The New York herald., 1921-02-27

subject further tho executive committee
OF the U. s. #. A. doubtless would find
the Royal and Ancient ready for further
overtures. 1t Is possible. however. that
the damage already has been done, for.
feeling at the outset that the floater was
the true solution Of the problem, the
British linksman doubtless will be in mol
mood for further temporizlng. especially
since the first attempt Of the legislators
TO meet the contingency has ended SO dis
astrously.
So that the American golfer may IA
rniliarize himself thoroughly with the
British attitude on Standardization as
elucidated by ]. II. Taylor. the former
champions letter is appended:
Committee in n Quandary.
81 am not surprised to learn THAI the
tests that have been made with the new
standard balls have resulted In such q
manner that tho committee responsible
for introducing the limitation find
themselves In dreadful Quandary. 1t
was confidently expected and the hope
was inspired by people who should have
known. that when these limitations as to
size and weight were made compulsory
| 1t would not be possible to hit them
as far as the long-distance balls that
had been in use during the past few
years. 1t was the laudable desire of the
committee, In conjunction with the
| American delegates appointed with full
power to deal with this question on the
occasion of their visit last year, to pre-
serve the relative values of the strokes
and to prevent the playing Of the game
from becoming established as an orgy
Of long driving.
1t now appears that both the British
and American committees were misled.
or the advice that they received was not
fully examined as to its reliability ap-
pertaining to the properties of flight
contained In a rubber cored ball. 1t has
now been established conclusively that
tie limitations imposed will have de-
cidedly opposite effect to that intended,
and that the restricted ball can be made
| to travel further than the balls 1t was
| intended to supplant. notice that
Mr.. A. G. NJ. Croome. one Of the men,
Lers of the British committee. confesses
to this disturbing fact and one Is left
wondering what this body intends doing
about It. i can corroborate that which
| Mr. Croome asserts.
"I was playing with George Duncan
a few weeks ago, using a new standard
ball made by well known frm, but
| not the same, i think, that supplied Mr..
| Croome with his. and found that occa-
sionally l was we'll past the champion
| of the tee. although he was using a
noted long-distancc traveller This was
not true to form, as Duncan. as Is well
known. can leave me well behind.
Accepted without a Probe.
| ''If the game of golf is to be preserved
with its vital principles intact. 1t is very
obvious that something must be done.
and when this something materializes
the next time no mistake must be made.
| | have a suspicion, which Is moro than
| uell founded, that the British commit
tee accepted. without probing into the
subject thoroughly. the data brought to
their notice by the American delegates
who. one Is bound TO assume, were also
.mistaken, otherwise II is inconceivable
that they would have acted as they have
done In a matter so grave with such
precipitation. In matter so very In
portant as this. surely II was incumbent
upon the British committee to have
| taken such steps that the data brought
to their notice were tested by competent
authorities, and to have made absolutely
certain that they conformed In every
particular with the object in view. A
mistake has been made which must be
frankly owned as such by the rules
committee and steps taken as soon as
possible to rcctify IT, II may be tnat
the American golfing public may be
averse from further interference; II so
they must be allowed TO 20 their own
way and play game such as they have
evolved without stymies. but which Is
not golf.
"I have always maintained, and this
latest discovery only serves TO strengthen
the opinion, that the only safe solution
Of dificult problem Is TO demand that
the real golf ball of the future must
float and that It should not weigh more
than 81 dwt BY the use of such ball
I am convinced that the real game Will
be restored and nearly all the grave Ills
that 1t now suffers from and the perils
that now confront II in the future will be
! eliminated. The intricacies and hedging
In tactics of the modern golf architect
will be swept away. restoring to us the
courage that we used to display in boldly
hitting the ball up TO the hole with wood
and pitching 1t up like a man with iron.