The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-12
GOLF HANDICAP SYSTEMS
ADVOCATES OF PAR BASIS OPP0SZ
MASSACHUSETTS PLAN.


Is the great Massachusetts Colt Asso-
citation, which prints each year the hanoi.
caps Of 5000 to 800 players. up against ~
The handieaps are based on the scratch
and not on the par scores, which is a cause
OF umbrAee TO the handicappers OF other
Eolf associations who have long since disc
cardSd the scratch basis and deem ii OF no
more consequence than the priority OF
the egg or hen.
sMy system" remarks Ralph Cracknell,
chairman OF the Massachusetts handicap
pers, "is based on what the best men do
day after day. II is not arbitrary nor
drastic. merely a realization OF actual goi.
II is the one true basis on which 70 handi'
The remark is as q red reg to a bull IN
stirring up the advocates OF the par basis
Of handicapping., :.
wrong, said I eiehton Calklnt. Handicapped
OF the Metropolitan Golf Association.
'Cracknell's basis 10 a scratch score
Now, what is a scratch score? He com:
plains Of par because arbitrary ana OF
DOGGY because both arbitrary and imagl-
nary. Now his scratch score is infinitely
more Objectionable because it neither rep
resents perfect play, which is par. nor
the so-called DOGGY or average good play
but rather something in between the two
neither perfect nor an average, good play,
but some kind Of a score which might be
turned in by the best man in h held az
the time, during a tournament.
ha~ndicappisg On the basis Of DOGGY, be.
cause DOGGY lie too indefinite q standard OF
measurement. 10 a reophyte IN geh WIS,
might ask: How does one arrive At DOGGY
the only answer is: why IL represents an
average good first class game, making q
few allowances for slight mistakes here ana
there If the neophyte goes back to his
home links and reports your oehnltlon.
tested that links by frequent play, how, IN
heavens name, is he or n Of his board
Of governors &c. TO Ak the DOGGY?
Now, there is even more uncertainty
with regard TO the Massachusetts scratch
score. Let us be honest about this. The
Massachusetts, Handicapped admits That
he called A. G. Lockwood in and asked him,
what he could do the different courses IN!
There you arel The scatch score. winch
is used for the basis in Massachusetts, 10
really Lockwoods best average game.
Now, Mr.. CrackneIl, is not that the truth
of the matter?
LET Look ood and Chick leave Massa-
chusetts and a new mar must be found 70
go at scratch and to become ~ Ierson the
living definition Of the So-called Massa-
chusetts scratch score theory.
"The real trouble seems TO be that Massa-
chusetts has not got q scratch man-on q
par baais--and does not want 70 Issue a
general handicap list with no, player at
scratch. This they frankly ADMIT when
they say: Beginning a Lat IN this State at
five or six strokes would not be approved
by clubs But why not?, According 70
that theory, the Coli Association oil North
western snaine--if there Is one-would
be justified in having its general handicap
list begin with one man, their best player
at scratch. though he might be at hfteen
on the ~aatropolitan list
at in impossible TO get away from the
logical merit OF the Metropolitan system.
You must have a standar OF measurement
q basis. a yard stick, SO to speak. Par Is
small degree. Nothing has ever been IN
vented which can approach 1t. Everyoody
can learn exactly how to figure 1t out. Our
beet amateurs can play In par Wnen az their
best. Handspring should 6e on
best. score average. when Goes moi I asws
but his average best game. IN really
means hfe best Eame--the game he can play
and does play every nov and then.
MIR. Cracknell admits that Travis or
TraYers might be b TO DO Myopia, oaraen
he fears 1t would not be q common achieve
ment. That is true. They would not do it
every day, or every week, But they could
do it, and might do it any time. Before the
recent changes at Garden City the par was
III. and ITANlE Qlu ~ dlfN 10 AluAAy AA1O oA0
70 once Put either Travis or Travers, or
Eean or Byers, or any first rate profess
eional, on any hard links and give him the
opportunity to get familiar with II, ana
King Par will surely get a ~knockdown IL
must not be forgotten that while par repre-
SCENTS perfect play, 1t does not stand for the
lowest possible mark. That a never yet
been touched anywhere.
sBut par is something which has been
clearly defined, can be figured out with great
certainty, represents q close APPROXIMATION
10 faultfess play, and stands to-day as tho
accented standard OF measurement In
hapdicapping. i have the greatest respect
for Mr.. Cracknell's work in Massachusetts,,
but he must invent something better than
his so-called scratch score to AXE the place
OF par.
n foreign opinion may be Of interest. Quite
apropoe is this essay by c. II. Alison in the
current issue OF Coli illustrated on the vari-
ols methods OF handicapping. Alison wal
in this country with the Oxford and Cam
bridge Society s team. Hesays:
aIn the first place. some standard OF
scratch play must be recognized. This
should preferably be a severe standard.
II is probable that in any ordinary clue IL
would be possible-even il that club had
no real scratch player-to get a line 70 form
through one or two OF their best players
who had played with players OF good class.
By a real scratch player | mean a player
who would be scratch at ST. Andrews.
ar any other club where the handicap
ping 70 on an equally high basis,
Having recognized a standard OF scratch
nlav. the handicap committee can. II they
think il convenient, convert this idea into
felres. II they do so. they will find that a
real scratch player. playing well, but not
sbnormally, will do a score worse h par,
hui considerably better than DOGGY as 1t ia
usually ~reckoned. People may tell me
that DOGGY ie en- even match for a scratch
nlayer. But, as a matter OF fact, DOGGY
on most courses would fall an easy victim
70 a scratch pla yer Of the st. Andrewa
standard. Such players are very much
rerer than most English golfers suppose.
Also, DOGGY plays a very Indifferent game
on most courses.
sin ~handicapping on this scratch basis
IL must .bo clearly. understood that wind
and weather must be taken into considera-
flor. And il must be also understood
that PLAYERS should have their handicapa
increased or reduced on any reliable evil
dence which the handioapping committee
can obtain; and not only on the evidence
Afforded by returns in medal competitions.
One OF the chief objects in handicapping
is 70 make it easy for people who are ar
ranging matches with one another, though
this fact lie sometimes obsoIred by the pres
ent blight Of medal play.
aReverting for the moment 70. the diner:
ence between par, scratch and DOGGY, /
should point out that a par score is a score
made by perfect play without huBes. The
scratch PLAYER does not play perfectly,
,bo,oh he may counterbalance some OF