Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-13
j. S. c. A. TO STAND
FIRM ON NEW PILL
Unconvinced That 1t Is Not
Riqht and Tournaments
Back 1t Up.
BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.

BIZ fhhNO1S y. NO"ENcs
~HICAGO, July 13.-No mat
ter what you and you and
~ you may think about the
larger and lighter golf ball,
It is due to remain the standard
implement of play in these United
States for some time to come;
maybe for years and maybe for
ever.
The United States Golf Association,
sensible to the wishes Of golfers, still
is unconvinced that the balloon ball is
of the wrong proportions and Will await
further evidence against the defendant
before making any change.
Given Real Test.
The ball received real championship
tests in the Ryder Cup matches and the
National and Western opens. In the
Ryder Cup eliminationS, Billy Burke
played 70 holes over the Scioto Country
Club in 289 strokes. That score was
four strokes less. :han Bob Jones total
when he won the 1925 open champion
ship at Scioto. And for the Ryder
matches the course was longer than IN
the open. Burke and George Won Elm
then tied for the National open title
Al Inverness with 292, three strokes
below Ted Rays score over the Toledo
layout in the 1920 championship. Ed
Dudley won the Western open over the
Miami Valley Golf Club-not exactly
at Set-up for any one-with three sub
par rounds. So on the results of the
recent championships there is nothing
much the matter with the ball.
The ball does not seem to return the
great number of under-par rounds that
were found in championships when the
old ball was in play. But 1t does play
nearly enough to par to result in some
very fine totals for 70 holes OF play.
During the open and Ryder Cup play
there was very little complaint made
against the ball except by the British.
They patiently were annoyed by it and
particularly around the greens, for there
is a distinct difference in the putting
stroke used on the two varieties OF
balls. But the American stars seem to
like the ball and they at least play 1t
well.
A Case in Point.
1t has been suggested that the dis
like of the average golfer largely Is
mental Willie Hoare, the old-time pro-
fessional star, tells a story to illustrate
that point.
Recently I was playing with a
friend who is a fine amateur Shotmak-
err" related Hoare. He was ralllng
against the new ball and to show his
supreme dislike for it insisted on using
one of the old balls. We went along
to the fifth tee, where he hit his ball
out of bounds. He had no other ball,
and since his caddy had gone away
down the fairway, 1 threw him Dali,
which happened to be one OF the new
size.
He teed up the ball without noticing
IT. was one of the new sort. Well, sir,
he played the next Is holes in par. AS
he holed out on the eighteenth, re-
marked What do you think of the
new ball now? You have just played
1t for IS holes and pared each onep
'Impossibler he said. But going
over to the cup he picked out the ball
he had been using and for full min
ute he could not say word The same
is true of many players. They have
formed a dislike for the ball without
giving it trial"
Hoare probably is right, but the army
of buffers still will dislike the present
ball. Great Britain never will adopt
it and consequently we will have two
sizes of ball in golf. 1t has been sug-
gested the U. S. G. A. try ball the
size of the present one and the weight
of the old ball. That may eventually
come to pass, but for the time being
the U. S. G. A. contemplates no action
that may change the specifications Of
the ball.