Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-03-15
ELEMENTARY RULES
FOR GOLF PLAYERS.
Regulations Affecting Pastlme
Planned for Safety and
Pleasure Of Contestants.

The rules OF golf are 80 numerous
and varied that heterogeneous even
| by expert players are common. IL In
safe to say not one player In ten
could answer correctly paper con-
tanning dozen elementary questions
on the rules OF golf. Very fortunately
It liz unnecessary for the golfer to have
at his fingertips the various decisions
handed down by tho Royal and An
Client Golf Club OF st. Andrews. Scot
land and tho y. s. Golf Association,
but for the proper convenience and
comfort OF all the fundamentals
should DO known.
The etiquette OF golf like every
thing else is founded on past expert
ence. There is danger of killing
or permanently injuring, though very
remote. by being struck by golf ball.
The golf ball In flight travels with APP
proximately the same velocity as
hard hit baseball and because of It's
yulcaniZed rubber cover can cause
trouble on impact with an unlucky
person on the receiving end. Rules
that have eliminated this danger I'm
hundreds Of thousands OF incidents
are either posted at the starting point
or can be found on the back of score
cards.
There is another way to look at the
rules. Every one comes to the golf
course for pleasure. If the players
ahead or the players behind a match
constantly violate certain rules through
lack of consideration or lack of
knowledge, the circumstances cannot
help but aggregate the usual tranquil
disposition of the players imposed
upon; spirit of hostility IL aroused
and everybody's fun is ruined for that
day.
There Is not a municipal course In
the country that has successfully
solved the problem OF proper regula-
ton. The officials OF our public course
have constantly I'm mind that the
greatest number OF people must be
given the consideration In making a
local rule. A number OF rules of more
or less autocratic nature that other
lcities have deemed necessary for
regulating players have been omitted
because the Wilmington officials be
lieve implicitly in the theory that good
craftsmanship rather than authority
should be the foundation of all rules
1t becomes therefore Incumbent to
set sorth the moSt violated rules In h.
Experiences of public courses dlvested
of the toga which legal precedent has
forced upon the modern rule maker
in his attempt to emulate the ancient
in saying lot and telling nothing
TO those not familiar with the tech
nical language involved.
The first and last thing TO remember
Is: Don't drive your ball until the
players ahead are completely out OF
your range" IL the party In front are
Unusually slow and will not permit you
10 pass, have IT out verbally or report
1t TO the starter. Don't hit one IN the
head with 81 golf ball and then try 10
. assert your rights.
The next thing is: If your party is
slow and the party in front have gain
ed the distance OF one hole ahead of
/ lyou then the party in back can yell
, fore" and you must signal them To
go through meanwhile standing aside
! iout Of danger while they play.
I II any member OF your party loses
a ball. Immediately signal players in
. back 10 pass you. Once that signal Is
2 given player must allow that party
! ~ ~ tlTcubu ana get out OF range
, before play. even though the ball Is
found two seconds after the signal is
: given. This rule works automatically
AS soon as a ball is lost the following
, lparty has the right OF way.
p There is no end OF trouble ex
perienced when one member of a
2 match loses a ball. Whether at Cobb's
. Creek or Van COrtlandt Park, the
I other members insist on playing while
/ the unlucky one looks for his ball
They must stop and give right of way
j TO the match following.
! 81 Do not go ahead of one OF your
party about TO make a shot. Standing
on approximately parallel line is
, the safest. although that has its haz-
ards.
The last one today is, Replace
. diyots and press down with foot" \
, divot is a piece of sod or turf cut out
in making stroke. The playing fee
charged is by expenses. More diyots
not put back means additional ex-
De1ses.
1t IS not possible to imagine any
citizen going down to City Hall and
breaking up a few chairs without
some attempt TO rect,fy the damage
Porter Reservoirs sod is city property
too.