New-York tribune., 1908-02-05
SUGGESTIONS ON GOLF.
Report on Changes en- Rules To Be
Mailed abroad.

Suggestions by the United States Golf Asso-
citation for q revision in the rules of golf have
been put in form and will be mailed to-day to
the rules committee Of the Royal and Ancient
Golf Club Of St. Andrews, the governing body in
Great Britain. This is being done at the
quest of the club abroad, following corre-
spondence last fall with the ruling body here.
The work of compiling the suggestions has been
done by a subcommittee of the United States
Golf Association. which was selected at a meet
ing of the executive committee in Chicago dur
ing the women's championship at the Mid
lothian Country Club.
The subcommittee consisted of Daniel Chaun-
cey, president of the association; W. Feowes
Morgan and Leighton Calkins. According to
the instructions the committee was to can
vass the United States Golf Association clubs
to ascertain the American ideas the rules,
or the changes needed in them. and on this in
formation the subcommittee to base its
suggestions to the Scotch committee.
The reason that three New Workers were
named as the subcommittee to facilitate
the holding of many meetings to better study
the answers from golfers and the preparation
OF the report 10 go TO Scotland In discussing
the subject last night, Mr.. Chauncey said:
The report sent to the Royal and Ancient
rules committee will en1body the views of ma
jority of the clubs in the United States Golf
Association. There are not many radical
changes but the subcommittee has gone to
vast amount of labor in collecting the sugges-
tions from our players. Our report contains
suggestions TO rearranging the rules. changes
in the wording and some notifications of penal
ties but no changes in the spirit OF the rules
or in the fundamental principles Of the game.
The work is complete in detail. but is more
Of rough draft than finished report, as the
Royal and Ancient committee cabled for US to
make haste The report may not be made pub
lie here certainly not until 1t has been received
by the St Andrews committee. It is a codifi-
cation of suggestions, and sent as such oy re
quest of the St. Andrews committee. The United
State Golf Association has made no demands and
laid down conditions
AS the final court OF appeal in golf, the St
Andrews committee has at intervals found It
necessary revise the rules of the game Ihe
result is that the present code. an accumulation
of rules so to speak has become too verbose,
if not even contradictory, for many of the hair
splitting Americans.
II is q matter of record that after the last two
revisons the United States Golf Association has
had the rules interpreted by a special commit
tee for use in this country. The additions to the
rules now in use were made after the revision
of 1897 bv Charles 2. Macdonald, C. Herbert
WindeIer and Walter j Travis for the United
States book AT that time the Royal and
Ancient committee said that the Americans
would be asked for suggestions when next the
rules were revised.
Growing dissatisfaction with the rules on the
mart of Americans has become quite pronounced
It was in September last that the executive
committee Of the United States Golf Association
wrote a notification to the St Andrews commit
tee of the existing feeling here. IN due time
word was received from Captain Burn chair
man of the St Andrews committee, stating til'l
-ba r11les were to be revised and that an ad-
vance proof would be sent TO the United states
Golf Association for amendments. The revised
rules are due in May. c. B. Macdonald, or thlS
city is one Of the fifteen members Of the 81.
Andrews committee.
The New Haven Golf Club has disbanded ana
the course is now in charge of r d Pryde'
Scotch professional who has been located dcFs
for q number of years At one time the cIuo
boasted an eighteen hole links, but later THIS
-se reduced TO nine holes The course has al
7ravs afforded practice place for the ha'e
,o1fers Prvde who is a thrifty Scot VIII con-
svct tho club as a proprietary organization.