The Stymie
 

I've never played that way. I know what you are talking about but I have hard enough time with a clear path!

I don't understand?

I forget exactly how, but the girls were complaing that the guys do stuff without them, so Lucy and Ethel wanted to play golf with the guys. Ricky and Fred made it so difficult for them to play, they had to stand a certain stance and hold the club a certain way and ask permission before they hit the ball (every time), it was a funny episode. But I remember they did mention a stymie but I think it was used in a term other than what it realy is :)

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I voted "no" only because those folks who take divots when chipping would destroy todays manicured greens. Back then, the green surfaces were much like todays fairway surfaces, maybe even thicker/plush.

I think that,in part, they banished the stymie as putting surfaces started getting nicer. It's one thing when its Walter Hagen or Sam Snead chipping over a ball that has him stymied, but it's yet another when it's Joe Hacker taking a hunk out of a well manicured green. Get 15 Joe Hackers a day and pretty soon you don't have a green left, just a war zone. http://www.thehackersparadise.com/fo...milies/doh.gif

It was a major break from the traditions of the game, for the first time allowing a player to lift his ball voluntarily without penalty before it was holed out.

And no, I don't think that it should be brought back.

I played in a stymie tournament this last summer, and I have to say it was the most fun I have had playing in a while. It just changes the game completely, because a lag put from 30ft to a 6-8 inches can really block that guy who had the nice wedge shot to 4ft from making a birdie putt.
Just very interesting how it changes the game.

It is bad enough I have to fix a couple botched pitch marks before putting. Now sand filled divots? hehe........no.

What he said.http://www.thehackersparadise.com/fo...es/biggrin.png

They can keep the stymie, just don't take away my dormie. I likes being on the right side of dormie.

Kevin

A few years ago the Tuesday afternoon office league I played in we did the stymie but with a variation you could not chip on the green. The way we played was similar to pool where that if you were blocked by another player ball you could knock their ball out of the way or putt around. The lowest number of putts won the hole. It was fun to do something different. I would not want to see the original stymie brought back like Fourputt said the greens would be a disaster after the first day.

Hmm... maybe I'll try playing with stymies next time I'm out with my buddies (although no chipping). I bet it would change the concept of trying to hit your putt 18 inches through the hole... might want to leave it closer to defend the hole? All in all, I could only see this being a problem 3-5 times per a round playing with a foursome.

I assume that the stymie only ever existed in matchplay, and not strokeplay?!

It seems like fun, but I voted no. I'd rather just worry about my own putt.

As recently as 1950 the stymie still existed in the rules for match play, although not called as such. The rule merely stated that:

Match Play

(i) Ball within six inches lifted
When the balls lie within six inches of each other on the putting green (the distance to be measured from the nearest points) the ball lying nearer the hole, at the option of the player or opponent, may be lifted by its owner, who shall mark its position and replace it after the farther ball has been played.
If either ball be accidentally moved in complying with this Rule, no penalty shall be incurred, and the ball so moved shall be replaced. If the balls were more than 6" apart, then the player could not request his opponent's ball lifted.

In 1952, the first year that the USGA and the Royal and Ancient collaborated and mostly agreed on a single set of rules, it was changed to:

Match Play

a. Ball Interfering with Play
When the ball nearer the hole lies on the putting green it may be lifted without penalty, at the option of the player, or the opponent, if either consider that it might interfere with or be of assistance to the player.
The lifted ball shall be replaced after the player has played his stroke. If the player's ball stop on the spot formerly occupied by the lifted ball, the player shall first play another stroke before the lifted ball is replaced.

I'm with Fourputt on this one, no to the stymie. It was a great part of the Old History of golf, but not really suited to today's greens. As far as like pool, we have special cues now that make it eaisier to jump without damage to the felt. I don't really want a special wedge that jumps another ball, lol. 14 is plenty.