The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-14

the tee to the trans
beyond tn. holes
with sometimes
number OF yards
thrown in for luck
" there should hap
pen to be hill u4111l
around JOHN q. ANDERSON.
Then there Is the club. small one gen
orally. which cannot compete with rlVtls
because OF lis low par score. ON the
score card when the hoe is 205 1t will be
put down as 22s and a 4 par registered
Instead of the Legitimate ..
Then there are the accurately measured
courses whore from the middle OF the
tee to the middle OF the green an airline
route is taken and the measurements made
by an experienced civil engineer. Here
there Is no desire to cheat the player or
the outside world. but a keen wish TO have
everything as near perfect as s possible
These clubs, you may or may not be sur
prised TO know, are not overplentlful IN
the United States, but II would he a sad
reflection on all II this state Of affairs con
tinues for very long.
The most notorious measure cheating
links are some OF those controlled by
summer hotels; but AS few of them have
courses OF any merit We may pass them
by. The golfer who is deceived once this
way never goes back. after 81 few ex-
periences at playing the mdshie at So
called 225 yard hole.
The class under which may rightfully
come the championship links Is 4 bless
ing to many golfers IN more ways than
one The fact that the golfer can tell
with great deal OF precision from the
score card what club he shall usc really
counts. But the other class, which con-
stitutes the largest portion IN the land, is
working On the members daily injustice
when the officials permit the distances on
the score cards to be put down as some
thing which they know is Inaccurate, and
the members countenance the practice be-
cause of a mistaken idea about the value
OF distance.
! played at ten courses last year where
know that hole after hole was over
measured. II would not be correct to SAY
that this was done through ignorance
for IL so We would find a hole which was
shorter on the card than II actually is.
but such is never the case. I doubt very
much II you could find one such In the
whole land one course In particular
remember for it is positive fact that the
correct figures were not given on single
hole. There was gross exaggeration evil
dent on every hand and about the nth
hole l began To understand where my
friend had got the idea shat lie was driy-
ing about 225 yards when he really nearly
missed the shot 1t got on my nerves. to
tell the truth especially when charged
the club with having consciously everest
mated the distances
My partner tried Ia tell me different.
but my chance came at "A short hole
which was listed on the score card as
ll5 yards. one glance ana knew that
the hole was not u foot over eighty yards
IL IT was that so I said I'm going 10
hit a shot as near as can TO ll5
yards and you will see where that ends
up" did so and the ball went over
the road beyond the green probably
twenty yards or so. Then | announced
to my partner that I would go my bag OF
clubs against his that could run the
green in ten seconds. and that ought 20
prove 10 him that the hole was not any -
yards. or II so he would see "A new world q
sprinting record for that distance. nd
nit that was n hit FILED at the time. ~
II was over In minute.
Here" he said. put down another htli,
We all know its overmeasured why y
We hole two foot putt We call i ten
yards
We had a good laugh OK cours" ana |
trust that the club will mend IT. WAYS.
Now in this connection | should like ~
make suggestion which might do away
with most of tn. difficulty and at ,hc same
time make the game even IRE "t
sporting proposition. II is that there
should be no distances put down on the
score card at all. Let the number Of
yards be registered after each hole in the
clubhouse--and that by the way should
be an accurate list made by a civil cngi-
neer-but make the golfer trust to ~
own Judgment Mt all times. ! think that
some club I'm the near future will start
this innovation and that II Will be copied
by many clubs.
This judging OF distances is vital
part OF the game, II has been termed our
sixth sense In golf II would not take us
long TO become experienced in this matter.
The best professionals never bother about
the figures on the cards-it may be be-
cause they know that more than half are
wrong auyhow--but they trust their eye
and through training they become as eN-
pert in this as In the other parts OF the
game The speed with which profess
sional plays often marks him out from
the amateur. but this haste is gained not
by figuring from a score card ON the way
to the ball, but on judgment formed
when near the ball. The eye is far better
than the card except when on a course
where the lights and shadows are eN-
! tremelv bothersOmo then good caddie Is
the best adviser as to what club to play
This judging Of distances, rare bit
OF talent In itself, can he acquired II a
person will give a little time to II. 1t is
generally known after payer mas played
n few years or even less just about how
far he can get with certain club. Some
golfers will play their midiruns when the
shot calls for 1876 yards and others Will
not use II for any shot which is over l3l
to l45. Similarly with the mashe 1t is
not hard for the player to gauge his
worth with this out Of the way the
| only thing left Is TO judge the length of
! the distance remaining to lie covered to
get over a bunker, get To the green, or
play safe to spot In anticipation OF the
next stroke. If the play is in hard
| match there Is no need for 50 much
speed, and II number of methods may be
| more desirable than simply looking at the
card and guessing how far out of the
way II Ia and No on
The best method. ~ advanced by Harry
| Vardon, whose advice on this point Is
quite sound, IL 10 walk away some ffteen
| or twenty yards to one side making NJ II
| were, "A s.,rt OF triangle with yourself,
! the ball and the hole rs the three points
| From that point 1t Is wise to look first
| AT the hole and then at the ball.
| Much the same scheme IL worked lay
many golfers on the putting green, for 1t
seems to give them a better idea OF the
! distance to he covered ana the proper
| amount Of strength to he given at the