New-York tribune., 1912-03-10
GOLF LISTS OUT SOON
Metropolitan Association Handl-
caps Ready In April.
WILL CONTAIN $50 NAMES
New Regulations Of National
Body To Be of Advantage to
the Player.

with regard to the Metropolitan ooif A.
sociation handicaps, II may be said thai
the committees labors are rapidly nearing
completion. The last OF the preliminary
meetings was held yesterday, and this win
be supplemented by final review meeting.
so that those in charge have every pros
pect OF being able to get the list out by
April !. In spite OF the vexatious delays
encountered at the outset, practically ali
the clubs have now responded, as only two
organizations remain on the delinquent LIST.
This is a much more satisfactory state Of
affairs than a year ago. when tho Metro
politsn Golf Association handicap sheets
went to the printer with hx cinbs
unheard frop. 1t now looks AZ ic
names. or a trihe less than q year
ago, when the total reached 6sa The rea-
son for the slight shrinkage "a due to a
closer scrutiny Of the limit men, a. thoss
| handicapped at are sometimes called.
Two clubs last year that had several play
ers at the bottom OF the list are barely
| represented at all this time
| While in this city few days ago Silas 81.
Strawn, Of Chicago, president Of the United
/
fidence in the belief that the new system
of handicapping so as TO determine eigibil-
| ity for the next amateur championship
| would prove successful. Despite the care
on the part OF the national committeeman
to provide for possible fiukes. there are
those who profess to see weak spots. As
Mr. Strawn himself said at the recent meet
ing. the handicap list will contain approxi-
mately 40 names.
That number In itself opens the way Ia
possible complications, the question at ones
presenting itself. what would happen in
the event of say 300 OF the 40 eligibles
taking it into their heads TO compete IN
the championship? It has ere this been
demonstrated to the satisfaction OF thoss
who have made a study OF the situation
at all that field OF 200 starters puts the
United States Golf Association officials at
their wits end, not only TO avoid con-
fusion, but to get the players round before
dark
When this possibility was suggested to
the United States Golf Association presi-
dent he replied that II such an unusual
condition did arise II could be met by
starting the tournament on the Saturday
before with some sort of an elimination
test This extra day was part OF the plan
recently suggested by II. Chandler Egan
and found defect We in the opinion OF tho
association officia s, who wished to avoid.
at all hazards. anything that would tend
TO lengthen the tournament.
A. w Tillinghast, the we'll known Phila-
delphia amateur, tells of instances whers
such tiny objects as caterpillars and grass
hoppers have entered into golf. He recalls
a four-ball match that finished all square
and the players agreed TO play an extra
hole to decide the matter. The green was
a trihe sloping, and on this particular day
Il was rather keen. One ball, after the
approach put. came TO rest few inches
above the hole. The player whose turn
came next was a methodical and deliberate
person, and as the match depended on his
next shot he took an unusual length OF time
in his calculation.
One OF those big, fuzzy caterpillars &C
this particular time happened TO crawl upon
the ball, and the weight was Just sufficient
10 disturb the equilibrium OF the sphere.
causing It to move, and by curious chance
il happened TO roll straight into the hole,
carrying the fuzzy mischiefmaker with IT,
The owner Of the ball Immediately claimed
that it should count as having been holed
on the previous stroke. or course. the
other side vigorously protested, and the
match remained in dispute for several days.
The ultimate ruling the matter having been
referred TO an authority 10 decide, was that
the ball should have been replaced without
penalty, on the ground that II the ball had
missed the cup and rolled ten feet below
the owner would undoubtedly have wished
| TO replace II.