FORE!

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 141, 5 September 1927, Page 1

FORE!

Golf Galleries

ETIQUETTE lacking at HAMILTON

/10LFING galleries always have vl in fact what some large families have by reputation—one r two black sheep. Hamilton this year managed to produce, for tne second day of the Open Chamoionship, one or two of those obieetionable people who cannot keep their thoughts to themselves, or even moderate their tones when they are expressing them.

rrHERE was a very large gallery i watching the progress of the championship on Saturday, and in ■r.neral it behaved itself very well, and Kk>k due notice of the boards which cautioned “Stop,” and then “Silence,” but no one could claim for it that it bad any regard at all for the players other than those it was displaying an active interest in, and that proved extremely unfair to those players who had continually to call “Fore,” and wait while some group of people leisurely moved out of the line ot play. Far too many people seemed to act as if they had more right to the links than the players, and, In fact, seemed to think that it was almost an impertinence for any player but the ones they were directly interested 'in to assume to any rights. Hamilton links are not exactlysuited for galleries, too many of the holes running parellel, but is no reflection on the links, which were designed, and very well designed, for playing golf. ONE OF THE WORST

For its size one of the worst galleries ever seen on a course, was that which attached itself to lvapi Tareha, the long-hitting Napier Maori, when he was playing sensational golf on Saturday morning. He was out in 35, and that gave him an excellent chance, not only in the championship, but for the Earl Jellicoe Cup for the best single round. After that two women and a man, in separate parts of the gallery, kept up a running fire of comment, and discussed the game with Tareha at every opportunity. Their proper behaviour would have been to stand Well off, and give Tareha a chance to keep his mind on what he was doing. Tareha eventually failed to hold his advantage on the last few holes. The gallery may, or may not, have affected his result, but he would have been quite justified in politely, or otherwise, requesting some members of the gallery to remove themselves elsewhere.

Waiting for slow players or irresponsible galleries has varying effect on players. Norrie Bell, the Hamilton amateur champion, dropped his chance in the Open largely because of the gallery. He waited for people to move, and then pulled a shot off the line Into the spectators, took two strokes more than he counted on for the hole, and after that did not manage to recover himself.

Nor did Shaw get the run he might have wished for.

“F’ORGET IT,” SAYS BUTTERS R. C. Butters, however, played bright golf behind the gallery which followed Moss and Morpeth on Saturday. He had to wait several minutes at the 16th. Someone, suggested that he should give it a crack and trust to luck. “Why should I spoil my shot?” inquired the Miramar professional, and he waited—and then hit as good a ball as ever came off a club in a championship match. He finished in 75, and that as it happened was the best score recorded in the fourth round of the championship. So you never can tell.

Poor scoring was the order in the afternoon round, and that was accounted for largely by the fact that the players themselves could not forget the leaders. The gallery did not let them. Spasmodic rounds of applause disturbed the almost desert stillness that reigned over the links, ahd the other players immediately craned their necks to see what had been done. BEST HARD LUCK STORY

Hard luck stories were as much in rs t nce BS usua *. hut Horton tells he best one. He was not finishing 7 ®* he desired when a putt at the inth, which he had played to run ound a rise and back to the hole, hthyed on top. “Believe me, if I, hit a ball against w nll, tt would get caught on a nail,” ramarked Horton. Anybow, the Open is over for anHer year, and in the words of some.e w h° had the story of nine little Kger boys running through his mind: 'twenty-four golfers started out for

some fun 3 Quite a long story, but now there w one.