The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-11-17

on which the amateur championship
was decided this year Just previous to
the amateur championship contests the
course was remodeled by the well
known expert. Mr.. Thomas Bendelow OF
Spalding's. He has planned and re-
modelled a great many OF the courses
In the east and also is well acquainted
with the most prominent ones in Scot
land. Consequently he is thoroughly
competent to talk about them. In the
course of n recent conversation i asked
him wherein the oversee links exceled
ours. He said that of course the chief
difference lay in the lengths OF the
courses, and that another is that abroad
they have on most OF the links such
turf as is very rarely seen in America.
Again, he said, the absence of stones
and other such obstructions make them
such that much more accurate play can
be INDUCED in. He told me that once.
when playing on the st. Andrews links
in Scotland. he looked around for a
stone or other missile 10 hurl at large
sea bird which had settled on the
ground at some distance and after
searching some time had To give it up
without finding one. What links have
we so free from such mpedimenta?
Reverting to the discrepancy between
the average length of American and
foreign links, the following figures aIe
interesting: The st. Andrews links,
Scotland as before stated, are 6.323
yards long; Morris County, 6.012 yards
the new Rockaway, 5,713 yards: Lake.
wood. 5,71l yards; Shinnecock, $3.50
yards; Wheaton. 5,32l yards Ardsley.
$3.50 yards. our longest nine hole course
10, In, oh hos MID
ing length OF 2,S75 yards. whereas the
nine hole course at Mussselbureh Scot
land, is 3,1OO yards long. These figures
are absolutely correct, having been
measured yard by yard with link and
chain. but many figures given as the
lengths of courses are only guesswork
and taken by pacing the ground.
In reply TO my question as to how
the Improvement in the average play
seen on our links impressed him. Mr..
Bendelow said that the progress made
by our players in four or five years was
simply astounding and could not be
duplicated across the water i'm four
times that length of time. He said
that as the players gained in expert
ence, coaching and confidence they
would eventually prove that. in golfing
as in many other sports, we need taks
a back seat to no country. He is hop
ing within n year or two to see some
sort of an international match arrang-
ed between a team of our players and
those of Great Britain and predicts
that If our men cross the ocean 20 try
conclusions with their brethren they
will be much surprised at several
things. For instance, the niceties OF
golf etiquette and the awarding of PEN
alties are much more strictly obs rived
in the old country than is common with
us. He said that an international
match would raise our standard OF play
as well as afford us many other useful
hints. OF course the Americans would
be beaten for there are many players
in England and Scotland who can give
Mr.. Findlay S. Douglas one-thrd Of n
stroke a hole. whereas he is easily the
best amateur player we can boast.
AS regards women golfers. Mr.. Ben
delow said that their play would never
approach the standard set by their
English and Scotch sisters until girls
and young ladies in the women's coll
leges were taught the game by COM
petent instructors. Most Of the large
institutions such as Vassar and
Wellesley, have clubs and links. but
the girls are obliged to pick up the
game in a haphazard fashion. and, hav-
ing once started wrong. never gain
perfect style without which II is hope
less to become experts. He regards
Miss Beatrix Hoyt as in a class by her
self. and she is inferior to scores of well
known feminine wielders of the clubs
on the other side of the Atlantic.
CHARLES f. EDWARDES.