Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-05-08
GOLF GOSSIP

(The following article, entitled "ln.
difference to the Rules Of Golf" and
publ shed in GoIfina, london, hits 50
straight from the shoulder at a grow
ing evil Of the game that few golfers
can read it without taking some OF
the lessons to heart On account OF
its length. the article will be repro
dueed in three parts.l
BY NJ. LEWIS CROSBY.
This is rather an unpleasant topic,
and he who undertakes seriously TO
discuss it, either in writing or In ar
gument with his eliminates. sets him
self a disagreeable task. But it is an
Important matter, and the disregard
of the rules which prevails among so
many playeres-i purposely avoid
saying goliers--is, II continued, likely
to become serious reelection upon
their sr9rtsmanship. There are sew
eral reasons for this neglect to oh.
serve the rules. The game OF golf is
comparatively new to this country;
it therefore has rs yet no homebred
traditions. Shall We play stymies?"
asks a PLAYER of his opponent MOI"
is the reply, They spoil the score,
and they don't belong to the game,
anyway. They do Ielong to the
game, because the rules say so.
Granted that there is some argument
against the fairness OF the stymie,
it is by tradition part of the game
which Scotchman would as soon
think Of eliminating as he would OF
going down on his knees on the put
ting-green and putting with billi-
ard cue. For two players to agree
not to play stymies is an unsports-
manlike evasion of the rules.
The rules are somewhat complicat-
ed, even contradictory, and require
careful study, hence comparatively
few players give them complete and
proper consideration, needing only
what may be called the cardinal
points in the book of rules. They
know, of course, that ball must not
be moved without penalty except
when properly struck at, that OBJ
structions in hazard must not be
removed, that a ball lying back of a
lifted to one side, and a few other
essential prohibitions. But how
many players can define a hazard?
In recent club event a player, find
ing his ball lying in a roadway, was
seen carefully to scrape the loose
gravel from behind the ball, sole his
club and play successfully on to the
green. His opponent, instead of
claiming the hole. violated the rules
himself by merely demonstrating,
while the chief offender, after prom
Using to remember next time, went on
his way rejoicing. The next time he
probably soled his club without first
scraping the gravel away. 1t is not
an uncommon experience to see a
player on the putting green brush the
line of putt with the back of his hand
perhaps with his cap-pluck dan
delion growing an inch or so back
of his ball in the fairway, fatten
down an obstrueting wormcast or ant
hill by pounding it with the head of
his club, and commit other small of
fences, all of which he doubtless be-
lieves to be in no way improper or
unfair. He is probably man who
would be as unlikely intentionally to
steal a stroke from his opponent as
he would to steal a sovereign from
his pocket. Yet such minor offenses
are in reality just as Illegal as the
larger ones which he knows he must
not be guilty OF. These petty INSIDE
meanors are due largely to careless
".
inexcusatle ignorance o. the rules
A beginning golfer swung at the ball
with his brassey and missed it alto
gether, and when. later, his opponent
charged him with stroke, he ex-
claimed, We'll, if you are going to
be so confounded mean as to call that
stroke, l won't play Whereupon
lie picked mp his bag Of clubs and
took himself Off to the clubhouse.
a players ball was accidentally
moved by an outsider "Shall drop
it, or place, it?" inquired the player
of his opponent, who was a high class
golfer and presumably well acquaint-
ed with the rules. place IT, was
the reply. Had the player consulted
the book Of rules which he had in his
pocket he would have found: IF a
bail at Fest be displaced by any
agency outside the match, except
windj the player shall drop BAH, :"
etc In this case the PLAYER was one
who prides himself on his scrupulous
Observance OF the rules. He was
therefore all the more mortified when
he afterwards discovered his error,
and realized that under the penalty
he should have lost the hole. This
goes 20 show that, when there is a
doubt, the LOOK Of rules should be
consulted, and not ones opponent,
caddie, or other person standing near
by.
Through the green, a loose i'm
pedimeat lying more than club
length rom the ball may not be
moved. etc. This rule is frequently
violated. . PLAYER seldom hesitating
20 walk anead several club lengths TO
remove a fallen branch. loose stone
or ether similar obstruction likely to
iutcrfero V~ith tha Y1Iratlf 0-IlD Shof