Captains Message ::
Since my last message we've had one playing event for our members, our annual show-and-tell at Auburn. Unfortunately, I couldn't be there as I was out of the country at the time. My thanks to Tom Moore for contributing this report on the event.
SHOW AND TELL DAY. Held at Auburn City Links on Thursday August 6th.
This annual event again proved popular. In a 9 holes 2 ball Ambrose, Tony Pickrell (15) and his visitor Bob Mc Kew (18) from North Ryde had a gross score of 36 and with a handicap of 4 and 1/8 had a nett of 31 and 7/8. Runners up were Peter Read (3) and Ray Calnan (15) from Castle Hill scored gross 36 and nett 33 and ¼. Individual winner was Bruno Pase (11) with 19 Stableford points.
After the game in the Rosnay Clubhouse many items were produced for display.Tony
Pickrell had a ladies metal hat pin with a crossed golf club motif used
by his Mother when she played in the New England district in the 1920's
and 30's. Peter Read had a CONCAVE faced mashie. A rare item these days,
they were banned by the R. and A. in 1933. It was thought they could cause
a double hit.
Roger Weik showed some rare first day covers, one celebrating the opening
of the National Golf Club in Augusta, scene of the now fabled "Masters."
Tom Moore brought in a personalised folding sandscraper and wooden spoon. In areas where it is not possible to have grass greens, greens or blacks as they are sometimes called are made from sand mixed with sump oil. Before putting a player is allowed to smooth a path to the hole with a toothless, or dumb rake. Most Clubs supply such a rake generally on the top of the flagstick, but many players prefer to have their own folding rake. Since the smooth line must extent past the hole some sand falls into the hole. This is scooped out with the hand, but after a while oil gets onto the skin making gripping the club difficult. Hence the wooden spoon.
Two other items showed that nothing was wasted if possible. A persimmon headed Brassie made by 1933 ?Australian Open Winner Lou Kelly showed a knot in the timber expertly drilled out and a small wooden plug inserted. The head would then be stained and polished Black to cover the repair. Warning, when buying a wood stained black always be suspicious that it is covering a fault.
Also a Mashie shafted with a broken wood shaft. The shaft was inserted upside down with the thickest part fitted into the head. The thinnest part was then laboriously built up to grip thickness with sticky gummed paper. This was applied by wetting the hand and rolling the gummed paper onto the shaft through the hand wetting the gum as it passed through. Other clues were, a badly fitted shaft where it goes into the head and the pin make of mild steel. Originally a stainless steel pin would have been used and when polished would have been very difficult to see.
Tom Moore
I'd like to include another contributed report. By way of introduction; the authors Geert and Sara Nijs are golf historians, with particular interest in ancient ball-and-stick games.
As we all know, there are many theories on the origins of golf. One theory is that early golf may have started as a form of jeu de crosse (sometimes called choule), which is still played in Northern France and Southern Belgium.
The theory goes that traders from the east coast of Scotland, sometime before 1457 (a significant date in golf history), brought jeu de crosse from continental Europe to Scotland. From there on golf evolved to become a quintessentially Scottish game, quite different from jeu de crosse but offering many of the same challenges.
I was fortunate to join Geert and Sara in Belgium, play this distant cousin of golf and enjoy the hospitality of the crosseurs.
World's Oldest Golf Sport in Belgium
On the 9th and 10th of August, golf historians from different parts of the world came together in Baudour, Belgium, to get to know in practice the oldest still surviving golf sport: Choule/ Jeu de Crosse. The captains of the golf historical societies from Australia, Britain and Europe together with golf historians from various countries, were instructed by experienced Belgian crosseurs how to play this almost 1,000 years old game. The visitors were astounded at the subtleties of the game, at the skills required to play, at the surprising likeness between golf and its ancient precursor but also at the remarkable differences between the two games.
The teaching and actual play were regularly alternated with traditional crosseurs' meals, pints of famous Belgian beer and medieval music with ancient Belgian bagpipes and accordions.
Sara Nijs, co-author of the book "Choule: The Non-Royal but most Ancient
Game of Crosse" and organiser of this event, presented a statue of
Saint Anthony the Great, for more than 600 years the patron saint of all
crosseurs, to the members of the Belgian Choule/ Jeu de Crosse society,
with the plea that the saint will protect this wonderful game and their
players for many years to come.
Michael Sheret, overjoyed at hitting the planchette
Do you want to know more about this unique sport? Do visit www.ancientgolf.dse.nl
Geert & Sara Nijs
We have two more playing events for the remainder of 2009. Port Kembla GC on 15 October and our championship at Georges River GC on 10 November. Entry form for the championship may be downloaded from this page. Port Kembla is a 13-hole stableford handicap event. Assemble at 12 noon for the first hit off at 12.30 pm. Cost for member or member's guest: $30 for green fee, comp fee and post-round sandwiches.
Michael Sheret :: September 2009
Go to … Playing Events in 2009 ::
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