Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-04

NEW YORK. July s.-The handwriting
is on the wall. In letters OF holder design
than In any former year there can he
traced the inscription. THE stymie must
Co." writes John Anderson in the New
York Sun. For -four years now there has
been little ON the surface Of disquietude
about this one unfavorable symptom in
the game of golf. Golfers and people in
general grew tired Of the continual wran-
gle about the pros and cons in connection
with the styme dispute, and it vas In
formally buried on the putting green. But
! like many another worm which has its
habitation in such places 1t turned again
and poiked its head up by the cup. Last
years championship ct Ekwanok saw the
golfers getting busy in regard to the old
time talk about the stymie, for there were
glnring examples which have been noted
before Of how much defeat and victory
was charged UP to this potent feature
This year went along as usual. with
most golfers ridiculing the retention OF
the stymie, until one day ii was brought
into n further amount Of d!srepute which
set all tongues wagging again. 1t nap
pened June II that in the tournament
at Belmont Spring. Waver!eE. Mass. H.
Pullen was completely stymied by Jesse
Guilford at the nineteenth hole: he was
all square, of course. at the time and
lost the match. although he was but ten
inches away from the pin. The same day
, In the New Jersey championship conf
petitor was laid two stymies and as
! result was beaten on the same afternoon
In my own match at WyEagyl l lay four
teen inches from the pin. and my opponent
on the like was ON the edge Of the cup
There was no way for any one living to
get in the hole. so all that could be done
was to play safe and virtually lose the
hole. Since that time three matches have
been lost and won by the means of this
featureless and distasteful part of the
| game Of golf.
! 1t is hardly necessary to go over the
arguments which have been advanced
b. both sides for the retention or the
abolition Of the stymie. There was a
time, however. when the opponents OF
the blockade would grant more than
they will today. When the advocates
of tho stymie said that +. was possible
for one expert to jump or play around
the ball in front this was granted, with
the statement that there were might!
few who could do this. which did not
weaken the argument any for the sty-
mieists; but time and play have shown
as 1t did on three occasions in one day
in important tournaments this spring
that there are plenty of cases where
StylnleS cannot De ClTCumNented, tnal
a try at doing this means taking a
thousand to one shot. and golf Isn't
| built ON those odds. say what you like
it was only few years back that
was in favor of stymies which were
laid by the player himself. 1t seemed
that that was fair enough plan. pro-
vidcd the player was on the putting
green when he made the stymie shot
But since then ! have come to the con-
clusion that there is no legitimate rea-
son why player should not have an
unharnpered shot at the hole. The GA me
! in it's essence is to get the ball into
i the hole in the fewest number OF
strokes and never was meant to try to
place the ball in such q way that you
yourself or your partner would he
seriously hindered from SO doing. How
| silly 1t is to try to get in the way in
stead Of trying to get the ball in the
| hole.
But it is said the good players al
ways try TO leave the ball in such o
position when they miss that they viii
stymie the man they are playing
= eainst in n match. l have heard thai
statement many times and still be