| Show West Golfers Take Lead I By Ruling Out Stymies i In All Links Matches t By JOE WILLIAMS IS I Special to The Telegram Y NEW V YORK April 22 22 Out Out west where men are men and stymies dont don't count golf is going to be different different- this year its it's going to be d different ferent because stymies dont don't count The Western J Golf association has so ruled 4 4 For the ben benefit lt of the it t Is stated here that a stymie is neither a rare bird nor a ferocious animal it is a term used to describe a pretty awful state of affairs on the putting green I It has been estimated by morbid statisticians that the stymie has driven more men to drink broken up more happy homes and launched more cases of active neurosis than any other condition known to man woman or crooner If It you do not believe this to be betrue betrue betrue true just stand by while we contact contact contact con con- tact our roving reporter down there mingling with the citizens in the street All right take it away Graham And then one day there came a change The world lost its russet glow A poisonous venom trickled into n my ny y soul The plumbing was bad I growled at cooing babies and dismembered helpless bu butter buster buster- ter- ter flies A stymie had ruined my life Ilfe a a stymie on the home green that cost me four bucks This is only one of many pathetic instances of the untold misery the stymie has caused among a civilized civilized civil civil- people Very few tew people realize realize realize real real- ize it but even in such a primitive barbaric country as Ethiopia the stymie is frowned upon Only yesterday yesterday yesterday yes yes- I learned from Mr Webb Miller tho brilliant war correspondent correspondent dent that certain days are set act aside in Ethiopia for frowning on the stymie The spectacle of hundreds upon hundreds of fanatical Ethiopians Ethiopians Ethi Ethi- led by the emperor himself frowning on the stymie is a most inspiring thing assures Mr Miller and it must be especially at twi- twi And what have you to say about the stymie Mr Plain Everyday Man keystone of the republic and and backbone of the nation Well all I can say is that at onetime onetime one time in my life I was very happy and contented I even used to beable beable be beable able to look at pictures of Tommy Manville and his wives in the newspapers newspapers news new papers without getting too Ill I read Mary Pickford's book about the desirability of giving God a break and still felt the world was all right I listened with an understanding understanding understanding under under- standing tolerance to Hoovers Hoover's s r radical radical rad rad- d- d ical suggestion to balance balanc the thee budget and feed the poor 5 A Even Eve Ethiopians Frown on Stymies 1 Western Golf Heads Did Wise Thing light when the Ethiopian frown naturally is at its best both as ss to intensity and malevolence Undoubtedly Undoubtedly Un Undoubtedly in abolishing the tha stymie the Western Golf Gol association was influenced by the sane attitude of t the Ethiopians toward the problem And all kidding to one side aide as Mr Dizzy Dean would say MY it might not do any harm 1 if the stymie was abolished everywhere Someone once characterized it as the unfair reward for a poor putt This will wili do until a better indictment is com corn posed Golf Goll by the very nature of things is so shot with luck that this fact in itself should be enough to condemn condemn con con- the stymie Any time you stop your ball in front of the cup cup- thus blocking my entrance to the cup that is luck luck luck-it it is bad luck for forme forme forme me and good luck for you In my case the penalty is unwarranted in your case the assistance is equally equal equal- ly by undeserved 1 I U. U S. S G. G A. A Slavish in Its Devotion j i iTo To To Traditions of Royal an and Ancient J The Western Golf Goll association Ismore is ismore more liberal and less respectful of conventions than the parent body of American golf namely the U. U S. S G. G A A. so the execution of the stymie out on the wind-swept wind plains did not come as a jolting surprise It remains to be seen now if this pioneering pioneering pio plo action will have any repercussions repercussions repercussions reper reper- among the old time re religionists religionists religionists re- re and true believers of the game It may in time but when that time will vill be is anybody's guess The U. U S. S G. G A. A is slavish in its devotion to the traditions of the governing body of golf gol in England the Royal and Ancient and the very suggestion that the stymie might be considered unwanted would undoubtedly be enough to start a rowdy free-for-all free in the ranks of this august organization The U. U S. S G. G A. A therefore will probably continue to 10 lift litt the haughty beezer to the Western Golf Golt association and all others who feel earnestly and sincerely that the stymie tymie has no place in golf until such time as the Royal and and Ancient Ancient sees fit tit to moderate its opinion This may be expected in 1977 1971 or just about tho the time the governor of ot New Jersey concedes Hauptmann may have been the man One of the tho U. U S. S G. G ers A. explained ex cx- to me that hat the official r re reluctance reluctance re- re 4 to do anything about the stymie beyond giving it the chill was based on on the fear that one auch departure from the basic idea of oZ the game which is Play the balla baita ball bait a BI it lies might lead to others and that in due course the game would be so emasculated that it would lose its original appeal And of course there is something in hat the gentleman says But the broad fact remains that in informal play nobody enforces the stymie rule any more There aro three million golfers and golf courses in this country and and- the only time and only place th the tho stymie is respected is in the national nation nation- al championships |
