chances, had been interfered with if the grooved clubs were barred on the eve of those events.

BRITISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP AUSTRALIAN WRITER'S, VIEW. There must bo joy in England over the result of the amateur championship (states a writer in the “Sydney Morning Herald”). Feeling has for a long time past run very high. Last year America had only one representative of the first-class in the field, and that was Robert Gardiner. Ho .went very near winning the Crown, and lie was only beaten by C. J. H. Tolley at the 37th green, who dramatically holed a fouiyards down-hill and tricky putt for a 2. Even then America had every rea&m to believe that she had even better players at home who could not make the journey. Further, in so big a field, the odds were very great against one man. Then tho pick "of Britain went over to America. and only one survived the qualifying test, and he was fairly easily beaten in match play. Britain this year had good cause io he despondent about keeping their laurels. Only once has the championship left tho country, when AV. J. Travis, of America, in beating the mighty driver, Edward Blackwell, -won it, and, be it noted, that IV. .1. Travis is an Australian. Tolley has not been playing well for some time. Gordon Lockhart, tho most reliable match plaverrin England, would probably not be playing. He wan reported to bo about io turn professional, and to accept a very lucrative offer from America. This turned out not io be correct, but ho has given up his amateur status, and is being retained as professional at the Gleneagles Club. Holdernosa. another magnificent player, who plays his shots nearer approaching the wav a professional does than any other amateur, is not considered temperamentally sound. The great John Ball, the hero of the championship since 1877, and the winner eight, times, is getting on in years. Hilton is the same. Laurie Jenkins, a. really magnificent player and the holder the year lx*f«re the war, has never apparently recovered his old form. The prospect did not seem bright, when it is remembered that the flower of American golfers crossed the water. Vardon and Ray, who ought to know what .they aro- talking about, were full of the magnificent play of Boh Jones. They described him as somewhat erratic, but as a nearly perfect player, and one who would become the finest amateur in the world if he was not so already. His showing in the American open proved him to bo very good. Then there were "Chick” Evans, reputed by nearly everyone to be unbeatable: Jesse Guildford, one of tho hardest hitters and longest drivers in America. Francis (Jurmit, who herd Ray and Vardon so sensationally in the American open a few years ago, and one of the most reliable amateurs America possesses. To those of us who have lieen devotees of the, game for more we care to count, it is delightfill to see names like John Ball and Bernard Darwin doing so well. It might be safely said that John Ball divides with the late Freddie Tait tho honours of being the popular idol wherever the game, is played. Their names are household wonts all 11m world over, mid chapters could lio written about their matches and doings. 'phe next man in popular favour would, no doubt, bo the late John Graham. a beautiful and matchless player. Whatever the reason would be hard to say, but though edmittod to lie so fine a player he never won the open or amateur events. Tack of stamina might have been the cause, but when nearing the end and looking a certain winner he scorned to lose interest and throw his chances away.

There was another Graham in the field in tho amateur event this year, and the brother of the celebrated John—A. J. Graham —who survived to tho final, only to be severely beaten by Hunter, 9 down at the end of the morning round, mid then, when 7 more holos had boon played, 12 down and 11 to go. Beddard mention-

eci in the cable messages os being a "dark home” from the Midlands survived, the second round of the 1920 championship, in which he beat F. Roosevelt Scorel (R. and A.), but was beaten by the Hpn. Michael Scott in the next .round by 5 and 4.

It is only possible to touch very shortly on the championship, which was full of incidents of nn exciting nature. The main thing is that Britain can breathe freely for another yenr. That a contingent will be sent to America is only io bi, expected, but their chances of winning there would not, in the light of last year's exjwiences, oppear very bright. The strongest players appear to be amongst the. artisan players. It is doubtful if Harry Braid, the son of James Braid, is of that class, as he is an honorary inenilwr of Walton Heath; but Hunter is. and so is Seymour, the half-brother of Abe Mitchell, and a very fine player with a wonderful future before him. The difficulty is that men like Seymour and Hunter will -no doubt have such good offers made them that they are bound to turn professionals. AVlien men like Gordon T.oekhnrt find it worth while to do so, the others probably will also. It is io lie trusted if they* do they will remain in England. ■ THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION. AN ENGLISH OPINION. J. H. Kir&vood. the young and New- Zealand golf champion, is an interesting personality, and at Cooden Beach, when acting as a partner to one of the competitors in the "Daily Alail” tournament, he showed marked ability, differing in style from every well-known player in this country (states the ".Manchester- Guardian”). Ho has a fine command of shots, and while his outward half of 3S was not distinguished, on turning for homo he played brilliantly. In the next seven holes ne had five threes, though at only three of these holes could he reach the green from the tee. His only slips were taking three putts on the twelfth and seventeenth greens, and his score of 73 was beaten by only F. Robson and W. AVatt during the tournament. Standing sft.' flin., Kirkwood is sturdily built, and has a fast, powerful swing. His bag of clubs is surely the smallest that ever a first-class golfer has depended on. It includes a driver that weighs over a. pound, a 'brassie with a stumpy head and a very whippy shaft, a clock, an iron, a mashie, a niblick, and a nutter the grip of which is off the skin of a crocodile. No golfer, he declares, should want more clubs. Certainly Kirkwood makes his iron serve a. multitude of purposes, and on this account every shot seems to be different. He has a flat swing, but it was noticeable that-he was able to plav the half as well as the forcing shot witli iron or mashie.

THE FLOATER TESTS. POSSIBLE SOLUTION OF THE BALL PROBLEM. The bulk of opinion among those golfCH'S who Jiave played with the new floater is undisguisedly adverse to its adoption as a, standard ball, writes Anthony Spalding in the "Daily News.” It has been tried by both first’and second class players, and the dislike of the former was even more emphatically expressed by the latter after their experience at Mid-Surrey. There was a. 12-mile-an-hour wind, and when it was blowing across the. effect was'to add many yards to a slice or pull, and when dead against the player there was general inability to keep the ball from soaring. The play at Sunningdule would have ■been more informative had such a wind prevailed during piny, as the players would have been able to exercise a larger degree of control over the ball. Mr. Hilton, Air. Ellis, and a few others, who can juggle with the ball in a wind, might, indeed, have done better in the competition. What will he the effect of these two experiments on opinion in golf clubs throughout the country? That is an important consideration to those responsible for dealing with the ball question. Existing prejudices against a floating ball will be strengthened, and the faith of those inclined io its general adoption will be shaken. To say that a light ball increases the difficulty of playing golf is not to preach a new gospel. AVith a heavy ball a half-topped drive often results in as good a position as a sound hit—with a floater, it is merely a half- , topped ball .which goes a surprisingly short distance. A hard 'ball in summertime occasionally runs through bunkers, escaping punishment, it thoroughly deserves —a. light ball rarely escapes from sand. These and other blemishes of the hard ball are well known.

Nor does it. help the case of the floater to say that many of Varden's most, brilliant performances were done in the days of the gutty. In those days courses were much shorter and easier than now, but nothing that Harry Vardon ever did was more brilliant in proportion to conditions than Duncan's play on the second day at Deal last year. There is no doubt we are suffering from the idolatory of long hitting, and it is necessary to restore tho balance between the power of the ball and the length of the hole. Nor is there any necessity to argue the case of a standard ball. If it is true that a new process has been discovered by which the cover can be made even thinner and yet as tough as ever, the need for an amendment of tho law of limitation is mosturgent. 1 think the result of tho play at Sunningdale dispels the notion that a light 'ball would check long driving. Through the courtesy of tho Silvertown Go., 1 possess one of the specially made floaters. It is exactly the same size as the Bl tie Dot (over which all tho [rnthcr has arisen), and weighs only 2-tdwts., as against the Blue Dot 29}. Many of the players hit the light ball 220 yards and some even 230 yards. The position of the Rules Committee is an extremely difficult one. It seems that whatever form of restriction they imuoso the ball maker has something up hiJ*sleeve Io defeat, the purpose, and he continues to minister unchecked to the human desire for a ball that will travel far. We'must not forgot, however, that while the art of ball-making has improved. there has been a corresponding advance of knowledge of how to hit the ball. , , The need is not to shorten courses, but we certainly do not want them any longer. It would be impracticable _to limit by law the degree of tension which may bo employed in winding cores because it would be extremely difficult, if not actually impossible, to prove in any given case "whether that limit had or had not been exceeded. Possibly a solution of the problem may be found in the prohibition of the use of kernels or cores, liquid or solid, in the manufacture of balls. Tho core is probably one of the primary agents in promoting flight and run. The Rules Committee is bound to consider competitive golf rather than matches of private interest, but the rights of the private golfer must not be left out. Golf to him is, after all, only fl -iwistime and not a business, and he loves it chiefly for its opportunities of primitive enjoyment. Even now it is a verv difficult game for him to play, and if would be harder still if he had to use n floater. M’lmt would be the effect in the play for the championship if a standard floater was used? Would it be, as Mr 13 Darwin suggests, to bring the athlete" and the old gentlemen together? Possibly so, and the quandary of the committee is to guard against a levelling down process.