COULD a woman become captain of the Royal and Ancient? Though it has been pointed out that there is no rule against a woman joining the R and A, such a development would be unthinkable in the current structure at St Andrews. But things are very different on the far side of the Atlantic, as is about to be illustrated in a his long decision today.
At the annual meeting of the US Golf Association in Orlando, Florida, Judy Bell is set to become its first woman president. And the Americans are justifiably proud of this milestone in the history of an association which had its roots in a meeting between representatives from five golf clubs in New York City on December 22nd, 1894.
So it was that the USGA celebrated its centenary season last year, when Bell was one of two vice presidents. And her presence is certain to lend a special flavour to the Curtis Cups matches at Killarney next June. She captained the US Curtis Cup teams of 1986 and 1988, having officiated at the matches at Muirfield in 1984 as chairman of the USGA's women's committee, a position to which she was appointed three years previously.
An outstanding player since she was a teenager, the native of Colorado Springs won three Ladies Broadmoor Invitationals and was runner up twice at the National Women's Inter collegiate Championship. The first of these was as a student at the University of Arizona, and the second came the following year, after she had transferred to the University of Wichita.
She also played on two victorious US Curtis Cup teams, but her success as a player was not confined to amateur events. She shot a then record front nine of 31 in the third round of the US Women's Open in 1964, a mark that stood for 30 years. She completed that round with a 67, equalling the record set by Marilynn Smith in 1952.
A wealthy woman, she is part or sole owner of six retail businesses in the US. In 1987, she became the first woman to serve on the USGA executive committee and was treasurer from 1991 until 1994 when she became a vice president. As the association's 54th president she will replace Reg Murphy of Baltimore.
THE victorious Curtis Cup team at Killarney will be defending the title at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis on August 1st, 2nd. 1998. This is the Donald Ross designed course where Bobby Jones won his third US Amateur title in 1927 where the Walker Cup matches were staged in 1957, and where Pearl Sinn captured the US Women's Amateur in 1988.
THEY revere their golfers in Malahide. Indeed, the older generation in North Dublin retain fond memories of Senior Cup matches against their great rivals Sutton. Pride of place goes to the famous match between Tom Craddock and Joe Carr at Royal Dublin in 1959, when Craddock came from four down after 11 to win by two holes, covering the last seven in four under par. Philip Walton is currently accorded the same adulation.
The extraordinary loyalty of Malahide Golf Club members was brought home to me at far off Cypress Point, California, in August 1981, when Walton made a splendid debut in the Walker Cup. A small but vocal and visible group from the club, including Denis Malin, made the trip to support their young hero. The visibility, incidentally, was greatly assisted by Roddy Carr, who produced a supply of small tricolours which they proudly inserted in their hats.
There was also a strong Malahide representation at the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill last September, when Walton carried Irish hopes. And once again, Malin was among them. On this occasion lie quietly walked the fairways watching Walton's every stroke.
While working on my report of Europe's marvellous victory, two telephone calls were re directed from our office in Dublin to my desk in the media centre at Oak Hill. One was from the Tanaiste, Dick Spring, who was en route to the United Nations at the time and was anxious his congratulations should be passed on to the player. The other was from Donal Lennon, captain of Malahide GC.
At a drive in ceremony tomorrow afternoon, Malin will succeed Lennon as captain of Malahide. Meanwhile, a link with that famous match in 1959 will be created at the annual general meeting tonight, by the election of Mick Craddock, Tom's brother, as vice president of the club.
A KINDLY soul, obviously aware of my penchant for wayward striking, gave me a gift of golf balls for Christmas. In fact there were two different makes, Japanese manufactured, which I had never encountered before Maxfli NewBreed and Bridgestone Reygrande.
Mind you, I shouldn't have been surprised, given that the USGA currently tests no fewer than 1,400 brands of balls for conformance under the Rules of Golf. And their testing staff in Far Hills, New Jersey, employ a minimum of two dozen balls for each brand identification test, using uniform conditions.
An indication of the huge growth in golf ball manufacture is that there are now 10 times the number of individual brands that there were just a decade ago. And in anticipation of further technological advances, the USGA are about to update their testing procedures for measuring the overall distance standard.
It means that Iron Byron, the ball striking mechanical golfer used by the USGA since 1972, is being linked to a computer. This will ensure that the launch trajectory and spin characteristics of each ball are tested to the optimum degree. And since the USGA act as golf ball testing agents for the Royal and Ancient, it means the refinement will affect this part of the golfing world.
For the record, the US Golf Association is the governing body of golf in North America and Mexico. The remainder of the world, including Japan, the source of my Christmas gift, comes under the jurisdiction of the R and A.
"It is important to note that what we're doing doesn't constitute a change to the Rules of Golf or to the standards set by those Rules," said Reed Mackenzie, chairman of the USGA Implements and Ball Committee. "We're not changing the club head speed at impact, we're just doing what any good player does intuitively, which is to hit the ball in a way that maximises the player's distance and control with that particular ball."
Essentially, the objective is to ensure that the standards set in 1975 remain truly limiting. This has become quite a challenge given that in the intervening time, new dimple patterns and ball construction have resulted in a wider range of trajectories and, consequently, some variations in overall carry, roll and distance.
It's a bit like the case of the sophisticated mousetrap leading to more sophisticated mice. And we all know how sophisticated the golf industry can be in its tireless attempts at realising our dreams, outrageous as they may be.
VISITORS to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, this weekend, may expect to be bombarded with all sorts of newfangled products, most of them marketing gimmicks. As I've suggested, it's in the nature of the golf business to go to any lengths to attempt to satisfy the voracious appetite of its devotees.
In this context, it would be a fascinating exercise to list the various "revolutionary" products which failed to deliver on their hype. For instance, the new line in featherweight clubs which was launched amid tremendous ballyhoo in 1984. We were assured that the clubs, each weighing one and a half ounces less than standard, were the panacea for every conceivable ball striking problem.
"They promise more accuracy, distance and ease of effort," went the blurb. Within a year, the clubs were gone. And manufacturers simply looked towards other design concepts that might boost their share of the market.
TEASER: A moves forward with a view to attending the flag stick, only after player B his opponent or fellow competitor has actually struck the ball but before it reaches the hole. In this circumstance was the flagstick properly attended?
ANSWER: No. For the flagstick to be properly attended it must be held before and during the stroke and it must be done before the player plays his stroke. If anyone attends or holds up the flagstick or stands near the hole while a stroke is being played, he shall be deemed to be attending the flagstick until the ball comes to however if a player is not attending the flagstick in 11 manner prior to the player's stroke, he shall not attend or remo it alter the stroke is made (Rule 17-2). The penalty is two strokes in stroke play loss of hole in match play.
