GOLF NOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 June 1940, Page 2

GOLF NOTES

BEAUTY OF MAHUNCA LINKS COMMENT ON RECENT PLAY. CAPTAIN’S GOOD PERFORMANCE

(By

“Cleek.”)

One can be forgiven for waxing lyrical about the natural beauty that everywhere enchants the eye on the hundred or so acres that the Mahunga Golf Club was fortunate enough to acquire some five years ago for the establishment of its course. Maybe the writer's critical faculty is clouded by his self-confessed enthusiasm for the links, but even. the most prejudiced cannot fail to admit their scenic charm and general appeal. The brilliant weather over the week-

end helped them to look their best even if a lifted head resulted in a dulled ball the offending player was not entirely unrewarded or without excuse as he at least had the opportunity of obtaining an involuntary but fully appreciative glimpse of his attractive surroundings. So much for the links. Now a word or two about the players. As befits the captain of the club, I. I. McGregor takes pride of place this week, having returned a net 63 on Saturday. In this column last week he was charged with the quality of consistency but his latest effort forces a revision of this view. Any player who can score eight strokes under the par of the course is heading for stardom. Our popular captain fully earned the many that came his way.

J. W. Dove with a net 64 off a 22 handicap ran the club captain a close second. He has been a slow starter this season and it is pleasing to see that he has at last come into his own.

N. Bach, despite a reduction of 4 strokes in his handicap in the past two weeks, again scored well, returning a net 67. Apparently he still demands the attention of the handicappers.

I. McFarlane returned a 75 off the stick —a very good performance indeed by one of the best players in the club. C. A. Carrig who this year has eschewed football in favour of golf has taken to the game like a duck to water. For a tyro his shots are played remarkably well and with a smoothness that should ensure increasingly better scores.

G. V. Greer, who plays on a 8 handicap, has not quite found form this season. All his strokes are played fluently and scores more in keeping with his handicap can soon be expected.

G. Beecroft, a newcomer to the club this year, plays a sound game and returned a net 73 on Saturday.

RIVERSIDE COMMENT ON RECENT FORM. TEAM TO PLAY CARTERTON. (By “Longdrive.”) The first round for the Captain’s Trophy was played by the members of the Riverside Golf Club on Saturday.

Several good cards were handed in. The best was that of C. Anderson, who finished 1 up on bogey.

If anyone deserves to put in good cards it is C. Anderson. He is one of the club’s keenest players. His medal score was 83-18-65 and his handicap has been reduced to 14/11. The next best card was that of G. Longworth, all square. The highlight of this player’s round was a birdie 3 on the second hole. He has been playing most consistently and now he has had his handicap reduced to 20/15.

F. Roff showed a return to form over the weekend, his medal round being a net 66, and he finished 1 down on bogey. The only real slip he made was at the corner; a 6 appeared on his card for that hole. The secretary of the club, J. Connell, played to two below his handicap, his score being 89-22-67. The success of this player’s round is due to the fact that he can now control his tee shots much more accurately. T. U. Wellington can always be relied on to return a good score. In the Captain’s Trophy round his score was 2 down on bogey. Although Murray Finlayson played to his handicap his score could have been much lower, as the last 3 holes were played in 8 strokes over par. By taking a birdie 3 at the “Wattle,” N. Hoar also played to his handicap.

The most consistent of the new members in the club this season is Alex Bell. This player has improved with each round and his handicap is now 14/11.

By playing good golf, S. Onion is fast improving. During the past weekend he again headed the list of prizewinners. It is most gratifying to see this player improving. He has cured his slice and now ranks as one of the best putters in the club. It was rather unfortunate for all golfers that the holiday was cancelled on Monday, as this is the time of the year when most players look forward to an extra day’s golf. The following players have been selected to play a friendly match against Carterton at Carterton during the weekend: J. Thornton, N. Hoar, W. Palamontain, D. Costello, R. Wearne, F. Pool, M. Thornton, F. Roff, J. Wakelin, J. Lulham. S. Onion. A. Bell.