GOLF.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 130, 19 October 1912, Page 7

GOLF.

NEW PLYMOUTH CLUB,

To-day the New Plymouth Chib closes the season and plays its last match on the Ngamotu links. Mixed foursomes will he played in the early part of the afternoon, and on their being finished the presentation of prizes won during the season will take place. Fifty-six players have entered for the foursomes, and the match will be a medal handicap over sixteen holes, the second hole being omitted from each round. As the full course is not being played, the men will drive from the first tee on the first round, the ladies driving there on the second round. Thus tfie ladies will drive at the last hole of the first round and .the first of the second in succession. To avoid undue delay or crowding, players may start at either the first hole or the "Summit." As it is desired that this match, should be finished soon enough to allow sufficient time for the prizegiving, players are asked to make as early a start as possible. Messrs. Hood and McCormick have presented two clubs for competition, and these will be awarded to the winning couple in the above match. TARAHUA CLUB. The links of the Tarahua Club will be officially closed to-day, when approaching and putting competitions will take place for trophies presented by the president and Messrs Hood and Me- 1 Cormick. A musical evening is to be held oh 1 Wednesday evening as a wind-up to the season. CRISIS AT ST. ANDREW'S. ROYAL AND ANCIENT CLUB'S ' CLAIM.

The sensational rumor is abroad that unless the town council of St. Andrew's agrees to remedy certain grievances the Royal and Ancient Club—the M.C.C. of golf—will be forced to acquire ariothei-, course. ' , ' " j

While many golfers hold' divergent views regarding the government Of the game, all are agreed that St. Andrew's without the Royal and Ancient would be something considerably more preposterous than "Hamlet" played'without a Prince of Denmark. . ',

The present situation, roughly speak'-.' ing, is that the Royal and Ancient maintains the courses at St. Andrew's at a cost that runs well into four figures a. year. There are two courses, the old and the new, and the public can play free of charge, on the old course;, throughout the year, and; on the new eo.urse,save in July, August and September,'' when the charge is a shilling a day. St. An,drew!s is the golfers' Mecca, aiid so many are the pilgrims during the sumnrer ■ that it is necessary.'ibr. thW would-be' plaj'er to give ill his 'mime the evening b'efore he wants to fday?, 1 when stie starting ■ times arc balloted" for;' Members'of the Royal and Ancient have' certain very restricted privileges' as regards this regulation, and the club s'eems' to have come to the conclusion that it' is not getting its money's worth. : ',. Until a few weeks ago''th'e'."oM'coui'sq was closed altogether for play, anil the obvious cause of it's bad condition" was the stress of. play to which it had;been subjected. Golfers' in their hundreds., ot all sorts and conditions, play round this course every day, and the -wear-andr tear of the course is siich that the' greatest alarm, prevails for its future. '' .;"■'

It is difficult to understand whether, the towA council or Cheape, of Strathydriim. is supreme at St' Andrew's, When the links question comes''up'ait the council meetings the name of 'Mr.''Cheape is invariably mentioned. Mr.''Chefifpe is one of the'many my'sfieries of r gol& ii Like the others, he seems-'to present many; difficulties. ■■>'■■■.

It appears.that a Mr. Cheape boujrh.b the links about 184S for ' ; £l<loo.'Wml in 1893 it passed from his hands'* -to t'Jw. R. and A. Club for £3000; Bv an Act of Parliament (St'.'Andrew's-Links? Act. 1894) commissioners Were empowered toraise money for the purpose of "re-pos-' sessing themselves of ancient property.*' It is not generally known (hat tlie St.' Andrew's links were once a rabbit warren. A lawsuit, known as the Dempster case, is a noteworthy commentary on the vicissitudes of golf at St. Aiidiew's.

Briefly! the links were sold by the Earl of Kellie to Mr. Charles Dempster, who let the ground to a James Begbfe for a rabbit warren. These rabbits were likely to prove the undoing of golf, and the "pursuers" in the case claimed that the right of golf "vested from time immemorial,", and that the defendant should be ordered to desist from putting rabbits on the links.

The report of tho case is a lengthy argument on the rights of golfers as against the rights of rabbits, and in the end the golfers won, and Mr. Charles Dempster lost. The case, as has been said, seemed to promise material suflieicnt to provide: a parallel to .Tarndyce v. Jarndyce in "Bleak House." but it came to an en*, as Lord Moncrei'V said, by the rabbits coming to an end.