The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-04-26
SOME REVISED GOLF RULES.
Text Sent Out By Royal Golf Club of St.
 Andrews, Scotland.


 Andrews, Scotland.
 The rules committee of the Royal and Ancient Golf club Of St. Andrews, Scot land, has sent out the text of the re- vised rules which will be adopted at the annual meeting on May ?. The code, the ruling authority in the game throughout the world, has not been al tered since 1891, and the revision will not be changed again for a long time. The old rules, as defined and inter- preted by the executive committee of the U. s. G. A. in 1S97 through the labors of c. B. Macdonald and Law renee Curtis as a subcommittee, gov ern the game in this country, and American interest in the revision rests chiefly in it's effect on the amended yer sion in force here. The U. s. G. A. made no change in the wording of the rules of the St. Andrews club, but appended to the code certain rulings based on the results of many decisions of committees and experts, both here and in Great Britain. It is evident at the outset that the text of the St. Andrews revised code,
 
 and arrangement, there are but thirty three rules, against forty in the old code, will compel by next year, or whenever the new code is adopted, new interpre- tation by the U. S. G. "A. to bring its playing rules up to date, although in their new form the rules embody almost entirely the definitions of the U. $. G, A. The first instance is in the definition of a stroke, which in the new code is the present U. s. G. A. ruling on rule S9.
 The somewhat vague definition of putting green stands unaltered in the new code, but no method to avoid the need of carrying tape measure to estimate accurately the twenty-yard limit is suggested. Provision is made for dealing with a recalled ball, point formerly left in doubt, when a side has played out of turn, for it may be drop ped without penalty as nearly as possi- ble where it lay. The present rule 10 is changed to permit a player to touch ball while addressing it, providing, of course that it is not moved. An im- portant addition to the former rule 25 is Eff the ball be displaced or moved after the player has grounded his club in the act of addressing the ball, he shall be deemed to have caused it to be deplac- ed, or moved, and shall lose stroke. Provided, nevertheless, that if the ball does not move until the player is in the act of making the downward stroke, no penalty shall be incurred Lost bali a Host hole" but the St, An drews committee again adopts U. s. G. A. ruling, for If both balls be lost the hole shall be considered halved.' In changing Rule 2l concerning a ball ly- ing or lost in water, the St. Andrews also adopt the present rul- ings of the U. s. G. A. Regarding Rule 31, under the new code 'all loose impedi- ments may be removed from the putting | green, irrespective of the position of the | players ball." making void the present | six-inch clause. But if the players ball | move after any loose impeachment lying | within six inches of it has been touched | by the player, his partner or either of | their caddies, the penalty shall be one 5troke.'
 The definition of the U. S. G. A. on the present Rule IA, which provoked so much criticism, was that when ball es on turf in a hazard or surrounded oy a hazard, it shall be considered on he fair green, i. e., the club may be soled." Under the revised code the St. Andrews committee seems to have adopted the U. s. G. A. ruling for the lew reading of the rule is: When ball lies in or touches hazard, noth- ng shall be done to- improve its lie; the ,lub shall not touch the ground, nor hall anything in the hazard be touched IT moved before the player strikes at the ,all, subject to the following exceptions: D The player may place his feet firm- y on the ground for the purpose of ad- lressing the ball; (2) in addressing the ,all or in the backward or in the down. yard swing, any grass, bent, whin or ther growing substance, or the side of bunker wall paling, or other immov- ble obstacle may be touched,