Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-08
TICHENOR TELLS
Of z PECULIAR
GOLF INCIDENT
By Tick Tichenor.

Frank Hewitt in the Invitation
Tournament OF the Birmingham
Country Club last month.
At the fourteenth tee both Mr..
Hewitt and myself got away good
drives, When we reached our balls
they were lying only about half
inch apart, my ball being Just IN
front of his. OF course under these
circumstances 1t would have been
practically impossible for either OF US
to have played a shot without strik-
ing the other ball which under the
rule eighteen would have meant the
loss of the hole TO the player max
ing the shot as this rule provides, II
players ball strike, or be stopped,
or be moved b. an opponent or an
opponents caddie or clubs, the oppo-
nent shall lose the hole in match
play"
Now neither of US had had such a
condition as confronted US to arise
before but we each remembered that
the rules provided that II the balls
lay within a clubs length Of each other
through the Green that the ball lying
nearer the hole might at the option
Of either player be lifted until after
the other ball had been played and
then replaced as near as possible N
its former position.
As my ball was in front Of his
lifted ii from a beautiful lie. The
shot to the green was only a short
one Of some twenty or twenty-five
yards, but over a deep trap Just on
the edge Of the green, which made Il
necessary TO get the ball well up
into the air and stop Il quickly. The
turf on which our balls lay was soft
anw spunRy. Mr. Hewitt played mis-
shot with a niblic and dug up a divot
(the golf term for a piece of sod cut
up by the club in making stroks)
about the size of your hand and thus
removed the grass upon which nv
ball had been so. beautifully teed but
a few moments before,
What was / to do2 Was | to re-
place my ball in the hole he had
just dug in playing his shot? Ger
tainly such a requirement would not
have been fair to me.
What ! did was TO wait until Mr..
Hewitt and his caddy had carefully
replaced and pressed down the divo',
which he had cut up. and then ! re-
placed my ball as near as possible 20
the place Il formerly occupied.
Now as a matter OF fact II was not
necessary for me to replace my ball
in its former position because the lat
ter part Of rule sixteen reads, II the
lie of the lifted ball be altered In
playing the other ball the lifted ball
may be placed as near as possible %
the place where il lay and in lie
similar to that which 1t originally
occupied"
DR. JOSEPH EBY. who is one Z
II the most enthusiastic golfers IF
the Atlanta Athletic Club, had a
most unusual thing to happen in a
round he was playing at East Lake
about a year ago He was playing IN
a foursOme and was playing the sixth
hole. The drive at this hole 10 over
a slight hill and into a nat beyond.
Il Is impossible at this hole Tor lnose
standing on the tee To tell II the
players in front are out Of range.
DR.. Eby and the other members OF
the foursome had gotten away good
drives and the other members had
pIayed their second shots 10 the green
except Dr. Eby. While he was actual
" making his downward stroke n
playing his appronch shot 10 the green
a ball driven by one or ihe playeIs
who were playing behind them struck
DR. Eby's bali and moved it three or
four feet which caused DR., Eby .
miss the ball entirely.
While Dr.. Eby made a bona lae
effort TO hit the ball and failed, winch
under the rules counts az stroke.
and also his ball having moved after
he had soled his club he was deemed
10 have caused it 10 have moved,
which would have cost him a strike.
Stfl on the other hand his ball was
displaced by an agency outside of the
match and he was therefore enutle
under the rules 10 replace II without
penalty. .,,
This case was not sent 10 the rules
committee for a decision and 80 there
has been no ruling upon the point.
Which Of the rules above mentioned
do YOU think we're made to cover 4
case like this one
How would YOU. under these facts
liked TO have lost the hole on account
of a penalty strike added TO your
score
Undoubtedly some queer laihss
sometimes hqDpan I'm a round Of golf