Readers Would Give Martin a Ticket to Ride on the Tour

Bill Plaschke’s Feb. 3 column is the best I have read or heard on the Casey Martin case. When I first heard about this case, everyone was saying it wasn’t fair for him to ride a cart. Their arguments were quite good and I almost believed them, but I was still left with an uneasy feeling.

As the press and everyone started debating the subject more, there were finally arguments being made in Mr. Martin’s favor but none as good as Bill’s column. This is an excellent piece worthy of awards and should be used in closing arguments in Eugene. This case really has nothing to do with the Americans With Disabilities Act, it has to do with being good human beings.

TIM M. MANN

Medford, Ore.

*

I couldn’t let Jim Murray’s Feb. 5 column on Casey Martin pass without a response. Shame on you, Jim! If anyone should be in tune to the plight of those with disabilities, it should be you. Since you so enjoyed analogies in your Casey Martin column, here is one for you: What if The Times had decided when you were going blind that they couldn’t use your columns unless you typed them yourself into the computer, a task that you couldn’t do? It would have put a definite damper on your writing, wouldn’t it? The fact you couldn’t see didn’t make you any worse of a writer.

Golf is about hitting shots, not whether or not you ride in a cart. The real issue with the PGA Tour--as it always is with this money-grubbing organization--is power. The fact that the PGA Tour is even fighting this indefensible cause is outrageous and the fact that you, Jim, are defending them, is inexcusable.

DAVID COULSON

Boone, N.C.

*

Jim Murray, the sport of golf is hitting a ball into a cup. Which pro golfers regularly do intense aerobics to improve their game? When was the last ESPN highlight of Nick Faldo’s grueling walk to his ball? What about the Tiger Woods “Extreme Golf Workout” video?

You have to go back to 1964 to prove your point. If concentrating is harder after a couple of hours of walking, try concentrating with a leg with little muscle and constant pain on every shot.

Casey Martin is not a handicapped person trying to change the game. He is a remarkable golfer.

ROMAN JARIABEK

Chatsworth

*

Young Casey Martin, whose physical disability is uncontestable, wants the PGA Tour to allow him to use a golf cart. Times columnist Mike Downey, whose mental disability is only presumptive, is opposed, incredibly equating moving from shot to shot in golf with running the bases in baseball or playing defense in basketball. For this bit of nonsense, he was justifiably taken to task by last week’s letter writers.

Now, in Thomas Bonk’s golf column, pudgy touring pro Mark O’Meara weighs in against Martin because “walking and physical fitness are part of the game.” Common sense tells us that taking a four-mile walk over 4 1/2 hours with constant rest breaks while carrying nothing heavier than your own bloated wallet is about as physically demanding as typing one of Downey’s columns.

If O’Meara is so hell-bent on physical fitness for pro golfers, why doesn’t he advocate that the game be played the way it was meant to be played; walking and carrying your bag. If you think Tiger Woods is dominant now, imagine him under those conditions.

BART ROBERTSON

Torrance

*

For years I have hit an assortment of duck hooks, banana slices, worm burners and shanks, all the while walking and carrying my golf bag. What an eye opener to read the PGA Tour’s statements in the Casey Martin case, on the great advantage of riding in a cart. I can hardly wait to rent a cart, drive up to the ball, jump out and hit a long straight drive, followed by a crisp high iron shot tight to the pin. Just like Casey does.

PAUL RAYMOND CAUSEY

Pasadena

*

When the people in the counting houses of golf figure out how much advertising can be plastered on the side of a golf cart, not only will Casey Martin be permitted to use one, their use will be required for every golfer on the tour.

BOB BRIGHAM

Manhattan Beach