USGA JOURNAL COMBINING TIMELY TURF TOPICS A Champion Stirs Youthful Dreams Willie Turnesa is a caddie's dream-come-true as he performs for the boys. International News Photo ISfil JOURNAL COMBINING TIMELY TURF TOPICS PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION Permission to reprint articles herein is freely granted provided credit is given to the USGA Journal. VOL. I, NO. 6 AUTUMN, 1948 Through the Green....................................................................... 1 Qualities of a Champion: Richard S. Tufts...................... 4 Sectional Qualifying for Women?: Miss Frances E. Stebbins ..................................................................................... 7 The New Rule on Grips: John D. Ames................................. 8 Pitfalls in “Winter Rules”: Isaac B. Grainger................ 10 Timely Turf Topics: USGA Green Section........................ 12 "Lest We Forget”........................................................................... 18 Shots Heard ’Round the World: Herbert Warren Wind 19 The Referee: Decisions by the Rules of Golf Committee. 23 It’s Your Honor : Letters............................................................. 25 Subscriptions: $2 per year; seven issues per year: Spring, June, July, August, September. Autumn, Winter. Single copies—30 cents. Subscriptions, articles, photographs, and correspondence (except pertaining to Green Section matters) should be addressed to: 73 East 57tii Street UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION New York 22 N. Y. Correspondence pertaining to Green Section matters should be addressed to: Plant Industry Station USGA GREEN SECTION Room 307, South Building Beltsville, Md. Edited by Joseph C. Dey, Jr. and John P. English. Editorial Advisory Committee—John D Ames Chairman; Isaac B. Grainger, James D. Standish, Jr. All articles are voluntarily contributed. printed IN U.S.A. USGA COMPETITIONS FOR 1949 Walker Cup Match: August 19 and 20, at Winged Foot G. C„ Mamaroneck N Y Men’s amateur teams. British Isles vs. United States. (Dates entries close in the schedule below mean USGA office, except in the case of the Amateur exceptions in dates of Sectional Qualifying the last dates for applications to reach the Public Links Championship. For possible Rounds, see entry application forms.) Chair pionship Open Entries Close May 16 Amateur Public Links ♦June 9 Junior Amateur July 5 Sectional Qualifying Rounds May 31 ♦♦June 19 to 25 July 19 Amateur Aug. 1 Aug. 16 Championship Dates June 9-10-11 Venue Medina!) C. C. (No. 3) Medinah, III. Pancho G. C. Team : July 9 Indiv.: July 11-16 Los Angeles, Cal. Congressional C. C. July 27-30 Washington, I). C. Aug. 29-Sept. 3 Oak Hill C. C. (East) Pittsford, N. Y. Merion G. C. (East) Ardmore, I’a. Women’s Amateur Under Con­ sideration Under Con­ sideration Sept. 12-17 * Entries close with Sectional Qualifying Chairmen. ** Exact date in each Section to be fixed by Sectional Qualifying Chairmen. USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 1 THROUGH THE GREEN USGA Annual Meeting Senior Ladies Fifty-fifth annual meeting of the USGA will be held Saturday, January 29, 1949, at 12 o’clock noon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York. Delegates will be the Association’s guests at lunch following the meeting. Election of the 1949 administration will be one item of business. The Nominating Committee has proposed the same officers who served this year, as follows: President—Fielding Wallace, Augusta, Ga. Vice-President — Totton P. Heffelfinger, Minneapolis Vice-President—James D. Standish, Jr., Detroit Secretary—Isaac B. Grainger, New York Treasurer—Daniel A. Freeman, Jr., New York The proposed Executive Committee would consist of the five above officers and the following: John D. Ames, Chicago C. Pardee Erdman, Pasadena, Cal. Charles B. Grace, Philadelphia William C. Hunt, Houston, Texas Charles L. Peirson, Boston Richard S. Tufts, Pinehurst, N. C. Corydon Wagner, Tacoma, Wash. James W. Walker, New York For General Counsel. James H. Douglas, Jr., Chicago, has been re-nominated. The following have been nominated as the 1950 Nominating Committee: Morton G. Bogue. Chairman, New York; Charles L. Dexter, Dallas; Roy H. Pickford, Pasa­ dena; Frank D. Ross, Hartford, Conn., and Gerald Shattuck, New York. The current Nominating Committee com­ prises George W. Blossom, Jr., Chairman, Chicago; Dean Dillman, San Francisco; Arthur F. Lynch, New York; N. C. Mor­ ris, Denver; Frank Rogers, Jacksonville, Fla. This was the 25th anniversary year of the United States Senior Women’s Golf Association, and some 75 ladies partici­ pated in the annual championship at the Westchester Country Club, Rye, N. Y. Mrs. Robert B. Meckley, of Washington, played in the event for the first time and won, with 83-87-170. Congratulations to the lady Seniors on their birthday. How old is a lady Senior? . . . S-sh . . . at least 50. Tees, Well Steeped What golf tee in the United States has been in longest continuous use? This world-shaking question arose when Bruce R. Richardson. Jr., of Hot Springs, Va., pointed out that the first tee on the Homestead course there has been a teeing ground since 1892. Now Cornelius S. Lee informs us that the first hole of the Tuxedo Golf Club, Tuxedo Park. N. Y., is still “played ex­ actly as it was in 1892 (when first opened), the only difference being that the green has been extended 20 yards beyond the old one and its contour slightly altered.” Mr. Lee was formerly USGA Secretary. So there is now a tie at 1892. Any chal­ lengers ? Calcutta Pools The campaign against Calcutta pools, in which the USGA has joined, has achieved some success. Certain clubs and associa­ tions have banned pools. Officers of some sectional and State associations are ex­ tending the campaign on their own initia­ tive. An ardent opponent of pools is Benja­ min F. Jaques. President of the Massa­ chusetts Golf Association the past two years. His comment, as he turned office over to Osmund O. Keiver at the 1948 annual meeting, is worth repeating: 2 “I would feel remiss in my obligation if I failed to bring up a matter of possible serious detriment to the game which we all like so much. In recent years the growth of the pool and auction has risen to seri­ ous proportion and has changed the game from one played for the pure sport to something else again. “Two years ago T spoke out loud on the subject of Calcutta pools and expected some criticism for taking a stand against them. However, to my surprise, I found that those most anxious to curb the auction and pool were those most concerned with running club tournaments. Several clubs have eliminated the auction and pool and find their tournaments have not suffered in popularity. Two of the most popular four-ball events in this section of the country have neither pool nor auction and attract extremely fast fields. “I realize this is a controversial subject and that vigorous positions may be taken on both sides. . . . But T am sure all of you realize what can happen if something isn’t done to keep the gambling within bounds.” USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 Ode to Pebble Beach The plight of some of the ladies when they tackled Pebble Beach in the 1948 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship was so touching that we were moved to the following sentiments (with due apolo­ gies to Yale’s Whiffenpoof song, as well as to S. F. B. Morse, President of the Del Monte Golf and Country Club, and Peter Hay, Pebble Beach professional) : To the sand among the cypress, To the place where Sam Morse dwells. To the dear old Pebble Beach we love so well— Come the golfers all expectant, With the star-dust in their eye And a hope as childish as our little Nell. Yes, a hope that seems eternal As the hills on yonder shore— A hope of aught but birdie and of par. Then they strike the sand and cypress And the chasms o’er the cliff And they wish they’d never come so far from Ma. astray— We’re poor little dubs who’vc been led Betrayed by the Beach off Carmel Bay— S ix—seven—six. Six—seven—six. At home we’re kings and queens of the links. But Del Monte makes us seem nothing but ginks. The First Entrant Our advice to would-be contestants in USGA championships to file entries early has borne fruit. We have now received, on an official form, the entry of Master Smiley Randall Quick of Culver City, Cal., for the 66th Amateur Championship, to be held in 1966. The application was attested by his proud father, Smiley Quick, the 1946 USGA Amateur Public Links Champion and a member of the 1947 Walker Cup team, now a professional. Mr. Quick not only chose a golfer’s method of announcing the birth of a son; he obviously also determined that the son shall not repeat the errors of the father. Air. Quick’s own entry for the 1947 Public Links Championship was received too late. Congratulations all around! Saint Peter flay pushed us over the brinks— S ix—seven—six. For Stymies Since there is sentiment in some quarters against playing the stymie in club tourna­ ments, even though it is an integral part of the Rules of Golf, we note with pleasure a counter-move at the Fox Hills Golf Club, Culver City, Cal. For its club champion­ ship the committee ruled that “stymies will be played in all matches in all flights, ac­ cording to USGA Rules of Golf.” Necrology We record with regret the passing of the following friends of golf: Hans Schmidt, Jr., of Buffalo, a member of the LTSGA Public Links Committee. Stewart Maiden, Atlanta professional, who instructed Robert T. Jones, Tr., and Miss Alexa Stirling (now Mrs.' W‘ G. Fraser), three times USGA Champion. Alex Rose, Seattle golf writer and editor. USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 3 Cotuit Highground SPORTSMAN’S CORNER When we heard that the Cotuit High- ground Country Club in Cotuit, Mass., had reopened its course last summer after a lapse of eight years, we pulled out a bras- sie, three-iron, pitching-iron, wedge and putter and hastened to Cape Cod to try our luck. The unique little course presents a challenge that no golfer with red blood in his veins can resist. A complete club in every sense, includ­ ing clubhouse, tennis courts and station wagons in the driveway, its golf course measures only 2,024 yards and bogey is set at 60. It is a course where a player either hits the green or loses his ball. Three factors contribute to its relative difficulty. First, the greens are appropri­ ately tiny and well-trapped, although they hold well. Second, there are no fairways, except on two holes, and in most cases this means jungle country. Third, the short­ ness of the holes presents entirely new problems to a golfer who must solve range and deflection or risk serious trouble. The card, for nine holes, reads: Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out Yards 82 87 84 72 178 237 98 73 101 — 1,012 . Bogey 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 — 30 If the bogey of 4 on the 87-yard second hole seems amusing, you will be even more surprised to learn that the hole also justi­ fies a women’s tee. about 30 yards ahead of the men’s tee. The shot from the men’s tee is straight over a morass of swamp and growth which looks like a breeding ground for alligators. Bogey of 4 on the longer fifth and sixth holes is based on the fact that they are cut out of solid woods and allow for all the elbow room commonly found in a bowling alley. We played nine holes with Dr. Theodore C. Pratt, of The Country Club. Brookline, got around in 33 each, and were quite proud Miss Dorothy Kielty The young lady had been a member of our Curtis Cup Team in the spring and a semi­ finalist in the British Championship. She had just won the Western Amateur, and now she was a favorite in the 1948 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship. In the qualifying round she went out in 39 and came to the 18th hole needing a par 5 for a 79, which would have been the second best score. But this was Pebble Beach, in California, and a par 5 on its 18th is not the easiest thing in the world, especially if you hook a shot to an unplayable lie on the rock- strewn beach and then three-putt the green— all as this young lady did. Even so, the score which her playing com­ panion recorded for her and gave her to sign was one of the best, comfortably within the qualifying limit—an 82 for the round after an 8 on the 18th. Two or three hours later the young lady sought out USGA officials. She reported that, in re-checking her score, she had just realized she scored a 9 on the 18th, not an 8 as turned in. She knew, without being told, what that meant. She knew Rule 21 (4c) provides that a card cannot be altered after it has been turned in and that “If a competitor return a score for any hole lower than actually played, he shall be disqualified. A score higher than actually played must stand as returned.” So, even though the young lady actually scored an 83—ten strokes lower than scores which played off for last qualifying place—she forfeited a chance to play for the Champion­ ship, an opportunity on which her heart had been set all year. Dorothy Kielty called the penalty on her­ self. She disqualified herself. that the card showed only one 6. Richard F. Vaughan, Princeton hockey coach who manages the club in the summer, seemed a bit shocked that we had done so well and dared us to return. 4 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 Qualities of a Champion By RICHARD S. TUFTS Chairman, USGA Championship Committee A blend of many qualities is required to produce a true champion. Often the addi­ tion of just one extra ability will determine the result of a match. As an example, we cite the play of the ninth hole in the morn­ ing round of the final in this year’s Amateur Championship — Willie Turnesa vs. Ray Billows at the Memphis Country Club. This hole is a short par 4, 319 yards, with a long green running lengthwise of the hole, slightly from left to right, and with the back portion swinging to the left behind a trap. With out of bounds on the right, the feature of the hole was this: when the cup location was on the front three-quarters of the putting surface, the proper place for the tee shot was to the left, but when the hole was moved well to the back the pic­ ture was completely reversed and the pros­ pects of making even a 4 from a tee shot on the left side were almost prohibitive. From the tee it was difficult to see the exact location of the flagstick on the green, but, since the green was close to the clubhouse, the hole offered an interesting test of a player’s foresight in checking the cup loca­ tion before starting his morning match. This tricky location at the back was saved for the final day. Ray drove, as usual, to the left. When Willie placed his tee shot far to the right it was natural to ask him, as we walked from the tee, whether his line had been influenced by an inspection of the cup location before starting play. His brief reply, ‘‘Yes, it was,” told volumes; and. incidentally, he won the hole with a birdie. Control of Club and Self This ability to observe and to study dur­ ing play those parts of the course not at the time in play is a rare and valuable quality. There is no doubt that Turnesa had im­ mediately realized the importance of cup location in play of the ninth hole and dur­ ing the tournament had been carefully watching for the switch that finally took place Saturday. It would be interesting to know how many other players in the field had been checking each morning on the lo­ cation of this particular hole. There is a second important quality, pos­ sessed to a marked degree by the two final­ ists. Turnesa and Billows are earnest, seri­ ous contenders, but both play the game for the pleasure of playing it and consequently are able to compete with a will to win but a willingness to lose. They know that golf is a sport and are not ready to permit the breaks (which are, after all, an inherent part of the game) to upset either their self­ possession or their pleasure. After the tournament a friend remarked to Turnesa that, throughout the week at Memphis, Willie had seemed remarkably self-possessed, even when the going was tough. Now Willie is not much given to talking about himself, but he commented as fol­ lows : “Well, I guess it depends on how you look at the game. “Of course, I try to play every shot for all it’s worth. I try hard to win. But I try just as hard to avoid letting myself get upset or discouraged if things go wrong. “After all, golf’s a game, and the fun of it is the playing of it. “Yes, as you say, there are a few good players who get really annoyed—tempera­ mentally upset—at bad breaks. When we do, our game usually suffers. This often happens when we most strongly want to win—perhaps when we let desire to win become too important to us and make us greedy. “Oddly enough. I think you’re most apt to win when you can both play hard and USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 5 The Finalists in the Amateur Championship William P. Turnesa (left) and Ray Billows display the Havemeyer Trophy, symbolic of the USGA Amateur Championship. Acme News Pictures at the same time not mind losing too much —in other words, when you’re the master of the game, instead of letting it master you.” Turnesa’s performance was forceful evi­ dence that control of a golf club is often directly related to the player’s own self­ control, or lack of it. This truth is especially apparent in championships, when it is neces­ sary to maintain one’s shots—and one’s temperament—in their best condition over an extended period of time. Ben Hogan in the Open this year played with the same serene and confident indif­ ference to the lesser irritations, and you realize in watching these men that the benefits of golf go even beyond such good things as recreation, fellowship and phys­ ical exercise—you realize that the game is a character-builder. Ray Billows at Memphis provided per­ haps the most abundant testimony of this quality. Ray reached the final of the Ama­ teur Championship for the third time, and for the third time was the runner-up. Im­ mediately after the final, when a well-wisher commiserated with him, Ray confessed that he was disappointed, but he smiled 6 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 in his characteristic jolly way; and joked: “Well, somebody has to lose—but why does it always have to be me!” Bermuda Greens A Fair Test This was the first Amateur played in the deep South on a course with putting greens of Bermuda grass. The greens were excel­ lent, and those without experience on this type of putting surface seemed to have no particular difficulty, provided they were putting well. Skill w&s. rewarded, as is shown by the fact that the finalists, Turnesa and Billows, are both from the New York district and were not experienced on Ber­ muda greens. The event convinced skeptics that a very successful championship test can be pro­ vided under Southern conditions of course and weather. Turnesa has now won three major cham­ pionships, under widely differing condi­ tions. First was the 1938 Amateur at Oak­ mont, Pa., and then last year the British Amateur at Carnoustie, Scotland. All arrangements by local authorities at Memphis were well planned and executed, but the greatest impression was made by the extra attention given to needs and comforts of the competitors, their wives and other visitors. Obviously, planning for the reception of players should be an im­ portant feature of the Championship. There was much less difficulty than for­ merly with markings on faces of iron clubs. Players have acquired a knowledge of the technical side of club face markings, and, with the manufacturers now being more careful, there should be much less of this unfortunate trouble in future. All cup locations for the entire week were determined before play started. It is probable that we saved too many of the “tough spots” for the last day. It is es­ pecially difficult to play to a hole marked by a flagstick which merges with a large gallery surrounding a green. All-Match Play Form Popular The all-match-play form of the Amateur Championship after sectional qualifying seems now to be well established. Mathe­ matically, it has the great advantage of permitting 210 players to attend the Cham­ pionship proper, as compared with the maximum of 150 who could be accom­ modated if there were qualifying play in the Championship. At Memphis it was obvious that many fine young players would have been denied the opportunity of com­ peting in the Amateur had the old system been in operation. To attend the Amateur, play in the prac­ tice rounds, and meet other players is an experience all true golfers enjoy. It is interesting to note that the four largest entries ever received for the Amateur were in years when it was entirely at match play. This is certainly substantial proof that it is the most popular method of play. One of the most difficult operations at a championship is to fill vacancies created by withdrawals. It is the USGA’s desire to give an opportunity to play to every player entitled to do so. In spite of efforts to systematize the matter of filling vacancies, eligible players sometimes fail to notify the USGA concerning their intention to appear or not appear at the championship. When a player fails to show, his place must be offered to each alternate in his district in order; if not filled in this way, the place is transferred in a pre-determined order to some other district and again of­ fered in order to the alternates in that dis­ trict. Often it is Saturday or even Sunday just prior to the start of championship play before a player takes the trouble to advise of his inability to attend, and it requires a great amount of long-distance telephoning to fill in such last-minute vacancies. The Association is therefore gratified by the fact that the only first-round vacancy in its four male championships this year was due to a disqualification caused by late arrival at the first tee. USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 7 Sectional Qualifying for Women? By MISS FRANCES E. STEBBINS Chairman, USGA Women’s Committee A major change in the pattern of the M omen's Amateur Championship is under consideration. If the plan is adopted, this is what would happen : 1. The entrants would compete in sec­ tional qualifying rounds at 36 holes stroke play over two days (18 holes each day). The sectional trials would be held at specified locations (perhaps 20 to 30 in number). Each section’s allotment of qualifiers’ places would be based on size and playing calibre of the field. Eligible former cham­ pions would be exempt from sectional qualification. 2. A total of 128 players would become eligible for the championship proper after the sectional tests. Julian P. Graham Photo Miss Grace Lenczyk with the USGA Wom­ en’s Amateur Championship trophy. 3. In the championship they would be drawn for match play from the outset by a blind draw (there would be no further qualifying round). By way of comparison, in the 1948 cham­ pionship all entrants played an 18-hole qualifying round at the championship site, and 64 qualified for match play; they were drawn by the General Numerical Draw. Thus, under both the present and the proposed systems, there would be 64 players still eligible as of the second morning of the championship. The plan under con­ sideration would substitute a round of match play for a qualifying round on the first day, and thus would double the number of players who compete in the match play. The USGA Women’s Committee has considered the possibility of sectional quali­ fying for several years and has now de­ cided to survey women’s golf associations and players for their views. An open meeting with players at the last championship showed a 2-to-l majority in favor of sectional qualifying. It is the present opinion of the Women’s Committee that sectional qualifying would improve the over-all quality of the cham­ pionship by tending to insure that leading players from all sections would compete in the tournament proper. In recent years some sections remote from the champion­ ship scene have not always been represented by their best players, and it is believed that the uncertainties inherent in an 18-hole qualifying round were the main reason. We further feel that sectional qualifying would stimulate interest in all sections and therefore be for the good of the game. This year’s championship at Pebble Beach was a delightful event, but no one enjoyed it more than Miss Grace S. Lenczyk. Her victory for the champion­ ship climaxed a year of many tournament successes, during which she won the Can­ adian Championship for the second con­ secutive time and the national Intercol- legiates. Continued on page 11 8 USGA Journal: Autumn. 1948 The New Rule on Grips By JOHN D. AMES Chairman, USGA Implements and Ball Committee On January 1, 1949, all golf grips with channels and furrows designed as artificial aids in placing the fingers on the shaft will become taboo. They will fall under a newly effective prohibition imposed by Section 4 in the Rules Governing Form and Make of Golf Clubs. The provision was adopted and an­ nounced nearly a year ago, but the effective date was postponed until 1949 to allow players and manufacturers opportunity for convenient adjustment. The USGA never has sanctioned any substantial departure from a plain shaft, partly because of its conviction that in­ dividual skill in gripping the club is an integral part of the skill involved in playing a stroke. It is what we call ‘Teel.” For some time the Association has pro­ hibited grips which were so molded as to make the placing of a finger or fingers automatic in one set position. The amend­ ment to Section 4 now rules out channels and furrows large enough for the fingers. Section 4 now reads: “4. The grip shall be a continuation of the shaft to which material may be added for the purpose of obtaining a firmer hold. The grip shall be sub­ stantially straight and plain in form, may have flat sides, but may not have a channel* or a furrow* for the fin­ gers or be molded to the fingers. “* The above prohibition against a channel or a furrow for the fingers will not become effective until January 1, 1949." As a careful reading will indicate, this rule does not eliminate everything except a round, smooth grip. A shaft with a slight heel or protuberance at the top to enable a player to grip the club more firmly has been approved. Rough wrappings and wrappings which indent uniformly down the shaft have been ap­ proved. Even a paddle grip, with fiat sides, is approved as long as it does not have a channel down the center for the thumbs. On the opposite page are sketched ex­ amples of some grips approved and some disapproved by the Implements and Ball Committee. Although No. 1 is the only one of the four grips at the top which is plain and round, all four meet the new specifications. No. 2 has an indented spiral wrapping run­ ning uniformly from top to bottom, but the depressions are not large enough to hold a finger or fingers and are not an aid in plac­ ing the fingers on the shaft properly. No. 3 is a flat-sided paddle grip, but it contains no channels or furrows. No. 4 widens at the top, but this “heel” is an approved de­ vice for enabling a player to take a firm grip; it has no channels or furrows. All four grips shown at the bottom are obviously outside the new specifications and have been disapproved. No. 5 is constructed with two knobs and a channel between, and the proportions are such that a player can place his hands and fingers on the club in only one way. It is an automatic aid in gripping. Grip No. 6 has channels for the thumbs, another automatic aid. No. 7 is a paddle grip as commonly con­ structed for a decade or more, with a chan­ nel down the top for the thumbs. The chan­ nel places it outside the specifications (but the same club without the channel, shown as No. 3, is approved). No. 8 has both a “heel” and a channel for the left thumb. The channel places it in a different categorv from No. 4, and it is thereby disapproved. Examples of approved and disapproved grips, however, really should not be neces­ sary to a full understanding of Section 4. Any golfer can judge whether his grip meets specifications by asking himself a simple question: Is it so molded, either with knoblike protuberances or with channels deep enough to hold the fingers, that he is artificially or automatically aided in prop­ erly placing his fingers on the shaft the same way each time? If the answer is “yes.” the golfer should go to his professional and have the mold­ ing, channels or separate recessions re­ moved. The correct grip should be a mat­ ter of skill, not artifice. USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 9 10 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 Pitfalls in “Winter Rules” By ISAAC B. GRAINGER Chairman, USGA Rules of Golf Committee a golfer with a more-than-casual famil­ iarity with the Rules of Golf was prepar­ ing to play in a club tournament recently and noticed a sign on the first tee: “Win­ ter Rules.” Sharpening his needle slightly, he ap­ proached the chairman of the golf com­ mittee. “Does that sign mean we can tee up in the fairway?” he asked. “Oh, yes,” the chairman responded. “May we place the ball by hand, or should we just move it with the clubhead?” “Minimum. ... I guess you can place it with your hand.” “Is there any limit on how far we can move it toward the hole before we tee it up ?” “I don’t know of any limit, but I don’t suppose you should move it much nearer the hole.” “If I hook a ball into the wrong fairway, can I tee up there?” “I don’t believe we’ve made any decision on that.” The chairman’s face was slowly turning red. “Can I tee up in the rough? Or in a hazard ?” “Now, look here,” the chairman con­ fessed. “I don’t know what ‘winter rules’ really means. We’ve never studied the question. That’s just a sign the green­ keeper brings out of his shed each fall and posts on the first tee.” And out on the course half a hundred golfers were playing in a tournament, and no doubt half a hundred different interpre­ tations of “winter rules” were being ef­ fected, some leaning backward to take no unfair advantage and some using “winter rules” as a license to cut many strokes from their normal scores. This situation doubtless is duplicated at many clubs all over the country. Mrs. William Hockenjos, Jr., President of the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Asso­ ciation in the New York district, became concerned enough about the need to have precise and uniform meaning for the phrase “winter rules” that she queried the USGA Rules of Golf Committee. Her question and the USGA’s point of view follow: THE QUESTION No. 48-28. LR Will you kindly assist our Association in formulating a local rule that will make our “winter rules” play uniform when that con­ dition of play is required by any of our host clubs? From Mr. Francis’ “Golf, Its Rules and Decisions” recommendations on such a rule to suit our conditions, it would seem the follow­ ing would adequately cover but I thought per­ haps you would have some further improve­ ments or recommendations: “Where a local ride for preservation of the course is required by the host club, this local rule shall be effective and posted at the starting tee: “ ‘Any ball lying in the fairway or on the putting green, may be lifted, - wiped and placed by hand; the ball must be placed as near as possible to the place where it lay and so as to preserve as far as possible the stance required to play from the original lie.’ ” It will be very much appreciated if you can assist us with an exact wording to cover this situation for we encounter it many times in our tournaments throughout the season, though of course we prefer to play USGA rules wherever possible. The local rules of the clubs are not uniform as to placing or dropping the ball or where. It seems that if conditions of mud are permitted to be re­ moved, placing with the hand should be al­ lowed, otherwise, placing with the clubhead would be in order. I have not included the sentence on embedded ball because that seems to be taken care of under casual water free lift, if there has been an accumulation of water temporarily. Mrs. William Hockenjos, Jr., President Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association THE ANSWERS “WINTER RULES” AND “PREFERRED LIES” The United States Golf Association does not recognize “winter rules” or “preferred lies” in the established Rules of Golf. The Association recommends that the Rules of Golf be observed uniformly. Attention is in­ USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 11 vited to the fact that Rule 7(5) provides for ground under repair, and it is recommended that occasional unusual conditions which op­ erate. against fair or pleasurable play and which are not widespread be so defined accu­ rately as ground under repair. . The Association recognizes, however, that such adverse conditions are sometimes general throughout a golf course, and that local com­ mittees .sometimes adopt local rules called “winter rules” for such conditions. Any such local rules, like all other local rules, should be stated in detail and interpreted by the local committee, as there is no established code of “winter rules.” Without detailed local rules, it is meaningless for a local committee to post a notice .which merely says “Winter Rules Today.” From our observation, the following local rule would seem appropriate for the condi­ tions in question, and it is suggested simply for the purpose of standardization: “A ball lying in a ‘fairway’ or on a put­ ting surface may be lifted and cleaned, with­ out penalty, and placed within six inches of where it originally lay, not nearer the hole, and so as to preserve as nearly as possible the stance required to play from the origi­ nal lie. After a ball has been so placed, it is in play, and if it move after the player has addressed it, the penalty shall be one stroke —see Rule 12(lb).” It is emphasized that such a local rule is in conflict with the established Rides of Golf and the fundamental principle of playing the ball as it lies, and the USGA therefore does not endorse and will not interpret it. Scores made in competitions where such a local rule is in force should not be used for handicapping. The section in the Rules of Golf entitled “Recommendations for Local Rules” provides in part that “When necessary, local rules should be made . . . for the preservation of the course.” That is not to be confused with the local rule discussed above. All too fre­ quently “winter rules” have been adopted under the guise of protecting the course when, in fact, the practical effect was just the oppo­ site—they condoned moving balls to the best- conditioned parts of the course, from which divots were promptly taken and the course injured. Further, such local rules have in­ variably been permissive, rather than obliga­ tory, so that a player was under no compulsion to move his ball if he did not want to do so. A local rule “for preservation of the course” must be mandatory and must be specific as to details in order to be effective. EMBEDDED BALL; CLEANING BALL Rule 16 dealing with casual water does not necessarily apply to an embedded ball, nor does any other Rule of Golf. The Rules of Golf do not permit cleaning of the ball gen­ eral!) In the interest of fair and pleasurable play, it is sometimes necessary to adopt local rules to give relief. Thus, on particular days in USGA competitions when the conditions war­ rant, this Association adopts all or part of the following local rules, as may be advisable, but it is emphasized that they are for only partic­ ular days and that conditions are reviewed from day to day: “Local Rules—Applicable Today Only “Putting Surface . “A ball lying on the surface especially prepared for putting of the hole being jnayed may be lifted without penalty, tfleaned, and replaced on the spot from which it was lifted. “On such putting surface, a ball which by force of impact remains embedded in its own pit-mark may be lifted without penalty, cleaned, and placed as near as possible to the place from which it was lifted but not nearer the hole. “‘Through the Green’ “ ‘Through the green,’ a ball which by force of impact remains embedded in its own pit-mark may be lifted without penalty, cleaned, and dropped as near as possible to the place where it lay and must come to rest not nearer to the hole. See Rule 10(5). A ball may not be cleaned ‘through the green’ unless so embedded. “(‘Through the green’ is the whole of the course except the teeing ground, hazards and the putting green. — Definition 3.)” 5*: :■« * The foregoing supersedes all previous ex­ pressions by the USGA Rules of Golf Com­ mittee on these subjects. Sectional Qualifying for Women Continued from page 7 Miss Helen Sigel played spectacular golf to reach the final, where she lost to Miss Lenczyk, 4 and 3. In the fourth round Miss Sigel was particularly brilliant—she played the first nine of difficult Pebble Beach in 34, four under women’s par, having five 3s in the first seven holes. It was perhaps the greatest nine ever played in the Women’s Championship. Miss Sigel was runner-up in 1941 as well as this year. Miss Lenczyk, who is 21 years cld, first played in the championship in 1946 (Miss Sigel defeated her then in the second round) ; she was a semi-finalist last year. 12 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 TIMELY TURF TOPICS from the USGA Green Section THE TROPICAL EARTHWORM The name “tropical earthworm” (Phere- tima hupcinsis Michaelson) describes a pest of putting greens which previously has been known as stinkworm, eelworm, Afri­ can earthworm and exotic earthworm. Prof. Gates of Rangoon, Burma, a world authority, identified this insect in 1936. Fleming and Hadley confirm the identifica­ tion. The tropical earthworm differs from the common earthworm (Lumbricus terrcstris Linn) in that it usually is smaller. Each body segment has minute bristles which form a continuous ring, and the body is more round and firm. It is extremely en­ ergetic and often whips about like an eel. When the worms are active during moist warm weather, they throw casts on the greens nearly continuously; this necessi­ tates constant poling to break up or remove the castings. The combination of the cast­ ings and the continuous poling greatly im­ pairs the putting surfaces and greatly in­ creases labor costs. The tropical earthworm further is dis­ tinguished from the common earthworm in that it cannot be controlled with the treat­ ments which have been successful against the common earthworm. Detailed Study Needed Records of the introduction of this pest into America are lacking. The Green Sec­ tion called attention to it in the early 1930’s. Its presence is being felt along the Atlantic seaboard from Connecticut to Virginia, and it is suspected that the worms are dis­ tributed as far south as Florida. Preliminary work by the Green Section on courses in the Middle Atlantic District in 1946 indicated that detailed studies would have to be made because of the ex­ treme difficulty in effecting any measure of control. Subsequent tests have confirmed this observation, and mercury compounds, lead arsenate, DDT, Chlordane, Toxophene, Parathion and benzene hexachloride all have been unavailing. The economic sig­ nificance of the destruction and the inter­ ruption of play caused by this pest demands coordinated effort to find a control. Following a rapid-fire correspondence between H. Alfred Langben, of the Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Scarborough, N. Y., who is a member of the USGA Green Sec­ tion Committee, and the USGA Green Sec­ tion office, the seriousness of the problem was brought to the attention of Dr. John C. Schread, Connecticut Agricultural Ex­ periment Station, New Haven, Conn., and Dr. G. H. Ahlgren, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N. J. As a result, a meeting was held at the Pelham Country Club, Pelham, N. Y., on the afternoon and evening of July 13, 1948. The meeting was arranged through the efforts of Mr. Langben and Warren E. Lafkin, of the Golf and Lawn Supplv Cor­ poration, White Plains, N. Y., cooperating with the New York-Connecticut Turf Im­ provement Association and the Connecticut, New Jersey and New York Experiment Stations. Following an examination of damage on greens at the Pelham Country Club, with Arthur Twombley. Superintendent, and a thorough discussion of the problem, the group decided to establish a fund to support needed research on control measures and the life history of the tropical earthworm. There was initiated on that date the “Tropical Earthworm Research Project,” sponsored by the New York-Connecticut Turf Improvement Association with the cooperation of the USGA Green Section, the Metropolitan Golf Association, the New Jersey Golf Association and the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut Agri­ cultural Experiment Stations. USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 13 Members of the Sponsoring Committee designated to raise the necessary funds are: H. Alfred Langben, Chairman, Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Scarborough, N. Y.; Glen H. Van Buren, Siwanoy Country Club, Bronxville, N. Y.; David M. Good- stein, Quaker Ridge Golf Club, Scarsdale, N. Y.; and Harold LeFurgy, Treasurer, Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, N. Y. Members of the Research Committee designated to outline and direct the project are: Dr. G. H. Ahlgren, Chairman, Rut­ gers University, New Brunswick, N. J.; Dr. J. A. Adams, New York State Agricul­ tural Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y.; Dr. J. H. Schread, Connecticut Agricul­ tural Experiment Station, New Haven, Conn.; and Dr. J. F. Cornman, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. The greenkeeping profession is repre­ sented by Carlton Treat, Montclair Golf Club, Montclair, N. J.: Ben Zukosky, Links Club, Roslyn, N. Y., and Lloyd Scott, Woodway Country Club, Springdale, Conn. Mr. LeFurgy is receiving contributions from golf clubs to defray the expenses of this research project. The USGA Green Section urges clubs to contribute to the program because of its importance and because sufficient funds are not available from the USGA or experiment stations. Contributions should be sent to Harold Le Furgy, Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaro­ neck, N. Y. Greenkeepers and superintendents who suspect the presence of the tropical earth­ worm are invited to send specimens to Dr. G. H. Ahlgren, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N. J., who will have them identified by the Zoology Department. The worms may be mailed in a closed bottle containing moist soil. Dr. Ahlgren will welcome correspondence concerning obser­ vations on possible control measures or other pertinent information which may assist the Research Committee in its work. (Acknowledgment: Il7c acknowledge -with thanks the material prepared by Ralph E. Engel and Gilbert H. Ahlgren of Rutgers University, which was drawn upon freely in the preparation of this report.) STEEL SPIKES vs. LUG SOLES FOR GOLF SHOES A Report on 1948 Trials by USGA Green Section By FRED V. GRAU and MARVIN H. FERGUSON \ arying reports had reached the Green Section office on the merits and demerits of lug soles on golf shoes. The matter came to a head following a talk with Richard Watson, Superintendent at Chevy Chase Club in Washington, D. C., who reported that lug soles were being prohibited at some courses because of damage to the greens. W. E. Kavenagh, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., Inc., W indsor, Vermont, was contacted by Mr. Watson, who approached the Green Section for an impartial test. Shoes were furnished by Mr. Kavenagh, one pair fitted with standard steel spikes, the other with lug soles. Tests were conducted on an area of five- year-old bent putting-green turf which was growing on native soil (silty clay) and had had no special preparation. Tests were be­ gun August 12, 1948. In order to simulate heavy foot traffic, single paths were laid out lengthwise on the turf area, which was 12 feet by 30 feet: PATH No. 1 Lug sole shoe. Average weight of man 145 pounds PATH No. Steel s| ike shoe. Average weight of man 1 "0 pounds PATH No. 3 Steel spike shoe. Average weight of man 145 pounds PATH No. 4 Lug sole shoe. Average weight of man 170 pounds Each path (two footprints wide) was walked for 25 round trips each dav on August 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25. 26. On August 12 the walking was done by Mr. Kavenagh and Dr. Grau. Thereafter the walking was done by Charlie Wilson, James Wilfong and Alexander Radko of the USGA Green Section. On August 12 the turf was soggy from 14 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 Lug Soles Cause Less Damage Than Steel Spikes Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils and Agricultural Engineering—Photo by IV. J. Mead Relative wear produced by two types of golf shoes on bent putting turf. The shoes are lying alongside their respective paths. Photo was taken one month after wear test ended. heavy rains. Mr. Wilfong, formerly Super­ intendent at Congressional Country Club, stated that if the green were on his course it would be closed to play. This indicates that the tests were made under the worst possible conditions for the grass. The soil is of such a nature that it becomes soggy when wet and very hard and compact when dry. No irrigation was done on this area at any time during the season. At the end of the fifth round trip of walking on August 12 the lug soles began to show damage, whereas the steel spikes began to show visible injury only after the eighth round trip. Damage from the lug soles appeared to be worse than from the steel spikes after the third day of walking. From then on until the end of the test period, the damage from the steel spikes was greater than from the lug soles. Spikes Cause Greater Damage Damage to turf was greatest on path No. 3 (steel spikes, average weight 145 pounds). In diminishing order were No. 2 (spikes, 170 pounds); No. 4 (lugs, 170 pounds), and No. 1 (lugs, 145 pounds). The difference in average weight did not appear to be a significant factor. Path No. 3 (145 pounds) produced worn-out turf before Path No. 2 (170 pounds) be­ cause it was lower and the soil remained soggy for a longer period. Scuffing the shoes on the turf produced no apparent injury to the turf with lug Continued on page 15 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 15 TURF FIELD DAY AT BELTSVILLE The first annual national open invitation Turf Field Day at the Beltsville Turf Gar­ dens on Friday, October 15, 1948, was, according to the weather, perfect. The at­ tendance was 175, and, according to the comments of the guests, it was an unquali­ fied success. The USGA Green Section and the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils and Agricultural Engineering, cooperating, were hosts. Dr. Fred V. Grau, USGA Green Section director, opened the meeting at 9:30 A.M. at the flag pole in front of the Administra­ tion Building. Dr. R. M. Salter, Chief of the Bureau, greeted the group warmly and expressed friendly, open cooperation on the specialized uses of grass. H. E. Allanson, Assistant Chief of the Bureau and Chair­ man of the Station Committee ( for develop­ ing the lawns and grounds) echoed Dr. Salter’s sentiments, expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the USGA Green Section, and regretted that he had only one more year of active service. Introductions included E. W. Van Gor- der, from Palo Alto, Cal.; Prof. H. B. Musser, Pennsylvania Experiment Station, who is Editor of the new USGA book on ‘‘Turf Management for Golf Courses” and is in charge of the largest turf experi­ mental set-up in the United States: three graduate students from Penn State—James Watson, Neal Wright, John Stanford: and Dr. Kenyon T. Payne, in charge of the turf grass breeding at Purdue University. The USGA was represented by Sherrill Sher­ man, Utica, N. Y. Raymond Knight, Maintenance Foreman for the Bureau’s Station Committee, had a display of the machinery used on the grounds. A tour of the Turf Gardens in­ cluded : Stop No. 1. Alta fescue lawn one year old, growing on sand, gravel and clay. Root growth was good. Turf is coarse and open but provides good appearance and setting for buildings. This area is designed for appear­ ance only. Stop No. 2. Ureaform trials on Alta fes­ cue. Walter Armiger explained the manufac­ ture and expected future of Ureaform fer­ tilizers, which will feed turf more slowly and more evenly over longer periods of time than will inorganic nitrogen fertilizers. Stop No. 3. Zoysia japonica planted vege­ tatively into existing bluegrass turf May 3, 4, and 5, 1948. Roger Peacock, professional, won a dollar bill for first finding two plugs of Zoysia. Z-52 establishes more easily than does Z-9. Stop No. 4. Soil material from steam line excavations particularly unfavorable to good grass production. Stop No. 5. Weed control plots: Dr. Chap­ pell. Materials giving good results at other stations have not been impressive under Belts­ ville conditions. Stop No. 6. The coffee at the cafeteria seemed to be appreciated by nearly even-one. Stop No. 7. U-3 Bermudagrass sprigged vegetatively in July, 1947, had been aerified and overseeded with cool-season grasses in the fall of 1947. There has been no irrigation. Mowers are set at % inch. The best-looking turf was produced with (1) a mixture of bent­ grasses and (2) B-27 bluegrass. Roger Pea­ cock hit eight-iron shots from different areas. No. 1 choice was the U-3 Bermuda and B-27 bluegrass combination. Divots were smaller and flew to pieces; turf was firmer. Divots Continued on page 16 Steel Spikes vs. Lug Soles Continued from page 14 soles, but the steel spikes tore the turf badly. Twisting the shoes for a stance damaged the turf more with the steel spikes than with the lugs. After the walking ended, the turf on the paths where the lug soles were used recov­ ered more rapidly than where the steel spikes had been used. The accompanying photograph shows the relative extent of injury and recovery 30 days after the walk­ ing stopped. It is admitted that this test was not re­ peated a sufficient number of times on dif­ ferent grasses and under different soil and climatic conditions. It represents results at Beltsville on one grass on one soil type. It is believed, however, that this test was sufficiently representative to serve as a guide to further testing. On the basis of the trial we can say that, under these conditions, there is no valid reason for barring lug soles from golf courses because of damage done to the turf. 16 USGA Journal: Autumn. 1948 Experts Tour Beltsville Turf Gardens Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils and Agricultural Engineering—Photo by W. J. Mead Field Day group of 175 being addressed by Dr. R. M. Salter. Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils and Agricultural Engineering, in front of Administration Building. Turf Field Day at Beltsville Continued from page 15 from the bent-Bermuda turf were larger and came out as solid chunks of turf. U-3 Ber­ mudagrass is in use on tees in Washington. Healing of divots is complete in from three to four weeks where nitrogen fertilizer is ade­ quate This experimental area received 6% pounds of nitrogen to 1,000 square feet. Stop No. 8. Bentgrass evaluation studies. Out of 100 bentgrasses, only a few were out­ standing under no-fungicide and no-irrigation management and with % inch and % inch heights of cut. Best were Arlington (C-l), Congressional (C-19), C-l 14 from Atlantic City, and C-102 from Hershey, Pa. These bents will be furnished to cooperating ex­ periment stations (Pennsylvania, Purdue, Rhode Island) for breeding work. At Belts­ ville these good bents will be increased vege­ tatively and will be exhaustively tested alone and in combination with Bermudagrasses and with Zoysia grasses. Stop No. 9. Steel spikes and lug soles on golf shoes were tested on bent turf. After 25 round trips in the same path for nine days, the injury was greater from spikes than from lugs. Most significant comment was that, when greens are wet and soft, a heavy man wearing lugs would create depressions in turf especially near the cup where a putt would be deflected. Stop No. 10. A number of southern grasses • in small plots was observed. Stop No. 11. First range of 10'x90' plots (summer-growing grasses) for observation only. Mowing heights of approximately % inch, 2 inches, 4 inches, and mowed once only when seed is ripe. Most significant observa­ tion: summer grasses go dormant sooner at higher mowing heights. Zoysia grasses resist weed invasions to a high degree. Stop No. 12. “Nurse grass” tests newly established, using ryegrass, redtop, timothy and Alta fescue to observe effects on perma­ nent seedings. Stop No. 13. Q-10 creeping red fescue nursery to check uniformity of progeny from this promising grass. Observed newly-established plots sown to seed of Z-52 strain of Zoysia jafronica which had been winter-harvested in greenhouse from sod taken in when dormant period began in November, 1947. New seedings of B-27 and common blue­ grass for studies of combinations with Zoysia and Bermuda. Stop No. 14. Lunch at Bureau of Plant In­ dustry cafeteria. Immediately after lunch, by popular re­ quest, the Aerifier was operated on a blue­ grass-fescue sod. Stop No. 15. A study of management for seed production on the Z-52 strain of Zoysia japonica grown vegetatively in greenhouse, then planted in increase nursery in 8-foot rows in May, 1948. Stop No. 16. The bentgrass fairway area was established to a mixture of creeping strains together with seed of Highland Colon­ ial, Astoria Colonial and seaside bent. Mower set at / inch. No artificial irrigation. Urea­ form fertilizers are being studied on this turf. Zoysiagrasses and Bermudagrass will be in­ troduced into this turf for further study. USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 17 Stop No. 17. Selected strains of Zoysia japonica (Z-9) and Zoysia matrclla (M-l) in turf cut at % inch. This turf is weed-free. Stop No. 18. Fescue trials. Illahee creep­ ing red fescue and Penn State Chewings had highest rating for 1948. Mowing height Li inch. Stop No. 19. Common Zoysia japonica turf was established bv vegetative planting in 1946. Turf was aerified and overseeded with various cool-season grasses in fall of 1947. Mowing heights of y2, y, and 1 inch. Best ratings on freedom from weeds on B-27 Ken­ tucky bluegrass and on bent and bent mixtures. No artificial irrigation. Roger Peacock hit eight-iron shots from various areas. He chose the combination of Zoysia and B-27 bluegrass cut at 1 inch as most nearly ideal for tee and fairway shots. Full shots failed to take a divot, yet a per­ fectly controlled shot resulted. Zoysia and bent had excellent appearance but full shots took big divots. At the 1-inch cut only a “floater” ball could be played. Best control of the ball was at the %-inch cut on the bent-Zoysia combination. Stop No. 20. Zoysia progeny nursery. A study of uniformity of seedlings from seed of Zoysia strains. Stop No. 21. Zoysia seed yield strain trials. Seed will be harvested in 1949. Stop No. 22. Zoysia seeding tests. No irrigation, no weed control. Mowed at % inch. July best month to sow Zoysia seed. Complete control of crabgrass in one year in crabgrass-infested soil. Common Zoysia japonica turf mowed at y2 inch, fertilized with 2 pounds of nitrogen to 1,000 square feet three weeks previously, staying green and healthy. Unfertilized turf at same height is growing off color. At 2 inches, unfertilized turf is completely brown. Stop No. 23. Observation of 10'x90' plots. All important grasses cut at heights of % inch, 2 inches, 4 inches, and mature. Other projects, not seen, included evalua­ tion of 50 strains of Bermudagrass in a bluegrass lawn, studied for combining abil­ ity with Kentucky bluegrass; evaluation of selected Alta fescue plants, and Q-10 creep­ ing red fescue plants in bluegrass turf. (Acknowledgments: A sound jeep was furnished by the Engineer School, Fort Belvoir, Fa., Lt. Meredith in charge. Flag­ poles and flags were furnished by the J. S. Connolly Co., Bethesda, Md., George Cor­ nell, Manager.) (Note: Next National Turf Field Day was set for Wednesday, October 19, 1949.) Kentucky Bluegrass-Bent Tests “Effects of Soil Acidity and Available Phosphorus on Population Changes in Mixed Kentucky Bluegrass-Bent Turf.” H. B. Mus­ ser. Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, Volume 40, No. 7, page 614. Sum­ mary and conclusions: “Results are reported on two series of seed­ ings of Kentucky bluegrass and bent grasses in four mixture combinations under varying conditions of soil acidity and available phos­ phorus with uniform nitrogen and potassium treatments. “Data presented indicate that differences in the quantities of bent grasses in the seed mix­ tures, ranging from 5 to 20 percent, had no significant effect upon the proportions of the various species in the turf population. “Both soil acidity and available phosphorus materially influenced establishment of Ken­ tucky bluegrass in the turf. Proportions of the total turf contributed by this grass were significantly higher under conditions of low- acidity and high phosphorus. “The bent grasses showed a wide range of tolerance to the differential acidity and nu­ trient conditions of the experiment. “Kentucky bluegrass percentages in the turf mixture declined steadily throughout the four-year period of the second series under all treatments used. “Strong competition by the bent grasses is suggested as the explanation for failure of the Kentucky bluegrass to maintain itself in the mixed turf. The practical bearing of these results upon the question of the desira­ bility of seeding mixtures of these species for intensively maintained turf is noted.” CONFERENCE DATES December 13-16............................... New York American Association of Economic Ento­ mologists, Hotel New Yorker, New York City. E. N. Cory, University of Maryland, Col­ lege Park, Md. January 13-14, 1949.........................Maryland Mid-Atlantic Association of Greenkeep­ ers, at Lord Baltimore Hotel, Balti­ more, Md. E. N. Cory, University of Maryland, Col­ lege Park, Md. February 7-11.................................. Cali fornia Greenkeeping Superintendents’ Associa­ tion, Alexandria Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif. .*\. L. Brandon, St. Charles, Ill. bebruary 21-24............................Pennsylvania H. B. Musser, Pennsylvania State Col­ lege, State College, Pa. March 7-9............................................ Indiana G. O. Mott, Purdue University, Lafay­ ette, Ind. 18 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 “Lest We Forget” Henry 0. Tallmadge and Edward S. Moore were sincere golf-lovers and gen­ erous contributors to the best interests of the game. Their passing in recent months recalls some of their services, which are living memorials to their sportsmanship. Mr. Tallmadge produced the idea which led to the USGA’s formation. He was the first Secretary, serving in 1894-95-96. In 1943 he wrote a brief account of the USGA’s origin, and a framed copy signed by him hangs in the USGA Golf Museum. Mr. Tallmadge entitled it “Lest We For­ get,” and wrote as follows : “In the Autumn of 1894 the St. Andrews Golf Club, having completed its links at ‘Grey Oaks’ in Yonkers, N. Y., decided to give a tournament for the Amateur Cham­ pionship of the United States, the dates selected being October 11-12-13, and invi­ tations were sent to the various golf clubs throughout the country, the tournament to be played according to the rules of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. An­ drews, Scotland, the prizes being diamond- and-gold, silver and bronze medals. “Everything was going on as per sched­ ule when the Newport Golf Club suddenly decided to hold a Championship Tourna­ ment on September 3-4, the prize to be a silver cup and the competition to be at 36 holes medal play, and as neither club would withdraw from its original position, there were two so-called championships of the United States held in 1894. “The writer, who was then Secretary of the St. Andrews Golf Club, conceived the idea that this embarrassing condition could best be done away with by forming a Na­ tional Association to establish uniform rules and to conduct future competitions for championships, and in this matter re­ ceived much valuable assistance and advice from Mr. Laurence Curtis of The Country Club of Brookline, Mass., and at a dinner at which I presided at the Calumet Club in New York City on December 22, 1894, at which representatives of five of the leading golf clubs of the country were present, the Amateur Golf Association of the United Henry O. Tallmadge States was formed. Its name was soon changed successively to American Golf Association and to United States Golf Association. “From this small beginning the Associa­ tion has grown and prospered, largely by the untiring efforts of the men who have formed its governing body and who have spared neither time nor money to carry out their ideals for forwarding and guarding the interests of the ‘Royal and Ancient Game,’ and when I think of what this Asso­ ciation has accomplished since its organiza­ tion in 1894, I often wonder if ‘We have builded better than we knew.’ ” Edward Moore, a USGA official in the 20s, donated the handsome gold cup which symbolizes the USGA Amateur Champion­ ship. The original Championship prize was the silver Havemeyer Trophy, presented in 1894 by Theodore Havemeyer, first Presi­ dent of the USGA. It was destroyed by fire in Atlanta in November, 1925, but, thanks to Mr. Moore’s generosity, it was replaced by a beautiful gold trophy the next year. It is engraved “Havemeyer Trophy”; Mr. Moore did not have his own name put anywhere on it. USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 19 Shots Heard ’Round the World By HERBERT WARREN WIND Author of “The Story of American Golf” Published November 19 by I*arrar, Straus & Co., Inc., 53 East 34th St., New \ork 16, N. It is natural for people to wish they were younger, but very often during the re­ searching of “The Story of American Golf,” I wished I were older, or old enough, at any rate, to have witnessed many of the historic matches I was trying to recreate as graphically as possible. Above all, I regretted that I hadn’t been able to trudge around The Country Club at Brookline, Mass., that wet September day in 1913 when Francis Ouimet fired the shots heard ’round the world in the play-off of the Open Championship. Those 18 holes that Ouimet played against Harry Vardon and Ted Ray—the American youth against the British masters —constitute perhaps the most momentous round in the history of golf, tremendously dramatic in itself, inordinately crucial in the effect Ouimet’s stunning victory had upon the future course of golf in this coun­ try. That was one match that had to be done absolutely right. As things turned out, I think the chapter on Francis did come off right, thanks to the active interest of Herbert Jaques and Harold Pierce. I went up to Boston in February, 1947, to talk with them about Ouimet and the 1913 Championship. If a detailed shot-by-shot of the play-off was what I wanted, then, they suggested, why wouldn’t the solution be for them to see if they could prevail upon Francis to walk around the course and “re-play” that round ? A week later I heard from Mr. Pierce. He had been able to arrange the walk. Five of us met at The Country Club at 10:30 on the morning of March 30—Fran­ cis, Air. Pierce, Mr. Jaques. Linde Fowler, the pioneer golf reporter (who had car­ ried his 1913 notes along), and myself. We started down the first fairway. Francis, with his astonishing memory, was able to walk to the exact spot from which he had played each shot, to remem­ ber the clubs he had used, how the shots had felt, how he had felt, and to remember almost as perfectly the precise progress of Ray and Vardon. Mr. Pierce filled in with background on the holes where changes had been made, Mr. Jaques added some im­ pressions of the match which now came vividly to his mind, and Mr. Fowler cleared up a few points on which Francis had been, characteristically, too modest. Three hours later when Francis led us off the 18th green after canning that final four- footer, I believe we had come very close to "seeing” the play-off round. Hole by Hole [Editor’s note—By kind permission of Mr. Wind and the publishers of “The Story of American Golf,” the USGA Journal is priv­ ileged to print belozv, in a slightly condensed form, the account of the Ouimet-Bardon-Ray play-off as contained in Mr. Wind’s nezu book. The USGA Journal hereby records its thanks and appreciation for this privilege. This is but a sample of the many historical events re­ counted in the volume.} After tying with Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, Francis Ouimet went home and took a bath. He went to bed at 9:30 and slept until 8. He ate a light breakfast, and then walked to The Country Club and hit some practice shots out to his 10-year-old caddie, Eddie Lowery. The shots felt fine. Johnny McDer­ mott, who had watched Francis practice, took him byr the arm and said, “You are hitting the ball well. Now go out and pay no atten­ tion whatsoever to Vardon and Ray. Play your own game.” In the tent beside the first tee, the three contestants drew straws to determine who would have the honor of hitting first. Francis drew the longest straw, and teed up. He was nervous but got off well. Vardon and Ray also hit good drives. As the players walked down the first fairway, they were followed by a gallery that swelled to 3,500 as the match progressed. Thirty hours of continuous rain had turned the low stretches of the course into a quagmire, and a drizzle was still com­ ing down, but this was a match that even the old and the gouty had to see for themselves. The first hole at The Country Chib was a lengthy 430-yard par 4, and under the sopping conditions only Ray had a chance of reaching in 2. Ray, however, pushed his second into 20 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 the mounds off to right of the green, and had to be satisfied with a 5 when the wet grass held up his chip. Vardon took a 5. and Francis got his when he holed a three-footer. That putt was very important. The instant it dropped, Francis lost all sense of “awe and excitement.” On the second, all three played orthodox pitches to the green, and all got their 4s. On the third, a testing two-shotter measuring 435 yards, Ouimet and Vardon made their 4s after getting home in 2. Ray three-putted from 40 feet and took a 5. All three played tidy pitches to the fourth green and went down in two putts for their 4s. The fifth proved to be a very interesting hole. On this long par 4, a player drove from an elevated tee and tried to keep well away from the woods hugging the right-hand side of the fairway. On his second shot, which on wet turf was a brassie or spoon for even the good golfer, he avoided the pot bunker to the right of the green, if he could. The Winner Courtesy H. B. Martin—Photo Edwin Levick, N. Y. Francis Ouimet posed for this photograph a few days after he won the Open Cham­ pionship in 1913. He worried about the green slanting from right to left, when he got there. All in all, a very’ tough par -I—420 yards long. Ouimet, still up, continued his steady driv­ ing. Vardon was a little behind the amateur but down the middle, too. Ray was off to the left in the high grass. His second was short of the green. Vardon cut his brassie a shade too much and was off on the right. Ouimet also elected to play a brassie. The ball streaked crazily off to the right and crashed into the overhanging branches of the trees—out of bounds. It was the first error the young amateur had made. Had the shot been just a little awry, Francis might have started to worry about what he had done wrong. Fortunately, it was such a totally bad shot that Francis was able to dismiss it immediately. He didn’t alibi to himself that his hands had slipped on the wet shaft, nor did he change his club. While the gallery was speculating on the effect his loose shot would have on Ouimet, he dropped another ball quickly over his shoulder and played his third without the briefest hesitation. It was a ringing brassie that ended up on the edge of the green. Ouimet got down in 2 from there, and came out of the hole with a 5. When Vardon and Ray both needed a chip and two nutts. Ouimet had gained a half and a valuable psychological boost. His op­ ponents had failed to capitalize on the open­ ing, and this reinforced Ouimet’s confidence in his ability to keep pace with them. Vardon and Ray were not infallible. Then, too, he felt that he had been lucky when that second shot had ended up out of bounds, for if he had been forced to play it out of the brush, he might have dropped several strokes to par instead of just the one. The sixth was a shortish 4 uphill, the sort of a hole on which a player might well pick up a birdie. All three were down the middle, with Ray, straight for the first time, the long­ est. Vardon played first and sent an elegant little pitch close to the cup. Ouimet and Ray could not match it. They two-putted for their 4s, and when Vardon sank his putt for a birdie 3, he went into the lead, one stroke in front of Ouimet, two in front of Ray. It was Ray’s turn at the seventh. None of the three were on the green on this stern one-shotter. Francis went 12 feet by with his chip and Vardon was even stronger. They missed their putts for 3s and lost a stroke to Ray, who had played a brilliant run-up. Ray had now drawn back on even terms with the American and was only one stroke behind Vardon. There was not much to choose among the drives on the eighth. The players were left with approaches of about 160 yards from the valley at the foot of the incline on which the large green was perched. Ouimet played a mashie, and the wild shout of the spectators gathered around the green told him that the USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 21 Ouimet Lines Up Putt That Made History In this rare old photograph, Francis Ouimet, then 20 years old, can be seen at the upper left, crouching behind his ball on the eighteenth green at The Country Club, Brookline, Mass. The putt he holed moments later gave him a 72 and victory over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray (leaning on putters) in a play-off for the 1913 USGA Open Championship. The popularity of golf as a sport for all the people is said to have started with that putt. shot was near the cup. Absolutely stone-dead, Eddie Lowery, his caddie, thought. Francis wanted to think so too, but as they walked up the hill, he guarded against disappoint­ ment by reminding himself that approaches which looked stony from a distance often turned out to be 10 or 15 feet away. . . . But it was dead, 18 inches from the hole. Francis got his birdie, but Ray matched him by roll­ ing in a curving 35-footer. Vardon got his 4. Now, after eight holes of play, Vardon, Ray, and Ouimet were tied at 33 strokes apiece. Ray was feeling better now. He had picked up two strokes on Vardon and one on Ouimet on the last two holes, and his length gave him the best chance of snagging a birdie on the ninth, a 520-yard par 5 which dropped from an elevated tee into a flat land crossed by a brook 350 yards out and then broke sharply up to a well-trapped green. Ray played his tee shot down the right-hand side of the fairway, which gave him the shortest line to the green if he was going to try to get home in 2. Francis declined to press and was comfortably down the middle. After Vardon had hit, Ray commented, “Nice shot, Harry”—the only words which were passed between the Englishmen during the round, as Ouimet remembers it. Actually, Vardon’s drive was not a nice shot. It was off line, remarkably off line for Vardon, and his lie in the rough made it necessary for him to play his second safe, short of the brook. Ray had to forego any ideas he might have had about putting every­ thing into his second in an attempt to reach the green when he found that his drive had ended up in a close lie on sloping ground. He played a regulation 5, on in 3 and down in 2, as did Ouimet. Vardon had to work harder for his 5, but he got it by hitting his midiron third close to the green and chipping up for one putt. Everything had happened and yet on the scorecard nothing had happened. All three were out in 38. Ouimet Gains the Edge They started in. Ray, Ouimet, and Vardon, in that order, put their iron shots onto the Redan-type green of the 140-yard 10th. Ouimet was nearest the pin. The Englishmen were about 35 feet away, with Vardon’s line to the cup stymied by the hole his ball had dug when landing on the soft green. Harry three- putted. Ray also three-putted. Francis got his 3 and for the first time in the match he was out in front. Vardon and Ray both had chances to get that stroke back on the 11th, a 390-yarder, but they missed holeable putts for their 3s and halved with Ouimet in 4. Ouimet had been outdriving Vardon regu­ larly, and on the 12th he outdrove Ray as well. Ouimet was the only one to get home in 2; he hit a superb mashie 10 feet from the cup. Vardon was short and Ray was down the embankment to the left. The English­ men could do no better than 5s. Ouimet was timid on his try for his birdie but his com­ fortable par increased his lead to two strokes. On the 13th, the short par 4 on which Ouimet had picked up a birdie the day be­ 22 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 fore, all three were on in 2—Ray on the edge, Vardon about nine feet away, and Ouimet just inside Vardon. Ray made a fine bid for a 3 with his long putt. Vardon holed his nine-footer. Ouimet missed his. Vardon was now only one stroke behind Ouimet, the per­ fect position for the experienced campaigner with five hard holes left. On the long 14th, however, Vardon played poorly although he got his par 5. He hooked his drive into the rough, and after an adequate recovery, hooked his mashie third. This was not like Harry. If he didn’t hit his irons per­ fectly straight, he faded them. Linde Fowler, the pioneer golf reporter, had not been look­ ing for indications that Vardon was feeling the pressure, but Harry had hit that hooked approach so uncharacteristically that Linde could only deduce that Vardon was becoming worried. Ouimet apparently was not. He topped his brassie second on the 14th—his first poor shot since the fifth—but he put his third con­ fidently onto the green as if he had already forgotten his second. The young man’s poise was amazing. Ray seemed to be getting rest­ less about his inability to do the things he wanted to do. He also played the 14th badly, pushing his second far to the right, but he took advantage of a lucky opening to the green and also got his 5. Three pars on the scorecard. Ray finally went on the 15th, the par 4 over the hill and across the drive. Ted’s tee shot was headed for the rough on the right when it hit a spectator’s derby and rebounded onto the fairway. (The spectator was incensed and left the play-off then and there.) Ray, however, did not take the advantage of this break. He underclubbed himself on his second, and his soaring mashie thudded into a trap. He took 2 to get out, and only a good putt prevented him from taking a 7. But Ray’s 6 put him four strokes behind Ouimet and three behind Vardon—who had taken 4s —and with only three holes remaining. Ted was out of it. . . . On this hole, Vardon, who never smoked on a golf course, lighted a cigarette. On the short 16th, Vardon and Ouimet got their 3s. Ray three-putted carelessly for a 4. He had given up the fight. They came to the 17th, the 360-yard dogleg to the left, with Ouimet still protecting his one-stroke lead over Vardon. It was still Vardon’s honor. Harry elected to play his drive close to if not over the corner, a risky shot, but he had decided that the time had come to gamble and wanted to be in a posi­ tion after his drive to stick his approach very close to the pin. That drive proved to be Vardon’s undoing. His right hand got into the shot too much, and he hooked into the bunker in the angle of the dogleg. From his lie in the bunker Vardon could not go for the green and was forced to play out to the fairway. He put his third on, but not stone- dead. He had take a 5. Francis had driven straight down the fair­ way to about the same spot from which he had played his jigger approach the day be­ fore. This time he selected his mashie—and hit a lovely shot 18 feet past the hole. His long-shafted, narrow-blade putter had not let him down all morning, and now he called on it to get him down safely in two putts for the 4 which would give him that valuable insur­ ance stroke over Vardon. He tapped the ball over the slippery downhill grade . . . and holed it. brancis now held a three-stroke lead on Vardon as they came to the home hole. He did not let up. His drive was down the mid­ dle, his second on. His approach putt, how­ ever, left him with a good four-footer for his 4. As Francis lined up his putt, he realized for the first time that he was going to win, and with that awareness the astounding calm­ ness that had sheathed him from the first hole on instantly disappeared. The boy felt himself shivering all over. He steadied him­ self as best he could, and made the putt. It was quite irrelevant that Vardon had taken a 6 and Ray a birdie 3. binal score, compared with par 71 : Ouimet, 72; Vardon, 77; Ray, 78. The crowd who had slogged around the course in the drizzle, worn out from playing every shot with Ouimet, still staggered by the boy’s nerveless poise and his brilliant golf, reeled around the 18th green and the club­ house in the gayest stupor many of them ever experienced in their lives. They recalled the great shots the new champion had played— that brassie to the fifth green after he had knocked his first out of bounds, that mashie to the eighth and that equally fine mashie to the 12th, that conclusive putt on the skiddy 17th which perhans more than any other single shot was the one heard round the world. And what about the new champion? After the battle he was the same remarkable young man exhilarated but modest, still unbelieving and still unbelievable. “I am as much sur­ prised and as pleased as «nvone here,” he said in accepting the trophy 'from the USGA Secretary, John Reid, Jr. “Naturally it al­ ways was my hope to win out. I simply tried my best to keep this cup from going to our friends across the water. I am very glad to have been the agency for keeping the cup in .America.” USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 23 THE REFEREE Decisions by the USGA Rules of Golf Committee Example of symbols: “No. 48-1” means the first decision issued in 1948. “R. 7(3)” means Section 3 of Rule 7 in the 1948 Rules of Golf. Local Rules Should Be Clear No. 48-83. LR. Q: Playing from No. 11 tee, No. 10 fair­ way is on the right; and playing from No. 12 tee, No. 11 fairway is on the left. On both tees we have a sign marked that from either tee it is out of bounds. The reason was that lots of players used to go over on either fairway, as it made the 11th hole easier from 10 fairway and the 12th hole easier from 11 fairway. If a player in playing No. 11 sliced his second on to 10, or in playing No. 12 hooked his second on to 11, was he still out of bounds ? Freddie McLeod Chevy Chase, Md. A: The signs described indicate that the boundaries applied only to tee shots. However, the local committee should inter­ pret its own local rule and, if necessary, should clarify the signs. Tree Branch in the Way No. 48-86. R. 7(3) Q: Is it permissible for a caddie to hold a tree branch out of the way if it would hinder the player’s club while making a stroke? Dr. Frank J. Fara Cicero, III. A: No. This is prohibited by Rule 7(3). The Rule contemplates that there may be some moving, bending or breaking of fixed or growing objects as an incident in the course of taking a fair stance at address and in making the backward or forward swing, and it excuses such incidental movements. However, the Rule prohibits purposeful mov­ ing, bending or breaking with the aim of im­ proving the position of the ball. The second exception in Rule 7(3) condones only such moving, bending or breaking as may inci­ dentally be done in making the swing, but it does not allow such action in order to make the swing. Opponents Exchanging Balls No. 48-88. R. l(2a), 13(1) (4a) Q: A and B were playing C and D in a four-ball match. A and C both hooked into the rough; both were playing the same make and number ball. C played A’s ball, knock­ ing it out into the fairway. A then played C’s ball, thinking it was his own, and shot it into a water hazard. Upon taking the ball out of the hazard, A discovered it was C’s ball. He then went back to where C played his (A’s) ball and proceeded to play out the hole from there, making a par and tying D on the hole (otherwise his side would have lost the hole, B being out of it as well as C). They proceeded playing, and A and B Avon the match, 1 up. D claims he protested the hole before play­ ing the next hole. A claims he heard no pro­ test. A claims misinformation because C an­ nounced that “this is my ball” when playing A’s ball. (A’s ball was in a very good lie; C’s ball, which A later played, was very deep in the rough.) If the hole was won by D as claimed, the match would have finished all even. The match was played under handicap, so D feels it should be played over. Ralph R. Arnold Englewood, Colo. A: A was under a responsibility to iden­ tify the ball (C’s) before playing it. As he did not do so but inadvertently played C’s ball, the penalty against C was cancelled, and the hole should have been played out with the balls exchanged—see Rule 13(4a and la). C’s statement cannot be regarded as misin­ formation under Rule 13(lb) insofar as A’s play of C’s ball is concerned. A proceeded improperly in abandoning C’s ball and in resuming play from the place where C played A’s ball. Whether or not D made a claim as de­ scribed in Rule 1 (2a) is a question of fact which cannot be determined by us. If a claim was so made. D’s side won the hole. If a claim was not so made, the hole stands as olayed even though A completed the hole incorrectly. What Constitutes Casual Water No. 48-91. R. 16, Def. (1), SR. 3 Q. 1: Player A drives a ball into short rough where the ground is damp. He claims that he has the right to press his foot into the ground near the ball to see if his weight will squeeze some water up out of the ground, and if so, his ball is in “casual water” and may be lifted and dropped in another part of 24 USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 the short rough, without penalty, where no water will appear when his foot is pressed down into the ground. Player B claims (a) that unless local rules have been fixed Player A must play his ball out of rough, whether casual water or not, without any right of dropping without penalty; (b) that even if the ball were in the fairway and no water appears on the surface, no player has a right to push his foot into the ground near the ball in the hope that he can squeeze a couple of drops of water out of damp ground and thereby claim it is casual water. A player may only do such things in either rough or fairway to enable him to get a proper stance. A. 1: See Definition of casual water un­ der Rule 16. If, in taking his normal stance, a temporary accumulation of water appeared which inter­ fered with the play of the ball, the player would be entitled to relief as provided in Rule 16(1). It is not material whether there were an accumulation of water originally visible. On the other hand, the presence of a temporary accumulation of water constituting casual water is a question of fact. Soft, wet ground or mud do not, of themselves, constitute casual water. The term “rough” is not used in the Rules of Golf. So-called “rough” is part of “through the green.” See Definition 3. Settling Ties in Stroke Play Q. 2: A Scotch foursome ties at 75 for the gross prize in medal play. In “matching cards” to determine the winner of the prize (which was arranged after the match), is it a practice or rule to use the “sudden death” method so that the team or player winning the first hole in match play wins, or is it a rule or practice to figure match play over the entire 18 holes? In this case, team A would have won by 1 up in match play figuring the entire 18 holes, but on the “sudden death” method, team B would have won on the sec­ ond hole with a par 4 to opponents’ bogey 5. A. 2: Stroke Rule 3 empowers the com­ mittee in charge to determine how a tie shall be decided, and it presupposes a playoff. The local committee should determine the extent of the playoff in the light of local conditions. This question should be determined before the tournament starts. Where the competition is handicap stroke play, it is recommended that the playoff be at 18 holes with handicap. Where that is not possible for want of time or for other reasons, the playoff should be of as many holes as would enable all competitors in the playoff to use equal proportions of their handicaps fairly. If it is not convenient to hold a playoff, the tie should be decided by lot. This Committee considers that matching cards against each other or against the course par is not a proper way to decide a tie. If two players return scores of the same total in stroke play, they have finished the test originally set. To decide their tie, it would not seem fair to go back arbitrarily to any individual part of the original test, for that test was on a total-score basis. Any such method is artificial. Stroke play and match play are two different games. Therefore, a new test should be provided for settling a tie. Questions by: Robert M. Nelson Watch Hill, R. I. Out of Bounds in Mixed Foursome No. 48-95. D. 1; R. 5(6), 9(1) Q: In a mixed alternate shot tournament, man drives from odd number tees, lady from even number. On third tee man hooks drive out of bounds. Does lady hit drive from ladies’ tee—some 40 yards nearer green—or does she have to tee off from men’s tee? Some members felt lady should hit next tee shot from men’s tee from which first shot was driven out of bounds by her partner. Dan J. Casey Stony Brook, N. Y. A: The next stroke shall be played as nearly as possible at the spot from which the ball which is out of bounds was played— Rule 9(1). Attention is called to the definition of four­ some in Definition 1 and to Rule 5(6) pre­ scribing the order of play. Only one set of tee markers should be used in foursome play. Agreement to Violate Rule No. 48-102. R. 2(2) Q: An agreement was made between two contestants before their match to lift, without penalty, a ball which came to rest in a sand trap which had casual water in it (ball had to be in the water). Did they break any rule or be subject to disqualification if the occasion did not occur whereby this agreement could be carried out ? In other words, neither player’s ball came to rest in water in a sand trap during the match. Louis F. Galasso Manchester, Conn. A: Rule 2(2) is explicit that “Players shall not agree to exclude the operation of any Rule or local rule, nor to waive any penalty incurred.” In the case cited it would appear that the agreement in advance was made to exclude the operation of this rule. Hence, the penalty should be applied and the players disquali­ fied. That the intent prevailed after play started is the predominating factor, and not that no occasion arose for violating the Rule. USGA Journal: Autumn, 1948 25 IT’S YOUR HONOR 54 Perfect Lies To the USGA: Mr. A. M. Reid’s remark in a recent issue of the USGA Journal that playing preferred lies “is not golf at all, and the players are only out for fresh air and exercise” could be elaborated on to good advantage. As a teaching professional, I feel strongly that players who regularly improve their lies miss a great part of the enjoyment of the game and also will never learn to hit shots really well. When a player starts a round, he is guaranteed 54 perfect lies. He can tee up on 18 tees, and presumably he will have 36 perfect lies on the greens. On only a minority of his shots, therefore, does he even run the risk of an imperfect lie. The few imperfect lies a player may find provide the challenge that makes golf a fascinating game. The excuse that preferred lies spare the golf course is hardly valid. After all, when a player moves his ball from an im­ perfect piece of turf to a perfect piece, he will, in most cases, only dig up one more good piece of turf. Gene Andersen Oyster Harbors Club Ostervii.le, Mass. Advice On Advice To the USGA: I have been rather surprised to see how openly some of the big name pros ignore the rule on advice. One quietly said to me during play here that he guessed he would do a little snooping on Ben Hogan, who was sizing up his shot to a green. The competitor walked over to Ben’s bag of clubs and could tell at a glance the club Ben had in his hand by noting which was missing. I do not care personally who peeks on me. and it would help me very little to spy on another competitor. No two play­ ers hit a ball exactly the same way. and there are several ways to play any shot. Many ask and many tell a competitor the club that was used. 1 have yet to see the Rule enforced. H. F. Russell Salt Lake Chy, Utah Discourteous Defaults To the USGA: Herewith is a copy’ of a letter which Mr. Joseph Esherick, President of the Golf Association of Philadelphia, sent to eight players in the Philadelphia Amateur Championship: “In a recent Philadelphia Amateur Championship held by the Golf Associa­ tion of Philadelphia, you qualified in the second sixteen and defaulted your first match. “We of the Golf Association would like to call to your attention what this means in the operation of a golf tournament, but before going into that detail would like to remind you that, if you are not going to play through, the proper thing to do would be to inform the committee in charge that you would not play through the tournament, and that would have made your place available for someone else who would have been delighted to have competed in the second sixteen. “By defaulting you upset the pairings of the Committee and we feel that in defaulting you have displayed very poor sportsmanship, been discourteous, first of all and most important, to your opponent with whom you have been paired. sec­ ondly, to the host club, and thirdly to the Golf Association of Philadelphia. “As I mentioned in presenting the prizes at the completion of the tourna­ ment. it is my intention to recommend to the Executive Committee of the Golf Association that hereafter anyone who defaults without a good excuse, such as serious illness, a death in the family, etc., should be barred from all tournaments for the balance of the year. “This last amateur championship was a big success except for the eight de­ faulters, who included yourself, and we are going to take steps as mentioned above to see that these defaults do not occur in the coming year.” Mrs. Ralph I. Raynor, Exit. Sec’y. Goi.e Association or Philadelphia liilitnr's Xuh’: The USGA Jovr.xai. invites coin- nunts on in.-ittiT- relatina to the welfare of tin ttante anil will pnl>li-h them as -pace permits.