GOLF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14383, 28 November 1908, Page 2

GOLF.

By Bulger, The popular New. Year tournament, held annually under the auspices of the Otaco Club commences on Monday, December 28, 1908, and concludes on Saturday, January 2, 1909. Tho ladies' events precede, the men's this year, Monday and Tuesday beinff the days set aside for the ladies. Their programme consists of Bogey Handicap, oyer 18 holes; Championship of Otago, decided on two rounds of 18 holes (medal play), concurrently with which a handicap event will Ite played for in eaoh round; Foursome Bcgey Handicap, over 18 holes. The men's events are: (1) Bogey Handicap, over 18 holes; (2) Foursojne Bogey Handicap; (3) Bogey Handicap; (4) Amateur Championship of Ofago, four rounds, medal play; (5) Medal Handicap, to be played concurrently with event No. 4 (a trophy will go to the player returning the lowest net score in each round of such event, No. 4); (6) Interclub Match, teams of four, players lo represent each club, the aggregate gross score of each team in first" two rounds of event 4 to decide this match; (7) Interclub Hatch, open to teams from Otago country clubs, tho same conditions applying as above; (8) Mixed Foursome Bogey Handicap, over 18 holes; Putting Competition (the putting green will ho reserved for competitors in this event from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. on December 29 and '30, 1908, and January 1, 1909. Cards, 6d each. This tournament has become very popular the last few years, and a large entry is expected. Entries for' all events must be made, and fee.s paid, to the secretary, Mr D. Crawford, on or before Monday, December 21, 1908. One of the minor points debated when the revision of the rules came up for consideration' at St. Andrews was the rule prohibiting anyone standing in the line of play in order to show the way to a blind hole. The rule states that a player may have the line to the hole indicated to him, but it is not allowable either to place a mark or for a person to 6tand on the proposed line while the shot is being played. Mr Hall Blyth, a player of very great experience, moved an amendment making it permissible for a player in such circumstances to have the line pointed out to him' "by his caddie, his partner, or his ■ partner's caddie." The upshot of the discussion was that the amendment of Mr Hall Blyth was defeated, and the rule as originally submitted was passed by the general meeting. Hitherto there has been ho rule on this subject. But in the course of the last year or two questions have been submitted to the Rules Committee asking whether the practice of putting down clubs on the brow of a hill to mark the liiio'jo'f play or of the partiier standing there to show the lino lo tho hole was permissible. St. Andrews said that there was no rulo on the subject, but that tho practice "was contrary to the ciustomo of the game." It is by no means certain, however, that St. Andrews is right in laying down this dictum. That the need for such a guide k wanted appears to be generally recognised by all green committees. Guide posts or flags are placed on the brow of a hill to show the line of the hole to all players, and hence it has become recognised as a. settled' point of green-keeping policy that a way to the hole should be pointed out. On those greens, however, where there' are no guide posts to a blind hole it is but natural that the player should wish to improvise a mark over which he may play in order, if possible to lay his ball death Now, if the player's partner or his cafdie are asked. to stand on the hill to show the line, • the peril is that of the player or his side, for if either is stnick- the hole is lost to the player. Instead of gaining an advantage, therefore, the player is incurring a double risk to which tho opponent ca.n hardly in reason object.. In the same, way, if he puts clown a couple of clubs where a guide' post ought to be but is not, the risk against him is again doubled, for a sclalTed shot is just as likely to run along the ground among the dubs as a half-hit ball skimming unseen above the ground is to hit the partner or, the caddie. Indeed, there seems to be an. excess of purism about the objection to /a caddie or a partner showing the line to a blind hole which eaoinot be readily reconciled with the leave granted to show the line to the hole on the putting green. In many respects the putting-green practice of indicating the line to a player is more objectionable than the standing on the brow of a hill 150 yds off to indicate the line for a full shot to a blind hole. If the one practice is to be taboo, so ought in fairness the other to be prohibited. It has always been a subject of interesting debate among golfers whether or not it is needful to train tho physique for golf. Those who lead an open-air life the major portion of the year, and < whose muscles are "fit" by hard wear and usage in other eporte, naturally lean to the opinion that physical training for important golf matches is as much a need there as it is in some other athletic pastimes. On tho other hand, there ie a larger and more important sohool of thought who contend with justice that muscular development such as one is familiar with in tho case of some athletic performers is rather a disadvantage to the golfer than an aid to the playing of the game. There is a story told of a well-known St. Andrews professional who was recommended to put 20 yards on to the length of his drive by undergoing dumbbell exeroise daily. The professional used to say that the exercise increased his bleep? so much that he .could not get a proper swing of his club; he had to shorten the swing through excess of muscle, with the result that hie style was completely dislocated. It was only after he abandoned the dumb-bell exercise that he came back to his old style of play and was enabled to drive a satisfactory ball once again.