GOLF

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 126, 24 November 1932, Page 24

GOLF

By "Chifshot"

THE OPEN

TOO MANY PROS.?

WHAT IS AN AMATEUR ?

. Surprise has been expressed because the winning of the' Open Championship aggregate at the national meeting this year -was two strokes above that at Shirley last year, and five strokes above that at Hokowhitu the year before. Both of these courses are stiffer, from a scoring point of view than Heretaunga, but it must be remembered that the fairways at Heretaunga were a trifle deader than at Shirley, though there eeems to be no excuse for the disparity in comparison in the case of Hokowhitu, where it poured, and lakes were common. The truth of the matter is that at Heretaunga it was extremely difficult to judge distances, because of the variable winds, and players were frequently short or over the niark when playing their seconds to the greens. The condition of Heretaunga course could not have been better,- nor was the rough of a formidable character, while the general opinion of the greens was that better had never "been seen at a national meeting.

Again it was demonstrated that there is no stroke player in New Zealand to compare with Shaw, whose rounds of 74, -72, 72, and 71 could have easily been bettered a stroke or two. His best round was played under the worst conditions, indeed he was heading for a 69 in scudding sheets of rain with a gusty wind, and a missed putt and a short approach at the two last holes alone stopped him. Shaw is credited with being lucky. Certainly his tee shot at the sixteenth seemed to have put a crimp in his card, but it is oiie of his strong points that he. can recover from all sorts'of positions without accepting the penalty for' occasional mediocre shots. No golfer-is ever likely to be a champion who cannot do it. If Shaw is lucky it is because he has this gift.

Five strokes behind came A. D. S. Duncan, a' wonderful feat for the veteran amateur. Then came E. S. Douglas, the' professional who started off as though he would beat Shaw for the professional championship, but later failed oh the greens. His open aggregate was nine strokes behind Shaw 'a. E. J. Moss, the Middlemore professional, followed ■with an aggregate of 300 •with an 82 in it, but also including the 70 which won the Jellicoe Cup. Sim'e and Millard. "were two amateurs who stood well up in the event with 304. Sime's position ■was not altogether unexpected, as he is a very fine golfer when lie is on his game, but Millard' came as a surprise. Having watched his steady. play and great length where it is Tequired, his utter apparent indifference tcT the little rubs of the round, one can Understand why he was confidently expected by his Avondale friends to go far in the Amateur.

Silk, the Blacks, Wright, Collins, B. J. Smith, junr., Huggins, and Horton were amateurs who' held their end up ■well, but it is not given to every amateur to be a good stroke player. Hornabrook, with an SO and an 83 in his 315, was disappointing, and Wagg, the. amateur champion, with 316 was twentyseventh in the Open.

.Ritchie, the Clemen tses,. Melntosh, Dyke, T. Galloway, Fuller, Butters, Stratmore, Branch, G. Watt, Forrest, Blair, and Lambie were professionals amongst the first 35 aggregates, the last ■with 321, or an average of nearly seven strokes a round more than the first ama. teur. Form undoubtedly accounted for the position of some of these, but it is significant that the last sis places in rthe Open were filled by professionals. Not every professional can be a Shaw, and, while coaching and. club-making prdvide a more certain livelihood than professional golf, there is little cash incentive to professionals to devote their time chiefly to playing golf. There is, of course, a certain prestige to professionals in taking part in the.Open, but there is a strong feeling amongst amateurs '■ that' too many professionals who cannot hope to' affect the result enter for. the event, thereby excluding amateurs who could produce better aggregates. As regards the tail of the professional field this is evident. There is no excuse for the lowest professional aggregate being over a stroke a hole more than that of the winner of the event. One would damn nobody on the ', strength of a single" tournament, but it should be.an easy matter for the Golf Association, year by year, to keep track of the performances of professionals, and exclude those from the Open who can do no more than equal mediocre club golf. ... Miramax at New Year. The announcement that there will tea New Year tourney at Miramar does not come as a surprise. If there was not, {here would be some amazement, because this is one of the most popular fixtures of the golfing year. The championship will as usual be flanked by a group handicap and bogey handicaps, etc. The sixteen entrants on the lowest handicaps will be drawn to play oft by one round of match play for the Miramar open amateur championship, and other entrants will be divided by^handicap into groups of sixteen. Too Many Events? • It has been asked by a lady golfer why there is not in New Zealand an interclub mixed foursomes event, such as is given ■ prominence in England several times a year. Just why it is hard to tell, but more mixed foursomes do not appeal to1 most clubs. Such an event, with picked couples who would dovetail well, would provide the best of golf, and if the field were to cover the Dominion,-some exceedingly useful pairs could ba found who would return scores that would make the average' club golfer stare. Most clubs have now enough fixtures, however.' - There are all the interclub games, which have, become .so popular, arid/the. teams for ■which have so grown, that courses are being more ami ■ more inaccessible to club members for a greater number of days every year. r Some- clubs have already a considerable number of mixed foursomes events. If the programmes at "national' meetings were not so lengthy, a national mixed foursome could take the place of the men's v. women's match played regularly some years ago, which does not seem likely to be revived. ' ■ ■ Municipal Links. Season tickets have, been increased by the City Council for the Berhampore links to £4 4s for men, and £2 2s for women. While this represents a saving on playing at every available opportunity at Is 6d a round, it1 is . quite enough when . the facilities, given by some of .the- junior golf clubs at very slightly increased fees are taken into consideration. Members who wish, to •join the Mornington Golf Club, the only club using the municipal links, have to pay a small subscription to that in addition before they can have the pleasure of club competitions, and they have no particular privileges at the club house, over. other's who pay for their rounds. Eecently they were asked £.150 in advance, in a lump sum for a room of their own for a five-year period. With all this, course improvements during the last few years have ' been negligible. What is ah Amateur? The old discussion-as to what constitutes an amateur has cropped up againj say_s a writer in the '' Daily