The New York herald., 1921-07-31

| ny OOaN 9s
A championship golf event. whether
Of a sectional or national nature. Is
always provocative of a swarm OF Hows
and Why's. How does he do that? Do
his hands start back first? Does he take
much turf on his iron shots? Where is
the weight when he has taken his drive
or putting stance? How does he play a
niblick shot, clean or by the explosion
method? These and sundry and many
other similar questions are the subject
of discussion during championship week.
with the players Yourselves answering.
| But to those who have followed after
the cracks during the last few years the
possibility of the galleryites having these
questions answered becomes more re-
mote with each succeeding year. The
method pursued by the average golfer
nowadays is to secure a, position near
the tee and wait for the championship
aspirants to drive. That over. he sour
ries through a whirl Of tangled legs.
| feet, umbrellas, newspapers, falls or runs
| over slippery fairway and up and down
slopes until he is halted by the cry OF
''Fore!" Not once does he hear this
cry but a half dozen times.
Since once ought to be sufficient, the
average golfer pays little heed and
brushes around to the front row. There
| he watches the players hit the ball. pay
| Ing all attention to the flight OF the
sphere rather than to how the shot was
made, for must he not hasten to the next
vantage spot to see the mashie pitch
| or the putt. That done. away to the
next hole for repeat wilted collar.
ho
| away, happy, perhaps, to home. ready
for another go at 1t on the morn.
Comparing the styles.
We have exaggerated not whit.
Most Of the answers to the Hows come
| from q few golfers who watch the cham
pion golfers In their practice rounds and
can tell the means whereby the resul-s
are secured. A championship but for
the tremendous galleries would be the
finest sort of a place for style compari-
sen. but those days have long since gone,
| never to return. Wherefore 1t is neces-
sary for the golfer to read and digest
rather than see and assimilate.
But there are golfers eager to learn
| who have thought out system OF Sc
curing Impressions which will aid them
| in their game They go to a particular
point of vantage. usually high land and
generally near a short hole. There they
stay for an hour at time watching the
various styles of the many golfers who
pass, and commenting with FRIEND.
At another time they will go to a tee
and there watch patiently. The net re-
suit is satisfying for the time being at
least Usually attempts to copy are dis
| astrous.
But many a golfer will see champions
in the making perform in queer fashion.
| Standing near the thirteenth green at
| Columbia during the recent champion
ship we saw the following violations of
| the rules: Out Of ten players three ran
their putter blades over the line OF putt,
taking with them leaves and loose par
ticles. II done on that green 1t prob
ably was done on every green where
| such particles were seen between the
ball and the hole. One Of these players
finished in the prize list
| A fine example this for a half hundred
| or more golfers who may or may not
know that particular action was viola
tion with definite penalty attached
Why these players did this was due. we
should say, to carelessness In practice
rounds among friends. where such
things as close attention to the letter
of the law is a thing Of the past.
Marker Didn't Know Rules.
Again at the thirteenth a golfer who
drove in the first trap facing the tee and
thirty yards from the pin walked round
the trap and picked UP two twigs which
were In the line and were more than
twenty yards from the pin and at least
six or seven yards from his ball. A
couple of golfers who knew the rules
shrugged their shoulders. the marker for
the men never winked an eyelash. not
knowing the rules, or IL so not caring in
any way to enforce them even by ad-
| monition. This golfer who performed
thusly in the qualifying round also fin
ished in the prize list.
And talk about patting down the line
of the hole with the flat bottomed
base of the putters. This was done
many and many time. But the rules
which we saw violated In so per cent.
of the cases-thInk Of that--by one out
of every two golfers, was where a
practice swing was attempted. I,arely
was the golfer ever a club length away
from the ball and there was seldom
an attempt made to stand that dis
tance away.
We will not argue the case az to
| the merits of the rule. for we can
see no reason why a golfer shouldn't
| swing within a few inches of the ball.
provided he does not move 1t. but since
the United States Golf Association has
ruled that a golfer must be a clubs
length away why not live up to the
rule or else make a. protest and have
the rule abolished? Once again the
laxity which creeps in with friendly
golf is probably the reason for this
failure to observe a principle.
It Is usually the case that the mark
ers chosen for duty know very little
about the rules or care less about
| their Job of enforcement. But what
about the fairness to the golfers who
are trying to play the game as 1t Is
| written?
Saw Player Pat Ground.
on the thirteenth green at Columbia,
again. we saw a golfer pat down the
ground between the ball and tho hole
He patted the ground directly in
front OF the ball and then brushed
imaginary wormcasts aside. keeping ur
that performance all the way To the
hole where uneven spots were seen
Then he holed longish putt, which
we doubt. he would have made without
the confidence given to him in the
knowledge that the runway at least
was prepared.