GOLF TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19860, 2 February 1928, Page 16

GOLF TOPICS.

STANDARDISING THE BALL. USE FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS. THE SEASON IN AMERICA. B3f FAD&WAX. The question of standardising the golf ball has lately been getting a good deal of publicity. Personally, and judging from the views and opinions of leading players and of golf journalists, 1 think we shall very soon have a standardised ball prescribed for all championship events. The matter is important enough to justify some description of the present position of the controversy. The incidents that have been taking place on some London courses with a special gnittie ball played by one side against the rubber core employed by the other side, need not detain us long. These "stunt" matches have no bearing at all upon the golf ball question, and the golfers who took part in them \ever intended the occasional bouts the solid ball to mean anything more than h temporary diversion. Golfers everywhere may be assured that there is no serious movement to reintroduce a solid ball for general play. At the same time, eveD a golf ball manufacturer admits that there will probably be many matches in which the solid ball will be played, chiefly because some golfers enjoy playing with the solid ball, for a change, and by way of variety. Indeed the same writer cites the case of a professional who has recently sold some thousands of the solid ball. Nevertheless the project of a solid bali for general play is not practical politics and we can dismiss it from our minds. A Standard Ball. Much more imminent is the introduc tion of a.standardised golf ball for championships, or even for competitive events. 1 find that golfers in several countries, including New Zealand, agree with the view expressed by George von Elm, when he said that he was getting tired of play mg hole after hole with a mashie niblick after a long drive, and that he would like to see the power of the ball curtailed so that, of necessity, the driving-iron, the cleek and the brassie would be called into play for the second shot to the green. I imagine that many good golfers would say the same. The question is now being widely and seriously discussed in Britain and America. It is being dis ; cussed also in New Zealand, and in this article, I seek merely to introduce the matter in order to evoke discussion. In reading views expressed in the public press and in magazines, golfers should be careful to distinguish between those put forward by interested parties and those which represent golfing interest in the good of the game. Opinion in America. America seems to find golfing opinion hardening into the affirmative form upon the question of standardisation, and we must give ear to what American golfeis say about the matter. An editorial in a . leading American golf magazine said: "Judging the situation at large, as leading amateurs and professionals feel about it, there will soon be a standard ball for all championships, standard at least as to weight and size. . . There is a general belief that even the average golfer will take up the lighter and larger bail, which lends itself better to brassie and spoon play through the fairway and which is easier to control on the greens In any event there is a growing need for another type of championship ball for the major tournaments, which will cut down seme of the incredible distances now obtained." XL There is nothing revolutionary m trie movement for a standard ball. It woul mean going back to the kind of ball in use a few years ago; a ball slightly than the present rubber-core, and light enough to float in water. As far back as 1920 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club wished to standardise a hall of this kind, but. owing to the insistence of fhe can Committee that such a change would place too great a financial burden on the coif ball manufacturers, the project fell through. To all seeming agreement could now, or could soon, be reached upon the matter, by the governing bodies in Britain and America Bobhv Jones has added his voice to those in favour of a standard ball, and a leading British golf marine heads an article, "A larger and lighter ball may be coming." I expect to discuss this matter again and soon. Events in United States. The big season in American golf started in the first week of this New Year with an open tournament in Florida, which was won by Gene Sarazen. The real pro gramme of open tournaments in Florida, however, does not come on until about March. In the meantime the leading proI rkTa\r<vr» arfi in California, where |

(he Los Angeles £2OOO event opens the season, with several other big events following closely. After a sojourn on the Pacific Coast for the sake of these big competitive events, the travelling players will head toward Texas and the south west, where various meetings with attrac tive prize-money are on the programme The busiest time in Florida comes after that, with tournaments at Sarasota, Miami and several other golfing centres, lead ing on to the north and south champion ship at Pinchurst. Last year Robbv Cruickshank and Tommy Armour were the star performenrs in this series of big events. The same two, along with half a hundred others, are competing again this season. Archie Comnston, who left Britain in T>ocember, meant to compete at Los Angeles, and probably in most of the other tournaments. It will be interesting to see whether this experience makes him into a real star scoi'er. A Nice Point. I notice an interesting question put by a correspondent in a golf magazine: "When a player has holed out his putt should be go forward and recover the ball from the cup, or should* he wait until his opponent plays?" The answer given is: "Tn the interest of courtesy and consideration for the opponent the player should be guided bv the actions of tbe opponent, If tho latter makes readv to play his stroke at once, the courteous thing is to allaw him to do so. . . . Tf he delavs in the apparent expectation that the player will go forward and picl< up the ball! there can be no objection to this being done." I would add that most good golfers seem to prefer the other plaver's ball to be lifted out of the bole before they address themselves to their putt. I have sometimes lifted an opponent's ball out of ♦bo cup before plaving my own stroke The answer ouoted above handles the whole matter very well: and all golfers should observe its ruling. i