Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-23
HILTON BEWA|LS
LACK OF SYSTEM
British Golf Champion Favors
Adoption of American Handi-
Gaping Plan Abroad.
NO RECOGNIZED STANDARD

Harold H. Hilton, the British anna
teur golf champion, bewails the lack
of system in handicapping golfers
abroad which may make a player
scratch at one club and at another
give him a chance to be rated, say al
four strokes. Mr.. Hilton would like
to see a handicapping system estab-
lished in Great Britain similar to that
which obtains in this country, but 1t
is evident that he has little hopes of
ever seeing such a solution of the
problem, because there is no real au-
thority on which the making up of
such a list could devolve. The Royal
and Ancient Club, he points out, does
not take a practical interest in handi-
Gaping, and the matter scarcely
comes within the scope of the rules
and golf committee.
Speaking of the British handicap
ping absurdities, Mr.. Hilton says the
task would be much simpler if
there were recognized stand
ard, instead of the present stand
ard of scratch, which simply
means whatever each individual club
may consider it should mean. ITO
our way of thinking he continues,
plish the desired object is to adopt the
principle on which the United States
Golf Association works its handicap
ping scheme; that is, to arrange the
handicaps from the very best players
in the land. 1t places the best player
Cor players, as the case may bel on
the back mark and works from this
standard. In America, however, they
do not recognize any players as being
better than scratch"
1t is apparent that Mr.. Hilton is
still a little bit hazy on the American
methods. as players here are not
handicapped on scratch unless in the
case of the Western Golf Association,
which this year has made the de-
parture. Still, the mistake is a natural
one for anyone who makes study of
the list rather than of the methods
employed in arriving at a rating for
the players. 1t Is a fine compliment
to that system that the good player
is usually found around the scratch
mark, while the others, according to
the qualifications, are seen trailing
all the way down the line.
Then another point Mr.. Hilton over
looks is that Walter ]. Travis once
was marked at plus one. This, how
ever, was not in national, but In
the metropolitan list, at a time when
the Garden City marvel was marvel
indeed.
Many Golfers May Miss Rating.
Several well-known metropolitan
golfers may go unrated If the clubs to
which they belong do not furnish the
Metropolitan Golf Association handi-
Gaping committee with the data
necessary for the compilation of the
annual list within day or two. James
A. Tying says the committee is as far
as it can go with the arrangements
until twelve clubs, for which they
have been waiting, furnish the par
ticulars which were asked of them
some time ago. 1t is the intention of
Mr. Tying to send the handicap list to
the printer next Friday.
The position is peculiar one. as at
least four of the delinquent clubs are
in the habit of holding an invitation
tournament every season. Several of
the remainder send many players to
the events held each year throughout
the metropolitan district. The full list
of delinquents at the close of last
week was Apawamis, Glen Ridge. Ha-
worth, Hollywood, Mahopac, Midland,
National, Ocean, Piping Rock, Powell
ton, Saegkill and Westfleld.