The New York herald., 1922-04-11
GOLFERS SEEKING
LIGHT ON DRIVING
Official Recognition Required
Of One Of Games Most I'm
portant Phases.
ny KERR N. PETRIE.

Considering the tremendous amount
of discussion that has always gone on
where linksmen gather anent drives and
drivers it is rather remarkable that only
now is this spectacular and important
branch of the game OF golf beginning to
receive official attention. In England
this year they are to have big driving
contest, which virtually amounts to a
championship, and those other important
phases of the game, approaching and
putting, also are to receive some notice.
But it is to the driving competition that
the golfers are looking. for il drive
or 800 yards more or less is made that
fact will be remembered long after the
general run of golfers have forgotten
how many approaches and puts So
and-So required to win In these events
The mammoth golf drive now is too
much like the monster fish that always
gets away. Somebody's say so has to
be accepted.
Old timers who remember Freddy TAFT
and other long wallopers Of bygone times
like nothing better than to tell OF the
drives and brassie shots tr at we're made
in those days. Many of Tait's finest
shots are matters of record, as also are
those of players of a more recent date
Still 1t would have been much more help
ful IL every year at championship times
the stars had been invited to return dis
tance drives under various conditions OF
weather.
An average OF all the drives would
have enabled one to mark the progress
OF the game as reflected by the growing
resiliency of the ball. As matters stand
now there are some who are ready
to argue that the present day rubber
core does not average more than a few
yards more than the old solid, while
others again are convinced that the diff
ference is anything from fifty to a
hundred yards.
Frost Bound Ground HeIpcd,
AS recently as the month of February
IL was reported that young English
professional by the name of Dennis hit
a 415 yard shot on frost bound ground.
He was driving from slightly raised
tee on 1886 yard hole, and the sphere
travelled eighty yards beyond the cup
pefore coming to rest. Such a feat is
not hard to believe. for Willie Mac
farlane of Quaker Ridge claims Il at he
las driven the Hudson River when IL
was frozen over.
Such strokes as these, however, are
only freaks. and when one considers the
driving In the competition during, the
last national amateur championship
wren such wallopers as Jesse Gulford
Bob Gardner, Harrison Johnson Bobby
Jones and others could show nothing
better than a shot OF some 24S yards
as the longest, it follows that there must
be some exceptional circumstances such
as wind frost bound or sun baked
ground to account for some of the
| tremendous smacks that one hears about
| nowadays.
When one considers 1t there Ia moth
Ing quite so amazing about the Ais shot
OF Dennis mentioned above as there
is about the drive OF 366 yards made in
1S92 by Edward Blackwell, and simply
because Blackwells stroke was made
with a CUTIE. Even if the far driving
st. Andrean's shot was made on FROST
bound ground--and there Is no record of
such being the case--it is well known
that the old solid did not hop over a
hard surface as does the corcd ball
James Braid. five times winner of the
British open championship. Is credited
with a 395 yard drive in 1905. and four
years later w. III. Horne. now in this
country, got one off at North Berwick
that measured 3SS yards.
British Tourney Statistics.
The statistics of the British open
championship show that the average
per round of the winners was 1852 In
the gutta period. from 1892 to 1901, and
that between 1905 and 1914 1t was 1851,
or difference of 2.95 strokes per round
On the strength Of this one critic affirms
that the net benefit the rubber cored
ball has produced. counted in strokes. is
between two and thrSa strokes for
eighteen holes. AS decided advance
has been made In the manufacture OF
the rubber core since 1914, 1t Is prob
ably nearer four strokes, according to
that way of estimating.
Figures. however. are liable to be mis-
leading In this question. since courses
have been heightened and remodc,led
out OF all knowing since the advent OF
the rubber core. To arrive at a true
finding on the matter of the CUTIE We.
the rubber core 1t would be necessary
to play over one OF the old time CUTIE
courses. A test under these circum-
stances no doubt would show the DIFF
fprenre IN he very much more than . o.,