The Question: Should a golfer concede a putt?

HARRY MOFFITT
President, PGA
No. By holing out; you are bound to become a better putter and, consequently, a better player. By conceding putts you may develop a laxity which can become a mental hazard when a player really needs to sink a short putt in an important match or tournament.

RICHARD S. TUFTS
President, USGA
In stroke play all putts must be holed. But in match play you may concede a putt, so it's quite in order to require that all putts be holed. If a player feels able to hole a putt, why should he object if asked to do so? Furthermore, if he is uncertain, he should expect to hole it.

MRS. JOSEPH WALKER
Unionville, Pa.
Yes, sometimes, since a good golfer will sink all the short putts, anyway. It's standard procedure with many golfers to concede a putt if it is shorter than the distance from the club head to where the leather starts. I concede for good sportsmanship and it speeds up the game.

LARRY ROBINSON
N.Y. World-Telegram & Sun
Veteran golf writer
No. It's better to putt them all out. When the overgenerous conceder plays the under-generous type, a lot of ill feeling often results. The overgenerous guy will repeatedly concede putts. Then, when he has a 14-incher, his opponent may very well look the other way.

MRS. HENRY A. GERRY
Greenvale, L.I., N.Y.
No. I've seen many food golfers miss short putts that could have been conceded. I don't believe in conceding anything. Play it out. That's golf. Sure, sportsmanship is fine, but it's better sportsmanship for my opponent to sink a putt than it is for me to concede it.

HOWARD R. GILL JR.
Evanston, Ill.
Editor and publisher
Golf Digest
No. Years ago, Walter Hagen beat Leo Diegel out of the PGA Championship with that technique. He would concede putt after putt, some of them six-footers. Then, at the last hole, when Diegel had a two-footer, Hagen turned away. Leo was so burned up that he missed the putt.

SEVEN PHOTOS