Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-26
Philadelphia association
Should Put Stop to Con-
cessions in Its Tourna.
mentS
BY SPICK HALL

A BASEBALL player never comedies
"A that he is out just because he taps
a gentle roller to shortstop nor does a
football team concede a kicked goal just
because the scoring team has planted
the ball behind the line between the
uprights aud hence has chance to try
the kick from central point directly
in front of the cross bar Why, there
fore. should n golf player concede putt
to his opponent? He shouldn't.
Puts are conceded in match play
from inches to two feet or more. Very
often u man is virtually forced to con-
cede a putt because on some previous
green his opponent has conceded him
one. But the whole thing is wrong.
Six inch puts have often been missed
in medal play where holing out is neces-
sary by rule. That being the case. it is
safe to say that many puts in match
play would be missed at picking up"
distances if all the shots had to be
played as they should be.
The Right Move
The Massachusetts, Golf Associa-
| tons executive committee is going to
see to it that all players taking part in
matches under their auspices observe the
putting rules to the letter. At mum
ber of clubs in New England. notably
the Brae Burn Club, it has been re-
qucsted that all puts be hOlcd out in
all matches. The Philadelphia Asso-
citation would do we'll to emulate the
down -easterners in this matter. This
not only would do away with a lot of
hard feeling that is developed because
the balls are picked up, but it would
improve eyerybody's game.
There is no logical reason why any
putt shou& ever be conceded. Why not
concede the match and give it to your
opponent before you start if you arc so
certain that he is going to play every
shot correctly? You might just as well
do one as the other.
Play the Game Out
Golfers differ on just what percentage
of the game putting is, but they will
agree that it is very large. There
fore, why should this import<nt feature
of play be curtailed by concessions? II
the game is to be played, why not play
the whole game. not just part of it
When a big golf match is played there
are thousands of persons who are I'm
able to see it but who are extremely in
terested in the outcome and in the de-
tails of the match. They depend upon
the newspapers for the information
These readers want tlb' medal score OF
the match play as wei! as the result OF
each hole. The result is that wher
putts are conceded these people do not
get the true scores, but they are the
only ones available, the golf writer bav-
ing no recourse except to use the fig
urcs where a putt was conceded just
as though the putt had been sunk.
Furthermore, n gallery following &
big match wants to see the players make
all the shots. Oftentimes the specta
tors pay for the privilege of following
the players around. In this case they
are entitled to see all the strokes
They do not want to see anything con
ceded by either player. There is n'
sportsmanship in it and the practice
has time and again resulted in fractur
ing friendships and causing factioual'
ism to develop in hitherto harmon'<I
clubs.
An Example
Last year in an exhibition match a
Brae- Burn between Mike Brady an'
, Jess Guilford and Bobby Jones anC
Chick Evans, Brady laid his pitch to thu
second close to the pin Spectators diff
fered as to whether the ball was si'
inches or foot and half away. Th'
J ball was knocked away by one of tn,
opposition, who conceded the putt.
Now Brady had holed long one fo
3 op the first green and on tn
third Ne negotiated curling putt TO
another 3. That was a grand star
three 3s, for three under par. Blu
/ just the same, he really did not hay'
three IS. 1t was quite possible tha