The Long Game Newsletter of the Society of Australia

S G A

No 42, OCTOBER 2012

Inside This Issue Page 1-2 Vale Burtta Cheney MBE Page 2 From the President Page 3 Claytons’ Corner Page 4 ‘The Cradle of Golf’ Page 5-6 Presidents Trophy at Royal Melbourne

Burtta Cheney with Keith Wood & Ian Rennick Page 7 Dinner at Royal Melbourne Golf Club Vale Burtta Cheney MBE Page 8 (The following is based, in part, on the eulogy at Burttas’ recent Book Review: funeral by her nephew David Cheney. Ed) : From Ridicule To Acclaim by Russell James Burtta Cheney was born on 10th October 1916 in Rose Park, a suburb of National Hickory Challenge Adelaide, the youngest of four children of an early motor car entrepreneur. at Croydon Golf Club The family moved to Melbourne in 1920 and were variously residents in 1st November 2012 Canterbury, Brighton, Glenferrie, Croydon during the 1930s recession, Upper Beaconsfield during the war, Canterbury again, then Mitcham in For The Diary the early 1950s, Beaumaris and finally three different streets in Toorak. Home wise her real love was ‘Carousel’ in Anglesea which she designed 29th October and had built in 1952. Not long before the 1983 bush fires, that consumed Dinner at Victoria Golf Club ‘Carousel’, she moved to Hitchcock Avenue in Barwon Heads. Burtta attended Firbank Anglican Girls Grammar School, PLC in East Melbourne 1st November and finally, at age 12, Toorak College which, at the time was moving from Toorak National Hickory Challenge to Mt Eliza. at Croydon Yering Meadows Named for her maternal grandmother, who had been born in the Kingdom of Fife, it was perhaps inevitable that she would have a life in golf. This inevitability was nudged along by her parents joining Eastern Golf Club in the late 1920s and 26th November Burttas’ mother inviting her to attend the final round of the 1930 Australian Ladies AGM & Doug Bachli Trophy Championship being held at Commonwealth Golf Club. Burtta was hooked. at Victoria Golf Club continued on page 2 >>

The Long Game | OCTOBER 2012 1 Vale Burtta Cheney MBE continued from page 1 The influence of Miss Cheney, Four decades it has lasted. ‘When I was a girl’ in my memory, Still so clearly plastered. Learn a swing, etiquette and The basic rules today. Have a career, a family, come back And you’ll know how to play. For her contribution to women’s golf Burtta was awarded the inaugural “Lifetime Achievement Award” by Women’s Golf Victoria and was one of the first six members of Victoria’s Golfing Hall of Fame together with Doug Bachli and . From the Burtta Cheney was devoted to two things, golf and her family; she lived with and took care of her parents for President The second world war interrupted the last twenty years of her life and was her golfing life and she joined the a wonderful role model to her nieces A most enjoyable dinner was held Red Cross in Melbourne ferrying and nephews of three generations. at Royal Melbourne Golf Club early wounded servicemen from hospitals in August with Richard Forsyth to rehab but when peace broke out In 1981 Burtta was one of the GSA she returned to the fairways. founding members and a member outlining the challenges of course of the inaugral committee. In 1986 management for the Presidents Cup After a stellar career as an amateur Burtta succeeded Doug Bachli as and the Masters in Augusta. golfer, at domestic and international GSA President for two years, and level, Burtta decided to put was then elected a Life Member. Our next dinner will be at Victoria something back, starting up the Golf Club on Monday 29th October, girls’ golf camp at Anglesea, still An ardent supporter of the aims and we are privileged to have Frances going 45 years later. of our Society from its inception, Crampton AM as our guest speaker. through participation in events, Frances is well known in golfing From these camps emerged functions and activities to promote circles and we look forward to champion women golfers such as golf and preserve its history in hearing of her sporting experiences. Sandra McCaw, Jane Lock, Louise Australia, Burtta Cheney MBE will Briers, Penny Pulz and Sandra be sadly missed. The golfing year is drawing to McKenzie and a host of women a close, and we look forward to golfers to help run the distaff side of the National Hickory Challenge club golf. being held at Croydon Golf Club on November 1st, and the AGM The following lines from The meeting and Doug Bachli Trophy, Anglesea Tradition, a poem written by an 18 hole Stableford event for both Lois Marriott (Rimmington) in 2004 men and women at Victoria Golf sum up well Burtta’s contribution to Club, on Monday 26 November. women’s golf in Australia. Members are reminded that nominations are welcome for Have you missed a dinner but would positions on the Committee; as existing members retire, we are keen like to hear the speech? for members to become involved on In most cases, when the speaker agrees, we record the the GSA Committee. Our Secretary after-dinner speeches at Golf Society functions. Paul Burgess and I welcome any enquiries from members. If you have missed a dinner and would like to hear any of the presentations, they can be made available on cd Geoff Vincent AM for playing on computer or cd player. President Contact: The Secretary

2 The Long Game | OCTOBER 2012 Clayton’s Corner with Michael Clayton

Golf is a game where the surface Rod Tatt at Woodlands is It seems there are wildly varying it is played off, on and over is experimenting with oversown fescue qualities of poa greens, with the both critical and varied. So much on the second fairway, and the next good ones being tremendous and the ten to twenty years may see the poor ones soft, bumpy and generally is dependent on the climate, and completion of what was started in miserable to putt on. Ben Crenshaw what greenkeepers can reasonably 1977, a return to great winter golf to was once asked what were the best grow, and maintain. perfectly compliment our brilliant greens he had ever putted on and he Perhaps the ideal surface for golf is summer conditions. cited Royal Melbourne’s bent and the poa greens at Oakmont and Crystal fescue. There are several variations In America the golf is played on a Downs in northern Michigan. of fescue but it is fine cool season variety of surfaces and the choices are grass and it works perfectly on British so dependent on the climate. Florida On the other side of the American links. It is without grain which golf courses, with a climate reminiscent continent, the best courses in the makes it ideal to hit full iron shots as of Queensland , uses ‘bermuda’ (their north-east use a mix of bent-grass, rye well as the little chips, pitches, and term for couch) as the dominant and bluegrass. The obvious difference bump and run around the greens. grass. It is also the grass used in the between the finest collection of In Australia the Moonah Course at warmer parts of the south and west. In courses in the world and ours is that The National and 13th Beach are Arizona, and similarly hot states, they they are under snow for four or five predominantly couch-based courses, over-sow it with Rye in the winter to months a year. oversown with fescue. keep the courses green. Rye is an odd, Claude Crockford perhaps best sticky surface almost unknown on our Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm summed up the difference between courses but the winter is golf season are pure fescue courses and here in the two continents when he said to in the south states and America has a Melbourne, Royal Melbourne has Ben Crenshaw, on one of the master greater reverence for green than we do used it exclusively in the surrounds. putters visits to Royal Melbourne, in Australia. In Melbourne, a grassing revolution ‘In America you are always trying began in the last 1970s when At Riviera, the brilliant George to make the grass grow. Here we are Graeme Grant rid Kingswood of Thomas course in Los Angeles, the always trying to stop it growing’. the traditional two-grass regime, fairways are all kikuyu. This kikuyu employing couch in the summer and is, however, a finer and significantly poa-annua in the winter. Since every better version (mainly a result of sandbelt course followed suit, their improved chemicals) than the junk- golf is now played on vibrant couch grass that we grew up playing over in grass in summer, and dormant couch other parts of Australia, particularly in the winter. New South Wales. Chipping off dormant, and often It is a perfect surface to hit irons from grainy, couch grass is a miserable and whilst it makes it harder to run proposition and so many golfers the ball onto the greens it works very have to resort to simply putting from well at The Lakes in Sydney. around the greens – something that Five minutes from Riviera is the Los is difficult, if not impossible, off the Angeles CC. It is another Thomas softer poa-annua surfaces. masterpiece and it is all couch that Chipping off the fescue at Royal looks similar to the legend couch used Melbourne is such a pleasure, and a at Royal Melbourne, Commonwealth, huge improvement on both couch Ranfurlie and The Ocean Course at and poa surrounds because of the The National. variety of shots it offers. Further north, close to San Francisco, We are now thirty-five years on from are the amazing courses of the the beginning of Grant’s revolution Monterey Peninsula, including Pebble and the next step is the question of Beach and Cypress Point. There the how we can improve the look, feel greens are all poa-annua and a throw and play, especially around the greens, back to the 1970s when most of in the middle of the year. Melbourne’s courses used poa on the greens.

The Long Game | OCTOBER 2012 3 ‘The Cradle of Golf’ By John Scarth

The Guinness Book of Records has • Douglas and Peter McEwan who recently recognised Musselburgh had a workshop making clubs in the Old Links, some twelve kilometers town in the latter part of the 1800s. from downtown Princes Street, • The Dunn Twins, Jamie and Willie Edinburgh as the oldest Senior, who originally worked for in the world. the Gourlay family as apprentice ball makers. Authenticating the record is primary • John Carey, known as ‘Fiery’, a documentary evidence found in the professional caddie, always attired account book of Sir John Foulis of in his Balmoral bonnet. He rarely Ravelston, with entries indicating that spoke (although well spoken and golf was played on the links from 2 Hotel at 4th hole well-mannered) and never gave March 1672, although it is thought the golfer credit for his shots, The R & A made that size mandatory that Mary Queen of Scots had played preferring to indicate his approval in 1893. The first ever Women’s Golf there a century earlier. with a significant nod of his head. Competition was played here by local The Old Links at Musselburgh is now Fiery was always in great demand fishwives in 1811 and brass sole plates a nine hole links course ensconced as a caddie and it is said that Willie were first fixed to wooden clubs here, as almost entirely within a race track and Park Jnr. never played an important many golfers were prone to slicing their was held match without him. drives on to the adjoining road. Fairway there six times between 1874 and woods then became known as brassies. All the 9 holes have interesting 1889, with each championship held names such as ‘The Graves’, ‘The Cost for nine holes, weekdays or over four rounds. Those winners were Barracks’, the famous 4th hole ‘Mrs. weekends, is £15 and overseas 1874, Formans’, named after the drinking membership is available for those 1877, 1880, Willie establishment behind the hole, and wishing to join. Hickory shafted clubs Fernie 1883, 1886 and ‘Hole Across’, the last hole added to can be hired if required. Musselburgh Willie Park Jnr. 1889. the course in 1870. is interactive history for all those who Musselburgh has had some wonderful seek to further understand the great The world’s first hole cutting golfing heroes: game of golf. implement was used at Musselburgh by • John Gourlay, the famed feather ball Robert Gay in 1829 and the 4¼ inch The course is owned by the East maker who managed the course for hole diameter became the standard size Lothian Council, and is 2954 yards in years. The Royal Musselburgh Golf because that was its width. length with a of 34. It is located at Club has six highly prized feather balls. Balcarres Road, Musselburgh and the web address is www.musselburgholdlinks.co.uk

1st hole 4 The Long Game | OCTOBER 2012 Presidents Trophy at Royal Melbourne by Peter Gompertz

The Presidents Trophy of 2012 attracted an entry of 28 members to play over the front 9 holes of the West Course at Royal Melbourne under certain rules in force in 1950 as suggested by Past President Daryl Cox. The day was fine and bright with a little wind to make things interesting. Over a warm lunch in the clubhouse the leading four players were announced with Max Findlay leading from Dick Kirby, Norie Macleod and Peter Gompertz. Unfortunately Dick Kirby had to leave to go to a funeral and his place in the match play section was taken by Tony Lang.

Peter Gompertz & Norie Macleod

The sudden death semi final matches were to be played on the East Course, starting at the first, with Max Findlay and Tony Lang, long term golfing partners from Croydon Golf Club, teeing off first. Max hit his second into the first green a little long and Tony, also going for the pin managed to lay an inadvertent stymie which Max failed to negotiate so this match was decided there and then. In the other semi final Norie MacLeod pulled his tee shot into the left rough but was looking straight down the green for his second which found the heart of the green. Peter Gompertz hit his drive straight down the middle but fell short of the green with his second. Being ‘away’ he then hit a rather timid chip which did not threaten the pin; finding his ball still ‘away’ he attempted to lay a stymie with a long putt but slightly overdid it. Norie laid a longish putt almost dead and Peter missing from slightly further away for a five, conceded. The two winners then played for the trophy. Tony Lang, being a low handicap player, had to give Norie a shot and started with a good drive to the left hand side of the second fairway while Norie, trying to cut the corner, flirted with a couple of trees, his ball ending in the rough. He was able to get a club to the back of the ball and get it back on to the fairway but was still away and put his third up the fairway short of the green. Tony then put a strong fairway wood shot past Norie’s ball but short of the green. Norie then wedged in to about four feet from the hole and Tony hit a chip on to the green which stopped a little quickly leaving him a long putt with Norie’s ball on the direct line to the hole, stymieing himself unintentionally. Tony put a lot of thought into his long putt but did not succeed in passing Norie’s ball and so was still stymied. Tony was then offered considerable advice by the gallery, all of which he ignored and putted up to find his ball still a foot short of his opponents, and well and truly stymied!

Stymied continued on page 6 >> The Long Game | OCTOBER 2012 5 Tony Lang & Norie Macleod Presidents Trophy at Royal Melbourne continued from page 5

Even more advice was forthcoming along the lines of ‘chip ‘it’ and ‘cut it round’ but ignoring this help Tony then putted his ball, hitting Norie’s ball closer to the hole. Having replaced his ball where he had hit Norie’s ball, and missing the next putt, Tony conceded. The gallery applauded the winner, Norie MacLeod, the loser and the good spirit in which the match had been played. Past President Daryl Cox would have been pleased to have witnessed the plethora of stymies. Winner and loser trekked back to the clubhouse with the gallery where Norie McLeod was presented with the Presidents Trophy for the second time, and insisted that all present join him in a glass of champagne. It was a tight fit but we made it. The winning putt

6 The Long Game | OCTOBER 2012 Dinner at Royal Melbourne Golf Club by Geoff Vincent

More than 70 members, and Extensive use was made of a large Legendary American golfer Bobby guests, attended Royal Melbourne storm water drain that runs through Jones originally hired Alister Golf Club for a dinner last August Royal Melbourne, and a large 35 MacKenzie as the architect for megalitre dam, constructed to harvest Augusta but several changes have to hear Richard Forsyth, Head this water, making the Club self been made over the years from the Greenkeeper at Royal Melbourne, sufficient in meeting their water original. The Masters is held over outline his experiences with the needs. In addition the Club has 18 holes and there is a 9 hole par preparations for the Presidents a licence to access ground water 3 course for a competition on the Cup and some impressions of via several bores. A special water Wednesday before the main event. his recent visit to the Augusta allowance was provided by the The first Masters was held in 1934. Victorian government to assist with National Golf Club, home of The Richard told us that membership the preparations for the Presidents is only about 300, by invitation Masters. We were delighted that Cup and the Handa Womens only, but that there are considerable Richard’s lovely wife, Romani, was that followed. able to join him for the evening. resources to care for the 100 acres Richard outlines how large numbers of fairways, 40 acres of rough, Richard moved across to Royal of staff were borrowed from other golf 44 bunkers and 6 water hazards. Melbourne from Metropolitan Golf clubs to assist in the almost round Perennial ryegrass is sown on the tees, Club in 2009, during the drought the clock efforts to prepare the course fairways and rough while bent grass years. He outlined the task of and keep its standard high and ready is used on the greens which measure restoring the course to world class for play. The result is that Royal an average of 6,000 square feet each, standing, including significant water Melbourne has reclaimed its ranking considerably larger than Australian installations, water management, as the top course in Australia. greens. For Richard the visit to and the re-sowing the fairways with Augusta was a highlight of his career Richard then told us of his visit to the exclusive ‘Sutton Mix’ grass seed to date and he is looking forward Augusta where he spent some time which is sourced from New Zealand. to a further visit to learn about new with the course staff techniques and processes. and learnt how they prepare for their big In 2011, Richard was named event every April. Superintendent of the Year by Golf He particularly Digest and the Victorian Golf Course noted that their Superintendents Association bestowed greens are cut Life Membership on him. several times We were very grateful to Richard every day during for giving his time and insights, the Masters and sharing his experiences of the competition. Presidents Cup and the Augusta National Golf Club.

Richard Forsythe

The Long Game | OCTOBER 2012 7 Book Review: David Graham: From Ridicule To Acclaim by Russell James By Peter Gompertz

It is unlikely that many golfers in Australia are aware that The general David Graham, Australian Open Champion and two time sporting public Major winner in the USA, actually started playing golf left of Australia handed but he did; this easy to read story explains why will know and tells of a golfer who overcame a troubled childhood, a something of diffident and abrasive personality, and a host of champion David Graham golfers, to achieve major success in his chosen career as but not the full well as secure the friendship, and respect, of Bruce Devlin, extent of his , and , The author achievements does not shirk the golf politics of the time, including the over a 40 vexed question of appearance money for overseas golfers year career. supporting Australian PGA events or David Graham being Newspaper sacked as Captain of a Presidents Cup team. cuttings throughout From Ridicule to Acclaim traces David Grahams’ very early the book, and preference for golf over school and his dedication to practice letters written of Vijay Singh proportions. It moves on to his years as by David to assistant to George Naismith at Riversdale, following in the the first man steps of Peter Thomson, a position in which he practiced to believe in on the range at every opportunity when not required to him, will set work. and learned the skills of a club maker. that right. Golf fans who watched the major championships of the The book, with colour soft covers, is 1970s/ 80s, and the Seniors/Champions Tour of the1990s, available for $A33.99 including postage and packing, from will remember David Graham as one of the most focussed www.ryanpub.com. and unresponsive golfers, but as Russell James has elicited It is a good read. from his subject, David, in his own words, was ‘in the zone’. That will explain his ability to go low in a match which appeared lost or the last round of a major championship.

National Hickory Challenge at Croydon Golf Club 1st November 2012

The first National Hickory Challenge will take place on 1st November at the Croydon Golf Club, Yering Meadows. The event is open to all amateur and professional golfers in Australia. For an entry form go to http://www.golfaustralia.org.au/site/_content/document/00012716-source.pdf

The Golf Society of Australia was formed in 1982 to research and preserve the history of golf in Australia. As part of this role, the Society manages the Museum and Library for Golf Australia. Golf Australia supports the Society by providing office space and administrative assistance.

President: Geoff Vincent am Hon. Secretary: Paul Burgess Hon. Treasurer: Dick Kirby Editor: Peter Gompertz Correspondence: 513, Balcombe Road, Beaumaris Vic 3193 Tel/Fax: 03 9589 1421 www.golfsocietyaust.com