Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-26
NALLET.READED CLUB GOES
American Body Does Not Agree with
st. Andrews on Mallet.
GOSSIP FOR THE GOLFERS
DIscussion of which is Fair and
Unfair ON the GOIfing Green in
This Country and Across
the Pond.

NEW lOENtNf shi0 80 - WhSA :"
ing Of relief that golfers in this country
note the attitude on the part OF the United
States Golf association toward the recent
action of the st. Andrews body with re-
gard to the use of the Schenectady or
maliet-headed putter. Had the United
States Golf association agreed TO uphold
1he foreign body in the latter's recent
Vtand, devotees of the game over here
would have been thrown into confusion
Tor a large proportion OF them have re-
Nounced the old-style weapon.
Hitherto the golfer has been allowed all
Nhe freedom possible consistent with the
fundamental principles Of the game
Furthermore, what Is golf9 II Is not like
base ball. tennis or racquet, where the
Slayers are in personal antagonism through
4he medium of flying ball. The opponent
lho accomplishes another round Of the
links is not in material sense an oppo-
nent at ALL for with the exception Of the
Stymie he can be totally ignored. having
physically no influence whatever on the
game of the other.
1t is said that some of the old St An
arew's pros" when partnered in a four
some with a weak player, were want at a
certain hole to drive short and to the left
into the hummocky ground in order that
the weaker brother might not be tempted
into a sportsmanlike, but probably dis
{ astrous effort to carry the bunkers with
his second. BY this means the pros"
made practically certain of getting on in
three, which was as good as they could
have done, even supposing the poorer
player had been successful in carrying the
hazard at the second stroke.
A Safety Miss.
There are hundreds Of opportunities for
this sort of subtlety in foursome play,
especially where the partners are I'M
equally yoked together. Massey and Ben
Sayers are notorious for the amount OF
head work they put into their rounds to-
gether, and for the skill with which they
settle the order of driving off, so that
Massy's long driving and Sayers' deadly
approach work may be used to the greatest
advantage. There is no doubt that the
foursome continually calls for the shot
which is not the best possible shot, but
is certainly the wisest possible.
There are times, however-as when q
yawning quarry stretches for a hundred
yards or so In front of the tee-when the
stronger player begins to think enviously
of the man who can give safety miss
at billiards or play waiting move at
weak player to arrange that he shall miss
the ball altogether. off the tee or through
the green in the face of such a difficulty.
And the fairness Of the move has been
challenged more than once. The all-em-
bracing charge is levelled against 1t that 1t
Is not golf.
Apart from any question of It's fairness,
there may not unreasonably be some doubt
raised as to its legality. BY the definition
the stroke must be forced to move. II
would seem that where a player deliber-
ately misses the ball his opponents are
quite within their rights in refusing to ad-
init that he had played a shot at all. II
may even be argued, though perhaps less
conclusively, that a player who misses in
tentionally fails to comply with the enact
ment of rule 8, that the ball must be fairly
struck at, and that. therefore, his side
should lose the hole
AT any rate, 1t seems scarcely fair thai
the weak player. by an intentional miss
should leave his partner with a teed bal
for the second shot, because that advan
tage is supposed to be conceded for the
first shot only and to the partners alter
( nately. Occasionally, of course, if the
plotters forget to make the tee after tn,
form suited to the second player. the sant
IS hardly an advantage; as witness tn,
story of the man whose partner, novice
had missed his teed--his very much teed-
ball completely and who promptly called
for his niblick in order to play 1t out.
spOrtsmanIike Golf.
But 1t will be said that this difficult!
can be met by the first player knocking
the bah an inch or two to the side will
his putter Legally, there can be no oh
lection TO this, either through the greer
or from the drive, because 1t necessitate
knocking the ball off the tee-uniess tn
said tee is OF the size of a small flowe
bed. such as no sensible man would car
4 to play out Of But there are many VIII
hold that such a stroke is mot golf" OF
at least. is not sportsmanlike golf.
Some experts entirely disagree with thi
on the ground that II 1t is allowable t
play back, out OF bunker, II 1t is allow
able TO lie up for the hole rather than t
try to get around a bad stymie, II II is al
1owable to play short OF bunker whe
the carry is dangerously long, It is ais
allowable to play short OF a hazard tina
Is only a score of yards away, II the chanc
of carrying II is too slight to make
worth the risk. The difference Is not G
principle. but only OF degree. and of thi
the player himself can be the only 1udg,
After ALL II he is too timid. 1t is he an
his partner who suffer.
OF course. II the weak brother were play
ing a single, he would have no chance bv
20 take the risk. But surely foursom
is something more than a mere arrang,
ment TO play alternately at the same bal
The whole beauty OF the foursome gam
is in the possibility of combination It a
fords. A is VIGOROUSLY weak at playin
out Of long grass, so B, his partner in
foursome, is at pains to keep his driv,
straight, even at the sacrifice OF SON
yards in length. When playing alone,
usually slashes ahead, and risks gettiu
into the rough, but viii any one say tn,
he is unsportsmanlike in Accommodate
his play 10 the need OF his side.
Throw Away n Stroke.
The claim has been made that there
not enough OF that sort OF thing, tt
golfer who does not realize that other + e,
pie may play quite different sort
game from himself. is likely to prove
mighty indifferent sort OF an ally in
foursome. In fact II is only when tv
golfers have played together sufficient
TO study one another's methods that tn,
arrive at their best from the point of vie
of foursome play And II the knowIedl
thus gained leads them to suppose tn