Croquet Style Putters Banned

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31480, 21 September 1967, Page 15

Croquet Style Putters Banned

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) ST ANDREWS.

A ban on croquet-style putting and on the croquet type of putter was ratified at a business meeting of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the governing body in golf. The ban will become effective from January 1, 1968.

The ban had been agreed with the United States Golf Association after lengthy discussions. All the British and overseas golf associations have voted overwhelmingly in favour of it Both the Royal and Ancient club and the United States association are convinced that it is in the long-term interests of the game that measures be taken now to preclude further divergence from the traditional game of golf Among the other important changes announced at the meeting were those governing the flagstick, when a ball lies on the green, the cleaning of a ball on the green, and putting out in stroke play. A player will no longer be allowed to putt and strike an unattended flagstick when playing on a green. Under such circumstances he will be penalised. In match and stroke play, a player may clean his ball

only once before taking his first putt, unless for some reason he has to lift it again. In stroke play, each player must play continuously until his ball is holed out, unless his fellow competitor considers that he would stand oh his line of play. The fellow competitor could then require the ball to be lifted until he himself has putted. The penalty for an unplayable ball is retained as stroke and distance. But if the I player elects to drop the ball clear of the trouble, the penalty is reduced from two I strokes to one stroke. If, however, the unplayable ball lies lin a bunker and is dropped | under a penalty stroke, it ■ must be dropped in the , bunker. I The player will be permitted to play a provisional ball ■immediately if he thinks his original ball may be lost or lout of bounds, but not just i because his first ball may be 1 unplayable.