The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-04-23

believe this to be
true just stand by while we contact
our rowing reporter down there
mingling with the citizens in the
street. All right, take it away
Graham
And what have you to say about
the stymie, Mr.. Plain Everyday Man,
keystone of the republic and back
bone Of the nation?"
well, all I can say Is that at one
time in my life I was very happy
and contented. / even used to be
able to look at pictures of Tommy
Manville and his wives in the news
papers without getting too i'll. 1
listened with an understanding
tolerance to Hoover's radical sug-
gestion to balance the budget and
feed the poor.
And then one day there came
change. The world lost its russell
glow. A poisonous venom trickled
into my soul. I growled at cooling
babies. For the first time in my
life I found myself questioning the
nobility Of Major Bowes. A stymie
had ruined my life. A stymie on
the home green that cost me four
bucks"
THIS is only one of many pathetic
Il instances of the untold misery
the stymie has caused among a civ
ilized people. Very few persons rea-
lie it but even in such a primitive,
barbaric country as Ethiopia the
stymie Is frowned upon. Only yes
terday I learned from Mr.. Webb
Miller, the war correspondent. that
certain days are set aside in Eth
opia for frowning on the stynie.
All kidding to one side, as Mr..
Dizzy Dean would say it might not
do any harm if the stymie was
abolished everywhere. Some one once
characterized it as the unfair re-
ward for a poor putt. This will do
until a better indictment is COM
posed.
Any time you stop your ball in
front of the cup, thus blocking my
entrance TO the cup, that is luck
1t is bad luck for me and good luck
for you. In my case the penalty is
unwarranted; in your case the as
sistance is equally undeserved.
u
TIME Western Golf Association is
i more liberal and less respect
full of conventions than the parent
body of American golf namely the
u. S. G.. A., so the execution of the
stymie out on the wind-swept plains
did not come as jolting surprise.
1t remains to be seen now if this
pioneering action will have any
repercussions among. the old-time
religionistS and true believers of the
game. 1t may in time, but when
that time will be is anybody's guess.
The u. S. G.. A. is slavish in its
devotion to the traditions of the gov
erning body of golf in England the
Royal and Ancient, and the very
suggestion that the stymie might be
considered unwanted would I'M
doubtedly be enough to start a
rowdy free-for-all in the ranks of
this august organization.
TINE u. S. c.. A., therefore, prob
i ably will continue to lift the
naughty beezer to the Western Golf
Association and all others who feel
earnestly and sincerely that the
stymie has no place in golf until
such time as the Royal and Ancient
sees fit to moderate its opinion.
One of the u. S. G.. A. officials
explained to me that the official
reluctance to do anything about the
stymie beyond giving it the chill
was based on the fear that one such
departure from the basic idea of
the game, which is play the ball
as it lies" might lead to others and
that in due course the game would
be so emasculated that it would lose
its original appeal. And of course
there is something in what the
gentleman says.
But the broad fact remains that
in informal play NOBODY enfoyces
the Stymie rule any more. There
are three million golfers and 5727
golf courses in this country and the
only time and only place the stymie
is respected is in the national
championships.