The New York herald., 1921-02-06
USE OF 'STOPSHOT
Is NOT TRUE GOLF
Ribbing Takes Away From
Skill, Which Ought to Be
Essential Of Play.
BY JOHN G. ANDERSON.

BY JOHN G. ANDERSON
Change begets change and sometimes
chance. For some time now We have
been wondering what would be the next
item OF interest to make good reading Tor
golfers during the months when the
ground hog was having his quiet smile.
Rule changes. amateur definition
changes. golf ball changes. competition
tournament changes have piled one upon
the other with ever sing force
until 1t seemed as IL spring golf was to
find the players In very unsettled
frame of mind
But there has been a steadying in the
last week or so, there has been wiling
ness on the part OF the Western GOLF
Association officials to do a good turn
to the u. S. @. A. by changing the date
set for the Western amateur title play
in order that the open championship
might be held at a soasonable time the
air Is clearing up bit with the only
fog left that of the ribbed face CLUBS,
whose sun we rather fancy is now In
the West
Golf, when you come right down TO
it. isn't such a terribly hard game after
all. To be able to propel rubber cored
sphere three hundred and fifty yards and
drop It into a small hole In the ground
four and half inches In diameter In
five shots Is by no means feat TO be
despised. Yet four-fifths of the golfers
can do this four-fifths of tho time.
granting that there are no exceptional
hazards to be circumvented. To be able
to get the ball out OF a deep trap In
couple of welts with a niblick can be
L.. WhRrAfOTn.
insist. even IL mildly. that Judged by
ordinary standards golf Is not hard
taskmaster.
The very fact that iinkS have TO be
trapped oftentimes seemingly beyond all
reason is but another indication that the
game is not intrinsically difficult A
stilted swing will get results, $50 yards
at least, and there was time. score
or so of years back, when that distance
was not considered in the infantile class.
Have simpIined Game.
Deeply scored and ribbed clubs have
been invented to make the game easier.
Why put all the task on the clubs II low
scoring is wanted? The courses can be
left wide open. But the new idea has
been to make the courses as dniicult as
possible and at the same time make the
overcoming of the course difficulties.
What has been the result? There are
few links In this country which have
not been made in less than par on sew
eral occasions. and there are few, IL
any. which would not be made in low
figures every day In the year IL the best
players were on hand to make the at
tempt. And par. 1t must be acknowl-
edged, after the new yardage changes or
year or so back. demands at all times
the full concentration of the player plus
his best natural game. Yet the use OF
fine tooth comb clubs has aided more
than one would suspect to bring about
this low scoring condition.
There would be no need OF barring
golf clubs which offend In this respect
If the skill of the player at the other
end of the club was the controlling force
in the result attained. This is not so.
On every ''stopit'' club, as we heard
them termed recently, there could well
be an inscription announcing the fact
that while direction WAS not promised
by the use of this club nevertheless a
guarantee went with every weapon that
the ball would not run after ,alighting.
Doesn't that fact take away from Tn.
skill which ought TO be one OF the essen
tlals Of high or low class golf? Can we
say with surety that II Is all golf when
an outside element, almost an influence.
too. is present in the blade of half a
dozen clubs In the bags OF most golfers?
Poor Player Gains Little.
The poorer players gain very little In
their use. as a matter OF fact, because
they err In other ways--in topping. in
abominable slices and hooks. In haf
topped shots and the like. But they are
the creatures OF circumstance. They
feel that they must copy the good player
who insists that he II benefited hugely
by the use of these clubs. They lack ,e
dexterlty OF meeting the ball, and the
sharp blades dig uncomfortably into he
turf. TITS my fault, and not the club"
they say to themselves, which is only a
half truth.
There is speculation, of course. as 10
the action which may be taken by the
II. s. G.. A. executive committee with re-
gard 10 these clubs. Howard +. Whit
ney. president OF the National Associa-
ton. was quoted the other day as being
in favor OF some restrictions, and W.
doubt not that there may be some fire
under the smoke screen. After all, these
clubs are only habit, and their loss
would not be met with any more OF dis
APPROVAL than did the changes for the
standard ball. To make golf more scien-
tific, which should be the purpose Of
change. n resumption to smooth fac sd
clubs would work lasting good.
IL would mean we most confidently
believe an immediate raising OF the gem
cral standard OF play among amateurs
and professionals.
Evans and Alex Smith could stop a
ball Just as neatly with smooth faced