The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-08
THE BIL1LARD CUE AND GOLF.
A Scotch Expression or Opinion on the Use Of
the Implement.

An interesting opinion on the use Of the bill
Hard cue In golf IL published In the Golfer, m
Edinburgh journal devoted to the old Scottish
game. The article is a commentary on the artt-
Gle on the same subject which appeared in TIE
Sun on June 6, which is reprinted In full In the
same number of the Golfer, that of Juno %.
Tho neutrality-suspicious.:
From an article printed in another column
1t will be seen that our cousins across the water
are exercised In their minds as TO whether or not
a billiard cue can DO used in golf. In fact,
some Of them deem 1t absolutely necessary to
have q special enactment to prohibit the use of
any cue shots. Doubtless tho st. Andrews
rules do not specifically set forth that the put
ting green may not DO converted into o billiard
table. The trainers of these rules would prob
ably never dream Of such q practice. But boz
cause there Is no rule printed that does not fol-
low that o cue shot Is admissible.
Golf, unlike cricket, has no bylaws exacting
the use of certain Instruments. In cricket 1t II
laid Town that the bat shall not exceed ~
inches in breadth or 80 inches in length, and
the ball, the wicket, the stumps, and the balls
are all enumerated, 80 that no departure from
the orthodox is allowable, In golf this was
not thought necessary. The rules have come
ball and the description Of the club has been left
Custom to1 ui BUT the G rules Sa0 a Sae' ali based es dae ON two 70
facts-tirst, that the ball has to be fairly struck
by q club; and second, that 1t must be put into
a hole of a certain diameter. 1t Is argued that
with a cue the ball Is struck, but this method
of getting the ball away is, contrary to all tho
traditions, of the game. There Is a countless
number Of patents, but however curious of shape
the head may be, the motion In striking the ball
Is not departed from. In rule IL, for instance,
the words 'soling his club are used, and how
can a billiard cue be soledi Moreover, with o
ball. in a hazard, how can q cue be used with
out contravening rule l4l
ION q dead level putting green the cue stroke
might To the skilled billiard player be an nd
vantage, and this Is probably. why the question
has been raised. Willie Park, In his Book OF
Golf, states that 1t Is not allowable to play with
the shaft of a club as with o billiard cue. and
bases this ruling on the words, the ball must
be fairly struck at in the fourth rule, but the
ball may be struck with q billiard cue and not
pushed. Golfers in this country may think 10
scarcely worth the trouble to discuss the cue
problem; to them the use and won't answer
Is sufficient; but in other lands, where precedent
is unknown, this reply Is to some minds n9tEet-
isfactory. Perhaps the word club maj settle
the subject. ALI through the rules the word
club is used. and II We turn to Inc diction-
| airy we find that the INTERPRETATION OF that word
is a heavy, tapering stick, knobby or massey at
one end, used TO strike with There Is no sug.
gestion of the billiard cue here. The United
States golfer, therefore,. il he does not accept
the Scottish Interpretation Of the word club as
used in golf, has the other alternative of rest
ing himself upon the dictionary meaning, and
under neither OF these can the cue stroke by
any possibility be adopted"