Peter Williams: Show amateurs the money and ditch the prizes

Golf is the only game that still distinguishes between the paid and the unpaid ranks. You're either a professional and you play for money or you're an amateur and you play for a prize - which, according to the Rules of Golf, must not be worth more than $1500.

Every other sport dispensed with the distinction long ago. It's time golf did the same.

Last Sunday Matthew Holten won the Taieri Classic near Dunedin. The former Te Aroha player, now living in Wellington, had a wonderful closing round of 66 to finish the 72 holes at four under par and beat the young local star Thomas Campbell by one shot.

He was awarded the tournament trophy - and a television set. Wellington's Rodney Barltrop, playing some of the best golf of his life at the age of 58, placed third. Rodney's prize was a putter. Anybody who has watched the 1974 New Zealand Amateur champion knows that he uses a hickory shafted putter to deadly effect and wouldn't change for all the world. Rodney gave the prize to his caddy and went home with little more than the satisfaction of having played well.

The worst thing about amateur golf tournaments is the impracticality of the prizes. Any successful amateur has a house full of TV sets, microwave ovens, toasters, sandwich makers, blankets and any sort of household equipment you can think of.

Either that or his garage is littered with golf bags, putters and trundlers that he'd never use because he already has all the gear he needs.

Why doesn't golf, at all levels, just hand over cash? The thought will send many around the council table at New Zealand Golf, not to mention the Royal and Ancient, into apoplexy. Some golf tournaments now offer vouchers - you buy what you want and the tournament organiser will reimburse you to the value of your voucher. Is there any real difference between that voucher and cash, apart from the inconvenience of getting the refund ?

Golf's hypocrisy is that hardly a game goes by at a club every weekend when there isn't some sort of haggle between members of a group. Sometimes it might be for a dollar; sometimes it might be for a hundred - or more.

Thousands and thousands of dollars are changing hands unofficially in amateur golf every week. Why don't we bring it all into the open and just pay tournament prizes in cash?

Sure, we might have to spend a bit more time filling in our tax returns. But it'll save the club volunteers hours at the department stores buying TV sets and coffee makers.

P.S. - Eighth prize in the intermediate section at the Taieri Classic was a nice travel bag. All offers will be considered.