Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-12-08

| but if rule had not penalized Hack
neys perfect drive because it hap
pcned to lard III an unforeseen crab
hole, he might lave been one stroke
better off.
| Then there is largely an unneces-
sa,v difference between the rules for
: media and match play, the penalties
for violation being especially diff
cult. One CT these was grudgingly
! eliminated recently by the changing
/ Of the rule on lost balls, so that the
! sufferer in this case in match play
! did not necessarily lose the hole, but
only the distance and stroke as in
medal. Likewise it was permitted a
| match player to lift his ball from an
| unplayahle lie with penalty of two
strokes, as in medal, instead of Civ
ing; up the hole, but there are other
cases that need amendment.
III. seems unbelievable, but the rules
still apply to the Old sol d gutta per-
| cha ball. which was supplanted fiji
teen years ago by the rubber cored
| ball of elastic rubber. Rule "a pro-
vices that il ball split in pieces, an
accident which sometimes happened
to guilty, a new ball may be placed
where any piece lies. The fragments
| might all lie on hay stack; but, re
Gardless Of that, such catastrophe
can not overtake the modern ball.
The same rule holds that mud ad-
herring to bali does not make it un-
fit for play, but modern experience
on American courses proves that in
certain weather conditions mud does
make ball unfit for play, and the
Western Golf Association recently
promulgated general rule that a
ball may be cleaned on putting
green when muddy. 1t also has been
local practice for many years to
protect turf, that ball can not be
played Off any green extraneous to
the one the golfer is playing, so that
all golfers feel that it is regular
rule. There was no such rule, except
course regulations, until the Western
Association recently made one.
There are many other points that
might well be taken up from time to
time, if an American body could es-
taEllsh laws Of the game without
awaiting assent from men in foreign
lands, altho it is unlikely that the
primary tenets of the sport Would
be altered; for it would not no golf
We're the rules wholly upset.
The regulations. for-example. do
not permit practice swing within a
cluo length of the ball after it is in
play but it takes a Phila delnb;,
lawyer to find that out; because it
cotaes under a rule which forbids the
pchoins or breaking of ANYTHING
liSed or growing within that distance
or the ball, leaving it to be reduced
That such bending or breaking would
result from practice swing. An
american addendum does say that
practlce swing may be taken. more
than club length from the ball but
the whole subject could be covered
clearly IN more direct language.
likewise, few players strictly ID
here to the rule that a ball shall be
deemed lost If not found within five
minutes, craftsmanship forcing a
player to allow his opponent more
TINE in most cases in spite of the
story OF the two Scots. Sandy could
rot find his ball after a fine drive,
ana. the rivalry being keen his OPP
ponent sat down and held his watch
while the seconds licked off the five
! minutes. When time was about up
sandy in desperation dropped an
other tall down his trousers leg and
exclaimed, Hero it is Whereupon
the timeke eper sprang IN ane-rily
and shouted You're q liar. I've been
sitting on your hall all the time .