The sun., 1897-06-20
OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENTS.
USEFUL HINTS TO CLUBS PRoPos-
ING TO HOLD SUCH CONTESTS.

on Choosing Prtses, Drawing Byea. and
Posting Up tho Cnrds-Prncticai suEEcs-
tions MADE BY the Metropolitan Association.
Once past the fedglng stage, IL is but natural
that golf club should desire to hold an open
II 1t has developed many players
who go a-visiting, the wish to have open
tourney may be prompted by tho inclination to
return tho hospitalties extended TO Its men,
bers by other clubs, or 1t may bo from the desire
to test tho strength Of the noted golfers on the
home links where the local men should stand
the best chance Of winning; and still another
reason is to stimulate the social and golfng life
of the neighborhood by tho presence of the
throng Of visiting players that an open tourna-
ment attracts. At all events there Ia no lack Of
open tournaments.
Dates have been allotted on the list Of open
tournaments arranged by the Metropolitan Golf
Association TO four clubs that will make their
FIRST attempts to manage such affairs. Many
clubs outside the Metropolitan district will also
hold opon tournaments for the first tmo. Tho
older clubs are again In the field, and. as tho
reports Of the tournaments show, their events
have Increased In Importance to keep paco with
the larger number OF entries To alter Mrs.
Glasses famous recipe, when u club decides to
give an open tournament, the advice to bo
spoken is, First catch your dates" Tho
SOlI hbsOCldIlOn TcneNto lts meh-
bers Of this trouble by assigning to an ap-
plicant certain dates free from conflict
with any other fixture on Its circuit
Unless tho club Is q member of some
similar association, like the Philadelphia
or the Central New York Golf League, the So
lection of dates is decided upon by the Board OF
Directors. Before making o choice tho com
mittoe should post itself regarding the seasons
fixtures at the links in its vicinity. No golfer
can be in two places at once, like Boyle Roche's
bird, 30 1t Is necessary to avoid n conflict with
any nearby tournament. Tho week preceding
or following such tournament Is a good time
to select for doubtless many OF the birds Of pas
sage. the travelling golfers, will stop over while
in the neighborhood.
Once the dates are fixed II Is q wise plan for q
club to place the management Of the tournament
in the hands Of special committee. Then.
should things go wrong. the Tournament Com
mittee may be "called down" by the club men,
bers with promptitude and vigor. 1t sometimes
happens. when the details are intrusted to the
Secretary or to the Greens Committee, that the
impregnable excuse put forward, In case Of fail
ure, Is that in tho press Of other club duties
some Of the arrangements were overlooked.
The first duty OF tho Tournament Committee
will be to arrange tho conditions. In fixing the
amateur championship conditions for 1896. the
United States Golf Association introduced
method Of holding large competitions that has
since been generally adopted In this country.
and also taken up by some clubs in Great
Britain. Tho idea was to eliminate as far as
possible, tho luck Of the draw" through which
by good fortune In drawing byes and getting
matches by default, a player might gain the
semthnal round without taking his clubs from
the bag. This has been done by combination
OF medal and match play. The Y. =. u. A. rule,
on which all the competition condition are
founded, follows:
In the amateur competition the contestants shall
rst play thirty ysi1 holes medal play The best siK
making these scores shall tnsn play eighteen holes
match play until but two competitors remain. who.
sisting of thirty-si1 holes match play.
These conditions are too bulky for the usual
open tournament Of four days duration, so the
and It is not considered obligatory to play the
finals q separate day. To add to the interest.
scores in the preliminary medal play round. 1t
10 also customary to offer cup as consolation
prize. open to those who ia to qualify for the
main contest in the preliminary round. Out OF
nifty starters only sixteen can qualify. leaving
thirty.four eligible for the consolation. who are
drawn for play In rounds. AS II lawn tennis
is hrst drawn as shall. after the completion Of
one @ drsw sha decide the order Of II play Sroush
out the consolation competition. On account Of
the large numbers who fail to qualify. the con:
than the principal contest. To change this
state Of affairs the latest idea is to make all
o medal play competition on the second day. the
makers OF the eight best scores playing out in
the HIS SS
tournament, and the fashion will undoubtedly
be followed BY other clubs.
The drawing OF bye so that they will all fall
ter. 1t was not done 10 the play Tor the Con.
Baitusrol Golf Club, with the result that Nal.
colin Graham, Jr.. had to meet fresh players In
Opponents, o through "the luck OF the draw. " had
| been resting while Graham was playing. Gra-
| ham outcassed his men and won out easily, but
| IN q close contest the previous rest might have
| materially contributed to Graham's defeat.
This is why the byes should DO drawn in the
To wind up the tournament, tho committee
viii. OF course. announce medal play handicap
for the last day. with prize for the best gross
and the three best net scores. In an open tournh-
ment experience has proved that the handicap
should never exceed eighteen, strokes. The
rating in n their home Club 'I Rsndicaps. II
d1nS f@Sd hbS1dfap han tho may be
is hurried the results ore bound to be unssiis:
factory. An up-to. date Tournament Committe &C
will to 1t that the handicap entries will close
| ing. This should give ample time TO weigh the
ratings Of all the entries and u the late hour ar,
excluded. close finish may reward the commit
tee for It's labors. But the bandicapping Is a
matter 10 be considered after the tournament be-
gins, not while the conditions being framed.
but 1t Is wise TO plan carefully for the task by
| including tho time stipulation mentioned. Once
arranged and printed, the conditions should be
| sent out BY mall. Formerly copies were mailed
| to tho individual players The new and better
plan Is to send copy TO each club, with the re-
quest that 1t be displayed on the bulletin board.
| Tho Tournament Committee. which for the
time being is omnipotent at the club, should now
| consult with the Greens Committee, in order "a
nI the exact playing distances OF the holos for
| competition day. The fewer ground rules the
better; but, as links without some local rule are
| . rarity. arrangements should be made TO post
| on the tee the special rule for each hole Each
rule should be printed on board in large letters
| as at the Ardsley Club, so that 'he who run:
may read" It is useless to print list OF the
official rules on the back OF the score card, FOR
the, players will not bother TO read them, which
| rules regarding bunker should be posted on
| its face. The rules should be very definite
For Instance, II there Is a rule that a ball lodg
Ing on the cop Of grass bunker must be lifted
| and dropped within clubs length back before
playing. II should be stated whether the rule
| applies II the ball lodges on tho far cop-that
! is, II II has virtually cleared tho bunker. Iiay
Ing arranged eboutthe rules and distances. the
| Tournament Committee must now order score
| cards. to be In readiness for tho fray. scor,