New-York tribune., 1908-12-27
TIE NEW GOLF RULES
CHANGES NOT RADICAL.
May Take Effect in This Country
After the annual Meeting.

The new rules as adopted by the Royal AM an
Client Golf Club Of St. Andrews. Scotland. will q
into effect in Great Britain January l. but thsy
will not take prscedencs over the present code IN
this country until after the annual meeting os ths
United States Golf Association in this CITY s7
January In referring to the subject last uizh.
official Of the United States Golf Association
said that while IL would hardly do 70 make an,
positive statement now. yet there doubt n
his mind that the findings would be adopted hy n,
governing body here
1t Is therefore reasonabIs to suppose that arts-
the annual meeting next month the new rules win
also be in force this side Of the Atlantic Thsrs
will then be added what are known interprsts-
tlons and rulings BY the United States Golf Asso-
citation. done before. but these local deAnf-
tions DO not affect the rules except 80 far they
make them somewhat more explicit.
AS matter Of fact. tho changes not u7a-v
and scarcely call for ths extreme agitation occa-
sionsd In certain quarters For Instance. ths Arz.
effort Of the reformers with regard a ball driven
out of bounds from the tee was have a oeusltv
of both stroke and distance imposed This woll5
practically have made the effect OF the penalty TO-
driving out OF bounds thu same for a lost 6au
for 1t would in most cases have meant The loss of
the hole
At the general meeting this was considered too
drastic. 50 that the old rule retained with ths
single exception that after driving out OF bound,
the player will tee bail instead of dropping IL
This retesing "a permissible only after the drive
and the object has been 70 save the grass tom
being cut up by players who resort To irons aftsr
dropping ball
foreign publication which has found llttl. n
the new rules to praise takes particular exception
TO the legislation regarding out OF bounds as nav
be seen by the following:
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of 81 Andrews
Raifdns 5n1oe rare sgI mess 91 JIs neg
custon1ed to dealing with important matters IN
A. 80 @ 20 80, IS IS7 I - - 1t.t ~. - Fsln
all good sportsnen will thank him for his sforts
On the CHIEF amendment or alteration !! has do1s
s bt T - o5.d - Pr9Po2n 4 s vas soj ma Ia :7 =
and distance Under the old rule he lost dista1cs
but IL he is playing from the tee ne may tee bis
ball again more grotesque rule was never
Ing of the tee, pulls his ball 4 biz @ sHd aats {.
nestled close up 70 wall or under a aeags q n
He has to pick up and drop It n the zoug6- 3
5oundary He 9zq loses R.ii his gtToke so does B7
he comes back and tees his ball, and leaves a in
There are several courses where ths rule VIII
work great Injustice Take ths Vest I1ddLssex
western Railway embankrnent Or the tran lines.
it goes into a hedge He has not gone our II
bounds He is much worse OF than 4 Ths
mittee framed the rules after careful co1sTita-
ton with clubs both at home and abroad The
World But ali these thinEs The ROYAL and Lncisns
ignore And they set Up a RUE they pro5a6iY
never meant 70 pass l wonder II NJ Baltour
BY the way, A drives his ball and does not 90
out Of bounds drives out Of bounds. He -
not permitted 70 20 over the boundary % look FOR
his BAH; The hole by the side Of Kew Gardens
in point A has driven into the long grass owing
70 the ball kicking He cannot ma the oal1 ,
is how the rule stands at present Lost ban lost
hole, but ball driven out OF boun6s IS not LOST
ball Verify the law is ass when promulgated
by the Royal and Ancient Golfers OF s. Andrs7Ts
Iney snould realIv vest Llell =.
they are not legislators
The United States Golf Association propossd
rule to the effect that the loss OF ball n match
play should not involve the loss Of the hole This
however. proved altogether too radical for the
Royal and Ancient, so the rule viii remain ths
same viz. lost ball lost hols.
The new rule referring to casual water ., the
putting green is more LIBERAL and viii ungussrion-
ably meet with favor. It reads as follows:
"A ball lying in casual water On q putting g-4en
may be lifted without penalty and placed within
two club lengths. but not nearer the hole, 50 as
10 afford put without casual water intervening;
and the same course may be taken Il casual water
intervenes between the ball and the hole
Under the old ruling the player could only lft
and place Immediately behind the water, and as
may bs readily seen. II frequently worked an IN
justice on player by compelling hin to pitch WIN
a mashi.-
The new rule regarding brushing the line ot PUT
reads - follows:
Dung worm casts snow and ice On rha pu1lins
green NAV be removed by scraping them aside
With a club. but the club must not Be laid with
more than its weight upon the ground nor
must anything Be pressed down either with tns
club or In any other way Brushing with tne nand
will not he permitted
Formerly it was adnissbls 70 brush earth, sant-
worm casts TO say nothing OF all sorts OF mag
mary distractions in the line OF put. away Win
the hand and II therefore looks as Il tbs rev
ruling will serve to DO away with much OF thsl
needless flssins and brushing affected oy many
players.
That annoying practice OF taking preliminary
swings will also be curtailsd n future. - tas rev
rule STIMULATES that nothing growing shal D a%
turbed in the process 1t reads as follows;
Before striking al a ball in play player sn-s
not move, bend or break anything liked OF sIONi,S
except so far as is necessary 10 enable hin to ar
" take his stand IN addressing the ball etc
IN referring 10 not moving breaking anything
The old r,1Ia reads near the ball. and Il Is oe-
reved that if the players live 10 the new worons
much time will be saved Practice swings II 'l'
air will still be allowed
In brief the other changes IN the code are -
follows:
L ball must be dropped over 'l7
stead Of the head 49,.
? A plsver win be entitled to remove sufncen'
sand 10 enable him the top Of the ball Nlsn
lying in the sand. whether in hazard OF o'i w.
Formerly this could not be done
2 If a plaver PLAYS before his opponent oa-
at rest on the putting green hs VIII lo>7 '
3 instead of "a stroke, formerly
The following changes relate 70 stroke pay -
The COMMITTEES in charge Of a competition !" -
he responsible for addins up the scoTins caroS =
! the secretary as formerly tbl II a player 80
outside the limits OF the teeins ground ne WIZ -
a stroke and the second stroke must Re played -
side the teeing ground under the old rule ths P-
1t,- y,as dis1uaIi ification. tcl Except when N
hazard II a player plays two consecutive s'loS9 -,
with wrong ball he viii be disdualinsd' ou- = -,
pIavs only one such stroke he viii incur no Pc
Il he then plays his own ball; under the co - -
yyfrn