New-York tribune., 1910-12-27
OF pTTTFRS.

When Mr. Harry Vardon in his Com
plete Golfer reaches the question OF
putting, after one hundred and fifty
pages Or SO telling in exact detail just
how every other stroke is made-where
the feet shall be, how the club shall be
gripped, what the follow through
is. and the thousand ether things that
make up the true form" of golf--he re-
marks Iamely: II have no similar In
"struction to offer in the matter Of put
ting. There is no rule and there is no
hest way The fact is that there
''is more individuality in putting than in
ANY other department Of Solf. and 1t is
absolutely imperative that this individ-
'uality should be allowed to have its
''way. / seriously believe that every
"man has had particular kind Of put
"ting method awarded to him by Ma
''ture" IF he had added that it took Il
particular kind Of putter to enable him
to bring out the particular kind Of put
ting concealed in his system by Nature
he would have stated the prevailing I'M
preston, to which the st. Andrews ruling
against "mallet headed putters runs
counter. That is why there is an out
cry over that ukase.
This feeling that a man can put only
with one club, which perhaps has not yet
been invented, is so firmly established
that it will make acceptance Of the st.
Andrews rule difficult. 1t is leading,
nevertheless, to the development OF such
freak instruments for coaXing the ball
into the cup that authorities Jealous of
the traditions of the game may be jus
titled In thinking it time to interfere.
The Schenectady putter. the most popu-
lar instrument that falls under the ST.
Andrews ban, looks no more inappropriate
as an instrument Of golf than would q
blackboard eraser with q shaft stuck
In it. It is the least sinner, for as the
heather loves an ugly idol the golfer
seeking after new gods worships an ugly
putter: very Billikens Of an instrument
is sure TO impress him as the embodl-
ment Of good luck. Everything animate
and inaninate is initiated. There Is the
Dutter with the swans neck. which Tor
sheer ungracefulness would make swan
die of shame 1t resembles Il putter as
much as q swan boat resembles boat.
But some golfers respond TO mysterious
prompting-of that nature to which Mr..
vardon so respectfully alludes-to use it.
There is the putter which has an arch
of iron like bucket handle over 1t from
heel TO toe and shaft extending up
ward from the centre Of this iron. And
there are the thousand other unblush-
ing monstrosities that are drawn forth
from caddy bags on the putting greens.
.Tsthetically we may regret their eX-
istence. but they do not change the
character Of the game and that Is or
dinarily the reason for barring innoEa-
tions in sports A man may still miss a
six-inch put with the most perfect
adaptation of soup ladle that was
ever taken out on the links, and that rs
proof enough that they are all real put
tiers. Our sympathy goes with the st,
Andrews authorities. But let them De
philosophers Golf was ever phil
osopher's game, and where is poor laugh
able human nature ever stripped SO stark
naked as when some splay-footed putter
perhaps the thirty-sixth in its owners
coliection-!s pulled confidently out of
the bag and set in action?