GOLF NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 April 1940, Page 4

GOLF NOTES

MAHUNGA CLUB DOINGS LAST SATURDAY’S PLAY. MANY GOOD CARDS RETURNED. (By “Cleek.”) Members of the Mahunga Golf Club were favoured with typical golfing weather on Saturday, and for the first time this season were able to make use of all the permanent greens. This, no doubt, was the reason for the many good cards handed in, as although the temporary greens have been good they necessarily could not provide such an accurate putting surface nor as large

an area as the permanent greens. These latter are really excellent and furnish ample evidence of the definite benefit to be derived from annual topdressing The fact that no fewer than ten, players carded net scores under par for Ihe course is either a tribute to then skill or else an indictment of the handicapping committee or possibly t. combination of both. At the beginning of the season there is inevitably a period of adjustment and the handicappers have “Cleek’s” sympathy in ihei. arduous task of corekiting scores and gettintg all players on a true handicap. J. Eastwood took the honours on Saturtday with a net 66. He seems tc have a natural talent lor the game as he is a comparatively new and inexperienced player. Some of that ease and rhythm which made him such a fine sprinter seems to have found its way into his swing with undoubted advantage to his game. His virtue will no doubt be rewarded with a suitable reduction m his present, handicap oi 18.

M. Syron proved his worth with a net 67. He plays golf with the same determined air that characterises his tennis, the chief feature of his game being his powerful and full-blooded assault on the ball. As his latest score shows, this habit returns good dividends, but possibly still better results would be obtained with a rather less impulsive attack. N. O. Jones did well Io return a net 68. He is another young player of promise whose handicap should be reduced as the season advances. I. McFarlane was the only one of the single figure handicap players to equal par. He scored a well deserved 71 net.

Of all the players at Mahunga there is no one who plays with more zest and relish than F. Traynor. He can truly be described as the “happy warrior” of the links, and although, as yet, his scores do not flatter him, he derives an obvious pleasure from playing that more than compensates for this. His cheerful outlook on this game of golf that some of us are inclined to take too seriously is something which would benefit all to cultivate. RIVERSIDE EVENTS

SEALED NET SCORE MEDAL ROUND. NEW PLAYERS OF’ SOME j PROMISE. (By “Longdrive.") On Saturday the members of the Riverside Golf Club played in a “sealI ed net score" medal round. AnI other similar round will be played again next Saturday and this will give I the handicapper a much better idea as ! to how the new players’ handicaps should be adjusted. , The Riverside Club is most fortun- ■ ate this year in the number of new players who have joined its ranks, as several of them have adapted themselves most readily to the game and should prove to be very fine play-] ers. I Included in the new members are a few well known cricketers and it is I most gratifying to the committtee to see these players taking part, as it will no doubt keep theiy eye in during the winter and improve their cricket next season. Mickey Thornton, a junior, played a j

very nice rcund on Saturday. He went out in one over four for the first 9 and returned with a score of 42. N. Hoar is another that will need his handicap adjusting, as with a handicap of 18 he returned a card of 65 net. Included in his card were five sixes and a birdie three at the “Corner.” D. Wellington could easily have returned a much lower card. He must be dodging the handicapper as on his card there were one three, nine fours, six fives, and two sixes. J. Wakelin seems to improve with age. After playing summer golf at Lansdowne, he comes to light and hands in a card of 65 net. It must be the practice this player .gets that makes him play such even golf. A Bell <a younger brother to “Jock” who has been a player at Biverside for years, and who it is now understood, has retired), played a good round. His card for the second nine was seven fives and two fours. The handicapper under-estimates the ability of N. Everett during the weekend, as this player with a handicap of 28 returned a card 57 net. The spell must have done G. Longworth good as last season he thought his handicap was far too low and now he returns a card of 64 net. Perhaps H was the company he was in that made him play' good golf. C. Leigh made only one slip last Saturday and that was when he took a seven at the “Donga.” An otherwise good round was spoilt by W J. Palamontain when he tool: .5 putts on tile home green. This player was 33 for o and to take 7 for the last hole is rather too bad. Another good round was (hat ot Max Manson. He will come under the | eye of the handicapper very soon, asj last year he was playing steady golf and on Saturday he returned a card of 64 net. There was great jubilation on the links during the afternoon when it became known that W. Gilliland had returned a card of 66 net. This player is very keen and is a most likely runner for the junior championship.