Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-11-19
PRELIMINARY STROKE
IN GOLF DOOMED
New Rules Will Permit Prompt
and Sudden Swatting of
the Ball,

NEW YORK, Nov. 16.-When the
new golf rules are adopted by the
United States Golf association. as
there is every reason to suppose they
will be, players Will have to undergo
many private rehearsals to break
themselves of habits, which the Iati-
tude of the old code allowed them to
indulge in. Heretofore, the most prev
alent has been the preliminary swing,
which many for some time have
deemed has been carried to a tire
some excess. From taking a pre-
hminary" on the Tee, it has been ex-
tended to the second shot, then to the
third shot, until it has become par
and parcel OF a players game.
Under the new regime there can be
no more preliminary" which will
bend" or break" anything growing
In other words, the days of the pre-
liminary smite through rough grass
are numbered and the player Will
have to walk up to his ball and smite
his hardest without any preliminary
upheaval.
The new rule in racu permits h
man to fan the air as much as ne
likes, but he must disturb nothing
growing" in the process. 1t reads:
Before striking at a ball in play a
player shall not move, bend or break
anything fixed or growing, except so
far as IS necessary to enable him fair
ly to take his stand in addressing the
ball, etc.
The old rule reads.
Before striking at ball the player
shall not move, bend or break any
thing fixed or growing near the ball"
etc"
Near the BALI has been eliminat-
ed, and with elimination passes the
preliminary swing, except in very
modified form.
The habit of brushing imaginary
distractions in the line of the putt
will have to be discontinued. The
line of the putt may no longer be
touched except by Placing the clue
Immediately in front of the ball in
the act of addressing it." The rules
relating to this read:
Second.-Dung, wormcasts, snow
and ice may be scraped aside with a
club. but the club must not be laIu
with more than its own weights upon
the ground nor must anything be
pressed down either with the club or
in any other way.
Third.-The line of the putt must
not be touched, except by placing the
club Immediately Ia front of the ball
in the act of addressing it, as above
authorized.
Other important innovations are the
special rules for match play compe-
tition." These relieve a player from
the onus of being too exacting in a
match. They speak for themselves
and read:
On the putting green. if the COM
petitor whose ball Is the nearer TO the
hole, play first, his ball shall be at
once replaced under penalty of the
disqualification of both competitors.
A competitor shall not waive any
penalty of disqualification.
Competitors shall not agree to ex-
clude the operation of any rule or 10
cal rule under penalty Of disqualified
ton.
The rules of the golf committee rec
ommends that players should not con-
cede puts to their opponents.
The medal play rule which disquaI-
flied a competitor who drove from out
side the teeing ground had been mod
fled to read:
II at any hole a competitor play his
first stroke from outside the limits OF
the teeing ground he shall count that
stroke, tee a ball and play his second
stroke within those limits.