Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-12-02
Watering Of Greens
Making Nuisance
OF Rigid Code
D. c. Golfers Would Get
Kick Playing in Snow.
Declares Witty Cox
BY WALTER McCALLUM,


Under the rules of golf, as played
in national championships and in
most of the big tournaments, the
ball may not be touched until it Is
holed out. This rule goes every
where in the game except when
winter rules are in use or when wet
weather and soggy greens make a
pitch shot pick up chunks of mud
on the ball. In the latter case the
tournament committee usually per-
mits cleaning the ball on the green.
In the case of winter rules, the
game isn't real golf, under the strict
regulations of the game.
But there's one spot in golf where
the rule makers could relax their
Stiff-necked vigilance over a game
that hardly has changed in two
score years and remove a chunk of
trouble that is becoming increas-
ingly worse as greenkeepers insist on
keeping putting greens well watered.
This would be special provision
that the ball may be moved out of
or around ball mark on the green,
with strict adherence to a proviso
that the ball may not be moved
more than 2 inches and that the
line may not be changed. InaSmuch
as the stymie, for all practical pur-
poses, doesn't exist any more, such
a change in the rules would have
little effect on possible StymieS. And
1t would remove factor that has
lost some tournaments.
Holes Concentrated Around Cup.
Here is the way it works: When
pitched ball hits fairly soft green
with backspin, it digs in and makes
a little hole as the backspin takes
effect. These little holes are con-
centrated around the cup in the vital
putting area. Nowadays the ball
must be putted across them, and
we'd guess that plenty of tourna-
ments have been lost because a
putted ball jumped off the line after
hitting ball mark.
OF course, the die-hards insist
that the moment you start lifting
the ball under any conditions you
neutralize an important part of golf,
which is that player should take
good lies and bad lies and all the
breaks of the game as they come.
But there, in the ball mark situa-
ton, is one that wouldn't cause any
inconvenience. On a wet green a
pitched ball can kick up quite a
hole. Yet the player is not allowed
to press down or lift around such
an impeachment. A difference of a
couple of inches might give him a
clear shot at the hole, but under the
present rules he cannot do anything
about such an unfair situation.
The U. S. G.. A. we'll might adopt
a rule permitting lifting of the ball
In such case, or even pressing
down the hole caused by the pitch
shot. Such change would remove
one of the major arguments of the
die-hards, but also it would result
in less inconvenience and better
putting.
Green theoretically Smooth.
Theoretically, at least, the putting
green is a smooth, fairly level piece
of turf without any hazards be-
tween the ball and the hole once
the ball is on the green. But a
pitch shot mark creates quite a
hazard. The powers that be would
be doing themselves and golf a good
turn by making it possible to lift
around such distractions.
Witty Cox thinks the folks around
Washington should get out and play
more golf in the winter, even when
snow covers the courses. 81 used to
sell dozens of red golf balls at Brook
lyn for use in the snow" he said.
ut was fun and you couldn't lose
ball. Just hunt for the hole it made
in the snow and pull it out. I notice
when snow flies here golf stops.
Why, it's plenty of fun in the snow.
And how about that fresh-air
angle?"
Compassionate Pinehurst crowd
will leave town Thursday evening
by train for the Carolina resort.
They'll play three days of golf in
the sandhills and will be back in
Washington on December 9.
Feminine golfers will hold their
annual meeting of the Womens
District Golf Association at Column
bia next Thursday. Mrs. Walter L.
Weible of Army Navy will take over
the presidency. The forgotten wom-
an of golf tournaments-the tourna-
ment chairman-win have a chance
to play some golf next year. Mrs.
Frank Kramer of Manor is to be
chosen vice president of the asso-
citation. Tied down by her duties at
the scoreboard, Mrs. Kramer has
had little chance to play in the
many affairs staged by the women's
association, Il haven't played a
half-dozen rounds this year." she
said few days ago.
Jamison to Florida.
Greenkeepers again will attend a
short course in their art at the Uni
versity Of Maryland late in Janu-
airy. These meetings have been held
for two years, and according to the
greenKeeperS nave Deen very Valu-
able.
Al Jamison, former Bradley Hills
pro, will leave for a winter job at
Miami in a day or two. The WASH
ington pro population around Miami
is becoming heavy.
That postponed match between
Washington and Baltimore sports
writer's has been set again for next
Wednesday at Congressional. Rain
forced postponement of the affair
scheduled last week.
Redvers Mackenzie, coach of the
hockey Eagles. who is a golf pro in
the summer, didn't bring his clubs
to Washington this year. Red
brought 'em here last winter and
didn't have a chance to play. AS
an amateur he was a hot number
in Canada Is years ago, and he has