BOBBY LOCKE GREAT GOLFER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 77, 17 April 1937, Page 14

BOBBY LOCKE GREAT GOLFER

J. E TAYLOR'S OPMON "ONE OF THE BEST I'VE SEEN." REVIEW OF BRITISH TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA. In an toterview with the Capetovvn correspondent of the Ran.d Daily Mail (Johannesburg), J. H. Taylor discussed the recent British golf tour of South Africa. It was a farewell toterview on the eve of the tourists sailing by the Windsor Castle for Home. "The tour has proved an outstanding success, both from the playing and social aspects, and, though I have never been on a more enjoyable tour, he said.. "I would like to pay a trihute. to the Transvaal Professional Golfers' Association for their splendid organisation of a unique anterprist. "As regards the standard of professional golf to your eountry, x iound it' higher than I had been led to believe; through my old friends, Sid Brews and Charles McHvenny, I knew that South African profesional golf must he of a pretty high; quality, but I did not expect whai I found. "Qf the South African-horn players, 1 was speqially taken with the form of Klcos de Beer, of Germiston; Syd Childs, of Kensington; and John Robertson, of Capetown. The fact that South Africa halved the Test rubber against such a powerful combination as Padgham, Mitchell, Cox and Dailey, and that Padgham was twioe beaten— by Sid Brews and Berf Thomas — is slgnificant. "If I can say this of the professionals, I can repeat it with even more

eonvinction in regard to your amatepr stqndard. I kpew of the prowess or Bobby Locke, but was not prepared to find a number of other South African amateurs measuring closely up to his brilliant standard. I did not, uhfortunately, see Clarence Olander, but, by all acounts, he is most accomplished golfer with hardly a weak link. "But I did see a lot of Otway Hayes and Frank Agg, and their degree of skill was a revelation. ^bby Lqcke % regard as one oi the greatest goRors 1 have ever seem amatour or prpfessionqi. and as I have spent a, lifetime of 4Q years in infimnto contaet with golf, I think my ©onsjdered opifiion should he reeeived with just attention. "I am certain that the South African team which will sail in April for a tour of Britain will hold their own in any amateur company and under any eonditions of competition; I also expect them te give a very gopd aceount of themselves inthe British amateur and open chanipionships to be played this year respectively at South, port and Carnoustie, 'Your courseg were also sqrprisipgly gqod, and the wfiole tour, in fact," hqs been something qf an eye-opener; "If I may be a|lowed to make one or twq constructive suggestion§, I think it would tend to imprbve South African golf still further if the pfferjs to Rritish professionals wqye . made su.fficientiy attractive tp get them to come out to Sopth Africa to take up positions in your, country. "The British professional has set the standard, and if Sputh Africa is go|ng tq rely on reeruiting her prpfessionals from purely local taient.'I forsee a deadloek. "The British professional has the breadth of vision and traditional baekground, whjch the South African produet naturally lacks owing to hjs restricted sphere. Far from the importation of British professionals affeotJng the prospects of the absorption of the South Afyiean p'rofessional one iota, it would benefit him in the way of new ideas and modern methodg. "Sqme of the coursps might also be imPTQved by bringing tbem up to mqdern standards. "Tfiis qan best be done by getting tbe adyice pf a recqgnised arohitecturaf expept." ' Referrfng tp thp British perfqrmances, Taylor sgjd he considered Padgham and company had done exceptionally well in vievv qf the strange eonditions and climate. Dailey, fiowever, fiad npt heen "ah.le to do himself anythipg like justice, through filhealth,