New-York tribune., 1912-01-11
MORE LIGHT ABOUT PAR
CaIkjnS Says lie Did Not 0rlgl-
nate Golf Handicap.
MAKES A LONG STATEMENT
declares That a Fictitious Con
trovorsy Has Been ManufaCt-
ured Out of Nothing.

{ To continue the CONTROVERSY over the
tsr systsm OF handcappmg u golf
leighton CaiLius comes hack with q
Abatement m which he declares that no
had no idea LIs letter 10 Walter !. Travis
would he used 10 create tho impression
that he ''alhinsD had claimed credit for
originating par or the par system. The
Plsinfeid man says All he claims credit
for IS the 'Calkus system Of calculating
handIcap." lie also adds that he has
never really claimed any credit for that
even though the device for calculating
bandi,aps IS all his own. In speaking of
ihe matter last night Cdlh,ns said.
II seems to mo that there are alwavs TOO
inanF things winch arc worth while TO
1lstity the manufacture Of q fictitious CON
irotcIsy Wnou there really Is none. As
tI.vIe Says, buJ with more fore. than
tiogucu,". \.oody cares damn" about
the origin ol tnln-S bat # SO, % Is peril
Ieuj 90 inquire why hc found IL deSIra bile
TO give oNI letters 10 the newspapers which
Mere entirely personal IN character and
M least u my own CaSC-WCTC not intended
10 h. used 90 create an entirely unnecessary
discussion.
nav always had and retain nothing but
the highest regard Tor Walter Travis. who.
in nay judgment. has dome moro than any
one man for th" gam" Iu this country. And
when ] say game / 90 not refer merely
10 his ability ds q player. but 10 his knowl-
edge Of nc game ~ the hroadcst sense and
ms leadership IN carrying on "a good cam
laI-n OF education and dc, clipping the best
Interests ~ american Eclf. ! have also
hcI Lionel Graham i'm Tn" highest esteem.
and ann clad 10 have him make public my
letters To him lu 1904 and iyJ because this
gives m' am opportunity to Tciteratc alt
That / then said about his splendid work I'm
the interests ut golf 1t was my nope that
Nj Graham. then vICr-pIcsideut would &C
cent the presidency of the Metropolitan Golf
Association. on the retirement of Mr.
Chauncey, aud ] have always felt that his
decision at that time to retire from active
work meant n very real loss 10 the game
IN this district
Let me say most rmuhatically that Mr..
Graham il absolutely correct i'm what he
has written. and Mr.. Travis about the
origin OF the par system. lie is merely
mistaken. a Is MIR. Travis. in thinking
that / have over claimed that IL originated
with me. The par basis was taUlished
before / became Interested iu the handicap
ping problem, as ! wrote Mr. Travis, he
himself was the first To suggest It so far
as ! know. and il was worked out mathc-
matically by Mr.. Graham. as ne says, about
the Year l"lI. Hc is entitled 10 all the
credit Tor the par system which he then
established including the half-strOkc. which
Was entirely his own invention and as val
uablo device as has ever been originated
in the history of handiCappIuG. There can
bc no question that between them MeSsrS
Travis and Graham share al the hOuOTS of
suggesting. iuyenting and establishing
par system in this country.
10 have had its source IN a confusion Of
thought as TO the par system and thy sys-
tom OF calculating haudlcapS based on
uar II is the latter system which bears
my name and il is the only contribution to
IN, general theory Of golf handicapping to
which I would FOR a moment think Of lay
jng any claim.
When Graham. as Metropolitan and New
.Icrsry Handicapped took hold OF the work
in this district he found that the whole
matter was i'm a state of utter confusion
,.11Ik lA q
boyle. some on what they chose 10 regard
a the scratch score, namely the score
Of the best player in the club, and SO on.
Graham saw at an carly day that without
. common basis general or association
handicap list would bc yalueless. He was
also keen enough 10 appreciate thdl most
clubs would he hOpelesSy at sea If they
were told to base their haudiCaps on par,
because they would not know how 10 ar
rive a. par So no invented par Shs-
tom. which consists Of Il table or par as
tanco~ including the ingenious device OF
half a stroke and accompanied by inStrur-
tiony showing how to make allowances ioT
lions al each hole. This table Of par dis
7fances enables the club handtcapper hrst
80 estimate the par Of each hole ny NdIu-
age and then after making allowances 10
arrive ~ = total par for the whole course
Now my system. originated m l"' tnu
adopted i'm 1876 hy the metropolitan. New
Jersey and other associations, was q ~
tom for calculating handic@r-. - 10 indl
tirnl A playpr'S handicap was always inc
exact difference between his best average
score and the par ~ tn" cOurS" a NE0Ieh
by the Graham or par system. Ny theory
was that IL poor player ~ "n'IllFu 10
= handicap because h" CdunoI pl1t N'u,
= good PLAYER ought TO have q handlczP
because he cannot improv" as Inurh. j"
illustrate. \ man Who could not PllE
Garden CITY lpsr l5i better tnan lW "gu'"
NOT got a handicap of -. but OF ~ me
60 -,rokce taken of the exact difference
between tho psr of tho rour~" ana ms b,rI
average cau1o was tho mraSur" oI hl'
chance 10 improve, w1lGh @ uno ,,T@ ,m
plavcr did not have. " ne Wa dul' ~
ri.- Garden Citv IN - his hsudicgu would
moi hr 20 hut 1f. II h" could play me
.rr.r-e i0 qn his handicap would not no ."
rrt 20 n he could play i'm s. his haudicap
would not ho '0 hUt s, and ~ 10" '"uip Pc
r ir S, his handicap would no, ne - Dy,
Starting with this theory. "fNl-'" -,
NaudIcsn table hy which. ~ glance, hp. h
ran road the proper hsndtoap oi any I'3N'I
ou any course IL YOU know '- pa dhn 'I
svr~4-r best sam" over l' An "uts',,,,
feature or tho system Is sol OF ~,
rI..r- .ou1Dfrfc directions. showing no"
fns table i- tu be used aud how reil''n
.rr.ion- aud allowances Nh"uIH "" H'''.
I'm tho ,a-e- of pIsv"re who. hh IrHNyir, ~ ~
&C. " m irfrrquorrv ~ pla~ have iitil"
.'Tz,.l fp improve 'hrIr game.
1r short tho so-callod CalkiuS system =
srstow for calculating n'Il'I..I ,,, mar
~ par D. ie quito distinct from ~, q
trefeu invented hv M. Graham "hich ~
sr-trn f1r arriving ~ or 1gnfIhE "Il
var ~ course 10 uo uset @e ,dSi- "a "a
au r4rS.rsp. uo matter h"" raI'uIal l''.
vhaI stated JOB uIr letter to Travis me-
Graham w4s rho man Who devised me
mathematical lido for 'uo uandicapp'. -
,~.,....r cr, 'Ea total rar of course huf
d.d r.T 60 further and produce naudicap
s-.irrr what Z had foo mind. 49, ! think m.
coutosf ought 10 indicate, vas tha' no hln
uui produce fU" s's'"n NNl'i ~ 49,
'.sG fnI .p many roaJ- Iu calculating nam
dion.
Nrr ono who u1I Iakc the trouble ." OK
sufro either tho Metropolitan oI 'h' uli1d
cfsf,. Golf ,.eorfgiipu form uf haudirST