How dismaying to read in your July issue that Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., and the Colorado Golf Association are now requiring the use of spikeless shoes. Of particular interest were the comments of the executive director of the CGA, who says they include a disclaimer in the entry application for their tournaments regarding liability and damages in the event of slippage.

Does he think this disclaimer makes the spikeless shoe safer? Does he think it insures the safety of his contestants? Or is he just using it to get himself off the hook when someone falls while wearing inherently unsafe equipment that he is required to use?

Every month, numerous golfers slip and fall while wearing spikeless shoes, suffering injuries ranging from mere bruises to permanent disability. Have we come to the point where the greens are more important than the health and safety of golfers?

And to the USGA, I am shocked you haven't taken a position on this issue protecting the golfer. By ignoring this issue, the USGA is allowing course operators who require spikeless shoes to put golfers in great physical danger.

LAUREL GEDAN

Coral Springs, Fla.

I thought the controversy over the use of rubber-spiked versus metal-spiked shoes was settled 10 years or so ago by a year-long study done by the USGA. The finding was that metal spikes were preferred.

At the time, I owned a couple pairs of rubber-spiked golf shoes, and the courses in southern California (or at least some of the ones I played) forbade the use of rubber-spiked golf shoes.

The Southern California Public Links Golf Association has actively tried to get its members to solicit public courses to adopt something other than metal-spiked shoes. When I heard this, I went to a local golf equipment retail shop and asked to see the alternative to a metal spike. They showed me one with a raised swirl pattern. One was hard rubber and the other was ceramic, which they said would last longer.

Where are the studies that say this alternative won't do more damage than metal spikes?

The USGA takes positions on the shape of golf club grooves and putter grips. Why not golf shoe spikes?

CHARLES RICHARDS

Canoga Park, Calif.

James Snow, national director of the USGA Green Section, responds:

The USGA has conducted four studies on the impact of footwear on putting surface playability. The first study was in the 1940s, and the most recent was in the early 1980s.

In every case, conventional metal spikes faired the worst in turf wear and playability; in the most recent test, the clearly better choice was relatively plain-soled shoes, commonly called "teaching shoes" because of their popularity among teaching professionals. The 1980s study did test alternative shoes, but in those days before the modern "spikeless" shoes the protrusions fell somewhere between football or soccer cleats and metal spikes. Those cleats left obvious indentations, and on a wet soil base would affect playability.

The USGA has not tested the "spikeless" versions now on the market; studies have been conducted by universities across the country on the newer models, but they have concentrated on turf wear and not the major question of playability.

Governing spikes is more problematic than equipment. While it is possible to scientifically base the performance of balls against the Overall Distance Standard, trying to designate the ideal spike would require taking into account different strains of grass, soil base, maintenance practices, weather conditions, amount of play, length of playing season and other factors. Those decisions are best left to individual courses and players.

UNFAIR EDGE?

There is a side to this walk vs. ride discussion that I believe has not been fully examined as yet, and it can be properly posed with this: Even in the most localized and benign of amateur competitions, does the riding competitor have an unfair advantage over the walking rival?

Well, would a marathon runner with a bicycle have an unfair advantage over someone on their two feet?

Golf is the only sport where two contestants can get to the same point using two separate and distinct modes of travel. In that prevailing condition, golf is not sport at all, and it is definitely not athleticism.

Before everyone starts to whine about how old they are or how tough their course is, I would remind us all that golf is an athletic endeavor and should be defined as such. Physical conditioning was something that used to be written about in the older instruction books, i.e., conditioning your legs for those final few critical holes.

I pass along this all-walk proposal to the conscience of the USGA because if we continue to talk in terms of "pure golf" in any competition in any part of the country, then the abolition of carts therein must be considered an advancement of that cause.

BILL BERRY

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

A SWITCH-HITTER

I was very interested to read about Fran Cardillo (Through The Green, June), who played occasional shots with a left-handed club. I was reminded of the late John McLennan, who was captain of Lenzie Golf Club near Glasgow, Scotland, in 1949, and who played right-handed irons and left-handed woods throughout the 20 years I knew him.

He was reputed never to have bought a golf ball, playing only those which he had found. He declared that he preferred one particular brand because it played as well in its 12th round as it had in its first.

RONALD B. DOWELL

Towson, Md.

THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT

I think it is just plain stupid to allow all women on the LPGA Tour to play golf in shorts and men on the PGA or Senior PGA are not allowed to wear shorts in tournaments.

Spectators wear shorts and members of country clubs wear shorts when they play.

For God's sake, wake up as we head into the 21st century. We are not in the 19th century any longer.

AMSBRY MITCHELL BROOKS JR.

Virginia Beach, Va.

HE'S THE (BOSS) MAN!

I just received the August Golf Journal and found a most interesting situation in the case of Timothy E. Heath, who played with his new boss and stuck strictly to the Rules, against the boss.

Mr. Heath, it depends on your new boss as to what the aftermath will be. He can react in one of two ways: He may recognize that you are an honest man who plays by the Rules and therefore a responsible individual that he can depend on to do the correct thing, even when it may result unfavorable to yourself; or he may resent that you would not favor the boss, which may result in a disadvantage for you in your new job.

For your benefit, I hope he reacts in the first instance.

My opinion on the situation is that if you are going to be a strict follower of the Rules, make it known beforehand, particularly if there is a wager on the game.

When you play for the fun of it and to enjoy an outing, relax the Rules and enjoy the moment. No face lost in doing it.

LUIS M. ISALES

Boca Raton, Fla.

STICK TO GOLF

JUST BECAUSE it uses a golf ball and is played on a golf course, "balf" (Through The Green, July) has no place in a magazine dedicated to the preservation of golf as the sport of the ages.

Please stick to golf. God help us, next we'll be hearing about the wonderful new invention, "golo," where the ball is struck while riding on a pony.

BOB BURNS

Tucson, Ariz.

"JUG" AT OAKMONT

The article about the deathof Harold (Jug) McSpaden (Through The Green, June) brought to mind the time in 1945 when he, one of the best golfers of his day, had the misfortune to hit three drives out-of-bounds on the third hole at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club in the first round of the War Bond Tournament. With his fourth ball he made a 3 for a total score of 9.

During World War II a number of such tournaments, which were really exhibition matches, were held around the country to sell war bonds. The price of admission to the one at Oakmont was the purchase of at least a $50 war bond.

Byron Nelson's score of 295 for the 72-hole event won the first prize ($2,500 worth of war bonds). Sam Snead came in second, McSpaden third and Gene Sarazen fourth.

EDWARD B. FOOTE

Oakmont, Pa.

IS UPPER DARBY ONE OF A KIND?

That was a fine story about "Skee" Riegel (A Great Amateur, August). It mentioned that Skee went to Upper Darby (Pa.) High School and later won the U.S. Amateur.

While I was at the school, Dorothy Germain (now Porter) was the only girl on the school's golf team. She went on to win the Women's Amateur.

Is Upper Darby High School the only high school in the country to achieve this distinction?

JOSEPH N. SWEENEY

Chevy Chase, Md.

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?

The article "Hawaiian Punch" (August), which related the story of an unpleasant incident in the Amateur Public Links final, brings to mind something I have told my friends for years. When a player moves a ball mark for the convenience of a fellow-competitor, the onus should be on the player who has asked for the mark to be moved to remind the other player to return the mark to its original place. Obviously, it would be unfair to the requester to have the other player be able to putt and cause a penalty on the player who made the request. I feel the Rule should be changed to the following: medal play, one-stroke penalty on both players; match play, hole shall be deemed halved.

ARNOLD I. MALHMOOD

Gaithersburg, Md.