New-York tribune., 1908-03-23
|oDD RULINGS ON GOLF.
QUESTIONS THAT PUZZLE.
Ho7c St. Andrezcs Changed Its At
titude-The Putting Problem.


the Royal and Ancient Golf Club Of St Andrews
and the latter's answers. recently puoisheo !"
pamphlet form by the United States Con Asso''"
ton are proving Of unusual interest to the oeVo'eeS
of the game in this country From May AS"'' "
September, 1907 total OF 2Ss questions were pu'
to the committee, and while the latter evidently
answered to the best of it's ability 1t Is also qu'o
clear that the ST. Andrews body was az .hheS
uncertain itself. In fact on ope question at iea''
where practically the situation arose after
a lapse of few years. the committee sa" NJ I"
hand down an entirely different view
As only a limited number of copies have oeen
issued by the United States Coll Assoeiauon
majority of the followers of the game IN AmeIic"
will have to depend upon the press Tor lnlorHtio"
on this interesting subject. The reproduction Oh
some of the questions and answers Is especiah'
timely now following so closely on the recent io
vised code sent from this country 10 S,- Ah"ie"'-
With regard the efforts of the American com
mittee not a little criticism has ALREADY resui'eu'
the claim being that few changes have been maoe
in the rules IN arrangement ana "oIu's
According to well known critic the oh''e.
States Golf Association draft Is ambiguous anu
contradictory: that almost every argument 'h'A'
has been made against the present code can De ap-
piled to this tentative draft which reveals no trace
of the midnight oil that 1t was heraloeo hao 'ee
burned in preparing the report. etc
In returning to the queries and answers attention
is first called almost ludicrouS siludti"
which presented itself during a foursome on the
links of the Faversham Golf Club In 1903 The
question and answer follow:
ouestion-Playing in foursome is Jeff @ by by
his partners approach shot snGh eee PHs of we
hHe mad hat sf on she sa edse Of the
from the boot Sd of epK Daer te e e ba and
the side of the ball bad to strike payea r bia
pnef th strGs an ane she head sas Of and
on it exactly above the hole His partner ptter
and ahen If w'fe fe into the hole Did partner
l,ie i1ht in b1ki ing
hole or whas should they have done? ss,.-.nc. o.,
snd hss ssch
Should hot sAp be provided for BY the local rules.
About year later the following was received
from the Australian Golf Club. of Sydney
With ball tgek fast The in mud ana &
tdf baf remaned ean Ge ~a1n on the ciub In
AS partner bound to play the BAH off AS club?
If not, how should it be played? In single
how should a treat the bali?
Answer-The committee, has no experience of
Should be provided for by the local rules.
Last year somewhat similar incident hap
pened on the links of the Burntisland Golf Club.
as may be by the following:
Question: PLAYERS ball lay I in @ soft E ground md
adhered d % 70 the face Of the club. What should
Answer-There is no rule on the subject The
rules of the golf committee of opinion that
the player should have taken the ball off the
Club without penalty at the spot where the incl
dent occurred.
1t would from the foregoing that the
mttee had evidently come to the conclusion that
tenacious mud is element that in future will
have to be reckoned with. Although those three
instances the only brought to the atten-
ton of the St Andrews body. similar occasions
of ball and mud sticking to the club head have
been reported in this country yet there is no rule
TO cover the subject. Golfers would doubtless well
some definite ruling
Rule under special rules for stroke cOmpetf-
tions reads follows:
New holes shall be made for stroke competitions
and thereafter, before starting competitor shall
play any of the putting greens. shall he
Intentionally play at any of the holes to
any of the putting green's under penalty of dis
qualification.
That various interpretations can easily be taken
from The above may be seen from the following
communication from the Gulmarg Golf Club. India:
ouestion-An open handicap competition of
thirty-siX holes held August % and by order
of the greer committee the course specially
kept open for intending competitors until dusk
the 2lst. At $3.50 p. that day be-
gan to play from the ninth hole and noticed that
Izy had