Page:Out-door Games Cricket and Golf (1901).djvu/255

216 that is the correct way to describe the M.C.C. of the golfing world, is asked to abolish a singularly beautiful stroke because in all tournaments and all games by holes, unless the antagonists agree not to have them, stimies are played. If it were possible I should like to hear from any experienced player what percentage of matches have been lost or won by the stimie. I believe the truth is very few matches have had their results influenced by the stimie in any way.

To begin with, it is never absolutely impossible to negotiate a stimie, except perhaps in the case of the blocking ball being close to the hole and the player's ball a yard or more distant from the hole on the same side. This state of things happens sometimes, but even when it does it may occur to both antagonists equally, and will not affect the match. In all other cases it is possible to hole out when stimied, either by creeping round or by lofting over, and you are justified in accepting with caution the many random statements you hear from aggrieved players that they had cruel luck, having been stimied three times. These players would be