New-York tribune., 1910-12-22
DECLARE GOLF FREEDOM
PIainfieId Country Club Takes
Stand on Putter Question.
SAYS NEW RULE is VICIOUS
Delegate Instructed to Vote
Against Ban of Club by Old
st. Andrews.

At least one club In the United States
has come out hat footed as opposed to fol-
/! lowing blindly in the footsteps OF old st.
Andrews
At a special meeting of the board OF gov
ernors Of the Platnfeid Country Club on
| Tuesday night It was officially decided 70
| instruct its delegate at the annual meeting
OF the United States Golf Association. to
be held in Chicago next month. to vote
against adopting the new St Andrews rule
that bars the mallet headed or Schenec-
tady putter.
This Is the first OF the active Clubs to de-
clare Itself as opposed to the ruling. which
is rapidly assuming Importance the coun-
try over.
Leighton Calkins. president of the Plain
field Country Club, a close student of the
game and never lacking in ideas. presented
his views Of the case SO convincingly before
the directors that after a fun discussion
they adopted the following resolution with
out dissenting voice:
Resolved, That the board Of trustees Of
the Plainfeld Country Club unanimously
agree with the views of Leighton CaIkins,
as expressed at this meeting, with respect
10 the recent amendment of the rules Of
SoiI oy st; Andrews which amendment
poses an absolutely uncalIed for limitation
on the individual choice of players. In the
opinion of this board any such new rule
not only is not demanded by any existing
evil, but is utterly vicious in principle, be-
cause standardization OF either clubs or
pals is utterly foreign to the spirit Of the
game. The United States Golf Association
had no voice whatever in this revolutionary
legislation, and we emphaticaIly protest
against the adoption Of the new rule by the
United States Golf Association or against
adopting the rule coupled with an inter-
probation or exception intended to nullify
It's ERECT We express our continued loyalty
TO the traditions Of the game and also to
the well recognized merit of much OF the
ancient ST. Andrews leadership: bur we
insist that no false allegiance can require
the United States Golf Association 70 pre-
tend to accept a rule which it does not in
tend actually to enforce. and We therefore
urge that it would be highly undignifed
and inconsistent TO recognize the new rule
To that end We hereby instruct the dele
gate from this club, or any proxy voting
from this club, 10 register the vote Of the
PlainieId Country Club against the adop-
ton of said rule in any way, shape or man
ner, and against including it in the rules
United States Golf Associa ton, either with
or without an inter probation. We further
instruct said delegate or proxy. to urge
upon the delegates at the annual meeting
the propriety of changing the title 70 the
rules as printed in this country, SO that
they may show the rules exactly as in
"
dicate where the rules differ from the rules
on the other side.
Further Resolved, That the president be
and he hereby is authorized and directed to
appoint a delegate from this club or to
give proxy for the purpose Of enabling
this club to vote on these matters at the
annual meeting of the United States Golf
Association, to be held in Chicago on jan
uary IA, 1911. such delegate or proxy to vote
only in accordance with these instructions,
but according to his best Judgment on
other matters business before
said meeting.
Mr.. Calkins discussed the subject at
-ength before the resolution was adopted.
and in his usual comprehensive way pointed
out that something more was at stake than
a blind following of rule in which golfers
here had no voice. He said, in part:
In the first place, it is not the fate of
the Schenectady puIter WhICh concerns US
at all, Notwithstanding the fact that it is
used by, thousands Of players in this coun-
try, and is & perfectly Rational anu ilat III
less club, and in no sense d departure from
any traditional species. In fact, we might
conceivably adopt this change in the rules
doom OF one kind Of a club. Unfortunately,
however, there are two great principles in
yolVed- The first is whether Stdndardizd-
ticn is not IN essence blow at goif as a
game, and the second is whether 1t is the
duty of the United States Golf Association
70 adopt rule which il does not approve
Of, and in the making of Which it had no
voice, solely in order that the American
rules may not differ from the rules On the
other side.
AS to the new rule itself, it is hard to be
patient with legislation SO utterly unneceS-
parently made up their minds that they
did not like to see other golfers putting IN
certain way, or with centre shafted put
ters, and SO they enacted a very drastic
way in making all this trouble for US, so
much so that it would almost seem as if
they had been actually looking for it.
They could have barred mallets for ex-
ample which would not have outlaweG the
Schenectady. But they deliberately ruled
that, the shaft of a pugter must go into the
head at the heel, and not in the centre
VIII anybody ccme forward and give
single sane reason why a man should not
TO? A player may drive with a niblick IL
he wants to. or use a driver in a bunker, or
play with II upside down.
The game is IN no danger whatever from
q Schenectady putter, or even from NAL
let-headed putter; and SO long as certain
fundamental safeguaI DIS are maintained. no
advantage will be gained by a player using
any kind of club he finds he can play with
best II may look bad TO stladdle your ball
while putting. But what Of it? It doesn't
look so bad as TO have dirty, sovenly ap-
pearance on the links. Your best remedy
IS to play, as little as possible with golfers
whose habits or manners offend you, or il
you don't like the looks of their clubs or
can't Play as we'll with them yourself
Golf is unique among games. 1t mas
few basic, or, we might say, constitutions
elements, and all the other elements of the
game are secondary. or derivative. The
two fundamental elements are, first, the size
OF the hole, and, secondly, the way in which
the ball must be struck, or, in other words, |
the general character of the stroke itself. |
The rules say that the hole shall be A..
inches in diameter and at least 4 inches
deep, and that the ball must be struck IL
with the head of the club. ami not pushed. /
The rules speak of the swing, backward ]
and forward, and clearly contemplate q GER
tain general kind of stroke. Now, anything I
which would alter these two chief char
acteristics would tend TO change the nature /
Of the game. A club, however, is merely an /
Implement like the ball, and the funda- |
mental character of the game is not altered .
no matter what kind of q club is used ex- !
cept that a rule might conceivahiy be /
needed 10 bar a club in which energy had |
been stored which would be liberated On
impact. The existing rule, which bars |
springs or other mechanical devices, ought |
10 be sufficient Nothing can justify legls- |
ation Which tends to standardize the I'M |
elements used in playing the game because |
freedom of choice in that respect spells out |
the great difference between golf and all
other games.
Mr. Macdonald seems to think that there
is no way to prevent a difference in the
rules here and abroad. except by our adopt
ing the st. Andrews amendment. Is there
not another way out? If st. Andrews really
cares anything about our Endorsement or
its rules why cannot IL repeal this rule or