Evening star., 1940-01-12
Loss Of Hole Penalty
For Mark on Grass
Under New Code
Disturbance Of Putting
Surface Held Unfair
To Other Players
BY WALTER McCALLUM.


.. BY WALTER McCALLUM.
Golfers will not be allowed to
scrape any portion Of the green
near or on the line of putt to de-
termine the way the grass grain
lies. That is the major change in
the 1910 rules Of the game, outlined
by the United States Golf Associa-
ton. The rules automatically be-
come vhe bible Of all the section golf
associations In the land. At the
same time the association announced
1t will retain the trial" 6-inch
stymie rule which has been in effect
for two years.
Scraping of the grass near the
line of putt came very close to caus-
Ing major rumpus in the Maryland
State women's championship at Con-
gressional last summer. One promi-
nent competitor who played a lot
OF golf in Florida, repeatedly was
said to have scraped the grass
not on the line of putt-to see which
way the grain ran. Under the ex-
isting rules of golf and the practice
followed in Florida where the greens
are very "grainy," she was within
her rights. But several other COM
petitors didn't like it and took it
to the committee in charge. The
committee did nothing about it, for
the situation was not covered in the
rules, since the woman did not
scrape on the line of putt.
New Rule is Specific.
But that has been covered in the
1910 rules of golf. Under a new
rule to be incorporated in the 1910
rule book, player who scrapes the
putting green or tests the surface,
will be subject to a loss of hole
penalty under rule 20, which pro-
v1des that no mark shall be placed
on the putting green.
While many players do so away
from the line of putt" says a recon-
mendation Of the Rules of Golf
Committee, they forget that by
leaving the grass roughed up by
this procedure, they do an injustice
to the players following, and the
committee will rule that such rough
ing or testing of the grass by put
tiers or otherwise, will be considered
as placing a mark on the green
and subjecting a player who so tests
the surface of the green to a penalty
under Rule 29.'
For years competitors in Southern
Journeys have tried to obtain an
idea Of the grain of the grass by
scraplng the surface. off the line
OF putt. 1t now is illegal.
Practice Penalty Defined.
For the first time in the history
OF the rules the committee has issued
a clear definition of a penalty for a
practice stroke played during a
round. Heretofore there has been
only an understanding that a prac-
tlce stroke played during a tourna-
ment round was not permitted. In
fact this matter came up several
years ago in the final round of a
tournament at Anacostia Park, when
one competitor played a practice
shot to a green after his regular
shot had been hit. His opponent
protested, and many of the profess
sionals around town were called
upon for a ruling. No rule was un-
covered to take care Of the situation.
But now the committee has ruled
that a practice stroke played during
the play of the hole entails loss of
the hole in match play and dis
qualification in stroke play. And at
the same time the committee frowns
on the practice which has apparent
ly become prevalent" of playing
practice strokes from hazards on a
hole after the play of such hole has
been completed. We saw several
instances of this during the open
championship of 1899.
Water Hazard Play Covered.
Fred Mcleod, national P. G. A.
senior champion, took with him to
Sarasota, Fla, the new rules apply
ing particularly to play of q provi-
sional ball. Freddie happens to be
a wizard on the rules of golf, but he
wanted to brush up on the new
interpretations before he defends his
title. He left the Capital last night
by train and will be back in Wash
ington January Is, bringing back
with him, he hopes, the big Bourne
trophy which he won in 1888. The
senior P. G. A. tourney will be played
next Saturday and Sunday.
Many players, the committee said
play a provisional ball in the belief
that the original ball has gone into a
water hazard. This is erroneous,
since the conditions of play in water
hazards clearly are covered in the
rules. However, the committee said
no change in the rules will be made
until q conference can be had with
the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of
St. Andrews. THE player should
first 60 forward and ascertain
whether the ball is or is not in the
water hazard, the committee pointed
out.
So the rules of golf come in for
some more interpretations this year
1t would be helpful if the U. S. G. A.
would clarity few more of them
and make them more thoroughly
understandable.