GOVERNMENT OF GOLF

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 22 November 1928, Page 7

GOVERNMENT OF GOLF

OUTSPOKEN CRITICISM (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON". 18th October. When Cyril Tolley recently declared that the elderly gentlemen who formed (ho St. Andrews' committee should bo, replaced with younger golfers more in touch with the'modern game the. attack was received with smiling indifference. Tollev is a distinguished member of the Ilova'i and Ancient club and his out-

spoken criticism of the authorities was startling. They arc not accustomed to that sort oE thing at St. Andrews and they regarded it as rather bad form. lint there is no doubt that To*ley spoke' on behalf of a very considerable percentage of golfers who believe that the government of the game is too much a hole-and-corner affair. St. Andrews is a twelve hours railway journey from .London and as the majority of'the members of the committee live in the south it is very seldom (hat meetings are held. Only during the championships does the committee meet and during eleven months of Hie year the affairs of the game are largely decided by correspondence. ' As a matter of fact on many matters the committee are not consulted. Decisions arc taken by those members who live at St. Andrews. On important questions the procedure is for notices to he sent round in this way ".It is suggested that . '. . . Will you please, write, and say what you think about this." It. cannot be pretended that such an arrangement is satisfactory, and whilst there is no desire to displace the Royal and Ancient club as the head of the game it is generally felt that the headquarters of the committee should be in London. It' is significant, too, that eveiy vear the national Unions are playing a bigger part, and if reforms come, as they are likely to by slow process, it will be through their insistence. So far they have made no move to introduce the change in the amateur .championship suggested by Tolley. The latter is all in favour of the American system under which a preliminary stroke qualifying competition is held. By this/means he -would have the field reduced to thirty-two players and the remaining stages of the championship decided by thirty-six holes matches. A vote was taken on this four or five years ago, and it was declared that the majority of players were against it. Tolley, however, states that if the vote had been confined to players now taking part in the championship there would have been a majority in favour of it.