Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-06-03
golf GOSSIP


The British papers lately have been
full of the controversy as to whether
golf with the gutta ball was a better
game than with the rubber-core. There
is no question but that 1t was much
more technical and defeat nearly al
ways followed badly-hit shot. There
was little or none CT the joyous hop
ping over or even out of buIkars that
sometimes comes to us all nndesarV
ed: no sliding across the surface, OF a
pcnd as though one had returned; to
the days OF ones youth and taken to
skipping stones for amusement; prae-
.ticaHy no striking a stone or a tree
in the rough and bouncing back 80 or
40 yards on the fair green. No! One
deserved every inch one made with
the old bah. and perfectly.hit shots
with IL brought the keenest JOY. for
one knew the result was deserved, be
cause the faintest slice or pull showed
much more than II does with the new
ball.
Yet there we're shots that had to be
learned with II that may be done with
out now, bunker shots and heather
shots and Tecoveries from bad lies
and long grass. "Whyi" YOU say, I'VE
still have to learn these. Quite true,
but have you tried to accomplish them
with gutta? 1t was in these strokes
that the better player had his advarl.
.tage and he deserved il all Just as
anyone who knows golf as it should
be, will tell you that II is 10 times
easier to give strokes on difficult,
well4rapped course. than it is on an
easy one, for it is in his ability to stay
out OF trouble, or when In TO recover
from IL as economically as possible,
that makes the one man superior to
the other.
Any. one, even an average player.
sometimes only beginner. can oc+
casfonaIIy drive ball down the
course or lay an approach dead or hole
a long putt, each one Of these shots
good enough to have been played by
the greatest, masters Of the game.
Sometimes a duffer does hole in fig
ures Vafdon would be pleased WITH.
but it is not these extraordinary shots
or occasional brilliant holes that stamp
a man golfer, for very frequently it
is largely question of good fortune
that the approach stopped near the
hole or the putt went in. and many a
marvellous bunker shot has been the
result principally Of clenching ones
teeth, sometimes even shutting ones
eyes and hitting for all one is worth.
We all know this II We will only ad-
NIT it.
Worked for What You Got
Bit with the g,ltta there was ltttles
or this element. You worked for what
you got and paid a good prizes for a
missed shot, and like the giving of
handicap on hard course, it was
easier for the better player to con-
cede strokes than it is since the HaB-
kell first appeared.
Experts Write Their Views. H..
The daily mail asked the four men
to write their opinion of the relative
merits of the old and the modern
bali. and their replies are most in
teresting. Braid wrote: 81 have play
ed few times recently withsa gut
ty" ball, and have found it between 80
and 40 yards shorter than the rubber
core. At Walton Heath played
round on a windy day, and found 1t
more difficult to play with than the
Iubber-core in every department of
the game except an approach shot
down wind. The greatest difference
between the two is the allowance re-.
CURED in cross wind. and also
against q strong head wind, On. a
course where the ball runs as at
Walton the difference is nearly 80
yards in length. ] also found greater
difficulty in judging the strength of
the long puts"
yardon wrote: 81 find the rubber.
core goes about 90 yards further with
cut run. Where there is run | should
say 1t will go about 80 to 40 yards
further. But the most difficult part
is with the heavy lie. The rubber
core you simply hit away, but there
is no such chance with a guilty
Putting with the old ball seems so
much easier.