The Washington herald., 1907-10-13
LONGEST GOLF DRIVE
EngliShman Holds Record
with 381 Yards.
CONSIDERED WONDERFUL FEAT
Increase In Long Driving Is AseFibed
tn a Measure 90 the New Rubber
c0red Bali OF American Invention.
W. }. Travis Is said To Have Driven
BAN 3s2 Yards, but Proof Lacking.

It appears now TO be accepted, says a
writer in an English paper, as ofh-I
ciany guaranteed that W. Il Horne, the
professional at Beckenham, has driven
golf ball the amazing distance of 3sl
yards as measured by d responsible mem
Der Of the club. No doubt a stroke Of
this kind is one of the most exhilarating
experiences that any player can enjoy.
and the mental stimulus it affords is an
extremely valuable assistance in his
round. But 1t would be a pity, In the
best interests Of sport, if this perform
ance, coming in the middle of a discus
sion which tends to magnify the values Of
the 'swiper," should in any way tend to
diminish interest in the finer points OF
game which would be worth very little
If II lost the charm Of variety A long
bail is not itself benefit it must be not
far. but sure; il must leave the player IN
a good position either for his second shot
with a brassey. or for that iofted ap-
proach with the iron which calls for the
most delicate refinement of the golfers
art. high average Of good shots from
the tee with a wooden club Is indeed an
essential 10 a first-rate score; but 1t Is
not the only thing worth cultivating, as
no one is likely TO realize more clearly
than the men engaged to-day in going
round the old course at st. Andrews for
the gold medal. True, golf needs brains
as well as muscles; and such hole as
the "Suez Canal" at Sandwich. which
invites the "swiper's' ardor, is subuy
calculated to impress the fact upon him
that strength without accuracy is very
liable to end in failure.
Three years ago. at Muirheld, player
drove off from the eighth tee for a hole
marked at S1S yards distant. His ball was
assisted by a strong wind, and finally
came 10 rest under the boundary wall,
nearly fifty yards farther on. This was a
great hit. but il did not facilitate good
scoring In the same year Mr.. de Zoete
drove a ball which carried exactly 80
Yards from the tee to the tenth hole on
the same course
American Ball Fast.
It would appear that the increase in
long driving. which has been undoubted
Of late. may fairly be ascribeds in part.
TO the fact that a Tubber-cOred ball
though it does not often seem 20 carry
farther than the 'gutty." undoubtedly
runs faster after it has fallen, especially
on lively ground. It may. therefore, be
argued that the data on which the late
Prof. TAFT based his famous calculations
have now changed. They needed revision
almost Immediately after publication, for
the professors son drove a distance. ar
St. Andrews. on January II, 1893, which
was scientifically measured by an en-
gineer to be 3n yards inches and his
fathers estimate of the human capacity
had forthwith to be modified accordingly.
The ground was frozen, but the carry
alone was 250 yards. which has very
rarely been equaled since, and so the
extra total length now possible may
fairly be ascribed to the new ball. What
that ball could do, the Americans, who
sent il over 10 US. were the first to
demonstrate. But we have not yet re-
cefved sufficient evidence to authenticate
the measurement Of 3S2 yards ascribed to
a drive made by Mr. W. J. Travis, on
the Garden City links, New York. If it
were correct and if we might apply
Prof. Tait's calculations to the perform
ance. we should reach the conclusion
that Mr.. Travis was able to impart
speed Of 900 feet per second to the ball at
the moment OF its impact with his club.
X appears, however, that the drives
made by W H. Horne and by the late
Lieut. TAFT are of a more authentic ma
ture than anything on the other side OF
the Atlantic and the briefest considera-
tion of the few data that have been pre-
served on this subject viii bring out even
more clearly the extraordinary merit of
these two performances. Mr.. Edward
Blackwell for instance, has driven the
long hole at St. Andrews both ways in
and out. in two shots, the whole distance
being 5le yards. a. Herd has driven 264
yards with the wind at the last hole at
Portrush. Douglas ROLAND has carried
90 yards with no wind, and did 265 yards
with the run at Prestwick. These are
results in which no fOTtUitous circum-
stances need be considered. But It would
be impossible TO forget, in recalling feats
Of distance. that some little time ago Mr.
Edward Blackwell had the credit OF driv-
ing from the eighteenth tee at ST. An
drew's TO the stops of the Royal and An
cient itself, whence the bail rebounded,
and only stopped rolling after having
completed a distance of SS7 yards
Some Former Records.
The present writer In his early efforts
at the game, made two rounds over the
sporting little course on the North Devon