The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-31
WOULD CURB LONG I.
HITTING IN GOLF
Plan to Standardize Golf Balls
So as to Decrease Distance
in Driving.
WILL MEET OPPOSITION
Walter Hagen Declares Brae
Burn Is a More Difficult
Course Than Oakmont.
BY INNS brown.

BY INNS brown.
Now comes new source to provide
fuel for the fires of discussion that are
continually raging over the various and
sundry stock arguments in the royal and
ancient game Of golf. From abroad is
sues the report that movement is being
sponsored to standardlze golf balls
under a scheme similar to that which
governs the manufacture of baseballs.
tennis balls, footballs and other mediums
of competitive sport
Plainly the scheme Is aimed at some
method OF curbing the ever increasing
| distance in driving. Therein the plan
delves into a question which Is at one
and the same time fascinating feature
as we'll as DOGGY of the game. Long
! hitting is one of the puzzling problems
Of golf architects in the job of laying
| out a golf course. Yet it Is the goal and
the ultimate satisfaction of practically
every ambitious golfer. Say what you
| will. there is more satisfaction to the
average player in slashing a long.
straight drive up the course than there
| is in holing n long putt or laying a
| mashie approach dead to the pin. Driv-
| ing Is the real "he" part of the game
without doubt.
But consider the question of the archi-
! tect designing the course. He plans. for
/ instance, a hole OF $40 or $50 yards. a
drive and a mashie to the green with
par of 4. Then comes the time when,
with the course fairly well dried out.
some extra long walloper soaks long
one and the ball runs almost. II indeed
not quite, to the green. Here Is very
| commonplace 3 on par hole in pros
pect, with the player having done moth
ing more than hit one extra long shot
| Even two more ordinary efforts ought to
land his birdie" where such score
is expected to represent a combination
Of two or more very good shots linked
up together.
Distance n Big Factor.
Few courses lay any special score by
extra long distance. Some of the very
best par golf holes in the country carry
no unusual distance. Yet there Is but
rarely n case where extra long distance
properly guided doesn't prove a highly
important factor. The idea. of course, is
| to require a combination of good shots
with different clubs in the make up of
course rather than continued extra dis
tance. Yet new features in the manufac-
ture OF balls and clubs are continually
developing driving until the most in
genious tricks of the course architects
are being more and more easily solved
with extra distance from the tees.
But the move toward standardizing
balls Ia sure TO meet with no end OF
opposition, and rightfully, viewed from
one angle. The proposition Of the ball
in golf is different from that in base
ball. tennis football and the like In
these latter games the ball is a common
medium of play. That is, both opponents
use the same ball. Hence to insure that
neither may profit by more favorable
adaptation. n single standard is required.
In golf each player may choose his
own ball with the knowledge that any
peculiarties It possesses will affect no.
BODY bu. himself One player may pre-
fer light ball. whereas another wants
a heavy one If forced to play with
either, one OF the two must play under
a slight handicap at least Furthermore,
the average golfer is quite as f1nicky
about the kind or brand OF ball he uses
as bellplayer Is about his favorite
style of bat. With these considerations
in sight II stands to reason that quite
rumpus will follow any proposition to
standards gold balls in this country at
least.
Brae Burn II Difficult Course.
Walter c. Hagen, open champion,
ushered himself into quite an argument
down in Pittsburg during the nationa'
amateur tournament with the statement
of golf than Oakmont- One Of the chief
reasons he assigned for his statement
was the fact that the rough at Oakmont
Is not nearly so heavy as at Brar Burn,
and also that a hook or slice on the
Plttsburg course didn't stand to cause
the trouble that either did at Brae Burn.
owing to the trees and bushes along the
fairways on the latter course.
This assertion holds true In part.
Oakmont is especially free from trees to
! hamper shots that have sliced or
hooked over far enough possibly to get
into another parallel falrway. But on
the other hand there are some considera-
tons that make Oakmont the more dir
cult For one thing. 1t Is surely more
severely trapped. 1t is undoubtedly one
OF the most heavily trapped courses In
the country and these run all along
the way practically from tee to green.
And many OF them are pits of forbid
ding depths and ruGgedness More than
a few extra good golfers were seen TO
get into traps during the recent tourna-
ment and take two, three and sometimes
four shots to get out
Then there is the matter of additional
distance at Oskmont The Pittsburg
course is almost 500 yards longer than
Rrae Burn. Par for each is 70. Con-
sldering this factor along with the very
numerous hazards that are interposed
! along the way, 1t is ditllcult To ngure inc
BOSTON course as n more strenuous test
of the game II indeed 1t is as tough.
Quaker city Golfers to tho Fore.
Aa!dc from the satisfaction which
Pittsburg gathers in the winning of the
| championship by young Davy HERON
Philadelphia ought to find more grounds
for citation over the OakTnont tourna-
ment than any other city in the country.
Tho tournament certainly served to
bring a quartet of young Quaker City
golfers very prominently to the fore.
]. Woods Plat naturally enough
gathers in a bulk OF the glory for the
Ouakers Practically unknown, the
voungs;er raced right through to the
scmt-hnals in his trst trial And he
mek opposition enough in doing 1t too.
with Francis Oumet ana John @. An
derson included in his list of conqueBts.
George Hofrner and Paul Tewkssbury
fell in tust behind Platt Both OF them
survived two rounds, and II took
Fownes to<quelch Hoffner. while Plat
himself stopped Tewkesbury. Eddie
Cleary Is the fourth. Cleary was
eliminated in his first round But he
had the satisfaction Of sivins Ouimet
a tough fight and making the Wood
land entry extend himself fully to win
at that
Il without doubt some Of these will be
included in tho Pennsylvania delega-