The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-11-17
SPORT ON
THE LINKS.
Wonderful Strides In POpu-
larity During the Present
Season of the Game Of
Golf - Americans
Are Gaining In
EXpertneSS.
ICopyright. 1851

The present season has been a notable
one in the history OF golf in the United
States. More progress has been made
in the standard OF play and more people
have become deVotees of the ancient and
royal game than in any previous year.
An extremely conservative estimate of
the amount OF money sunk i'm golf in
this country-that is, in laying out and
keeping up the links instruments used
in playing the game and such things
would be 10000 900, and this in spite OF
the fact that golf is practically only
about FIVE years old in America. 1t was
played before that period In isolated
places, but almost in every instance by
Scotsmen who had immgrated here and
who wished TO keep up the sport they
loved so well.
The honor OF being the oldest golf
club in this country belongs to the st.
Andrews club. which has its home near
Yonkers, n. Y This organization was
founded in 1883, but it was several years
before it had membership of more
than n dozen or so. For four or five
years these heroic pioneers blazed the
way for golf in this country. In fair
weather and in foul, amid ridcule and
adversely they stuck to their task with
the enthusiasm and courage of true
sportsmen.- Today St-AndreM,s is well
established and is particularly fortu-
nate in its list OF members.
Other clubs, however. east, west and
south, had just as hard a struggle and
encountered just as much ridicule as
their brethren on the Hudson. This
derision did not confine itself to banter
ing of players and squibs in the comic
4,
ed a more serious aspect. An enthu-
siast in the large and thriving city OF
Omaha is said to have been actually
arrested at the instance of jealous
friends, who had seen him roaming
over the fields and meadows surround
ing the city with several sticks" in
his arms stopping every now and then
to hit a hard rubber ball. They thought
he had become insane and wanted his
condition inquired into, and it was only
after considerable explanation that he
managed to convince them that he was
still in his right mind.
Golf, as a recognized sport on this
side OF the Atlantic, really dates from
the organization Of the American Golf
association in 1894. The following year
the name Of the organization was
changed to that of United States Golf
association, and Canada formed gov
erning body Of her own.
In 1895 there were 76 established golf
clubs in the United States. having a
membership Of about 5000 Today
there are over $50 flourishng clubs and
over 200, 900 players, and the number OF
both is increasing daily.
With this magnificent increase in the
number OF golf clubs and enthusiasts
the standard OF play has easily kept
pace. Men who two years ago thought
they were pretty good players find
themselves now mere has beens" and
others who considered themselves has
beens" now see that they belong TO the
class called never was" This wonder
full development in SO short a time has
taken place because young men and
boys are taking up the game. Golf Is
unlike any other scientific sport in that
unless one learns TO play in youth be-
fore the muscles become at all "set" one
can never become an expert. In max
ing drive the club should describe
perfect circle. and in every other stroke
the arc should be n part of the circle
described by the player when making
drive. Unless the game is learned
when young no amount OF practice will
the stroke to be made properly.
For this reason the hope of our golf
ers lies in the players turned out by the
various big schools and colleges If we
are ever TO produce experts as skillful
as those in Great Britain. The tourna-
ments of this season have shown al
ready how fast the younger element is
forging TO the front. Although the win
ner of the amateur championship is n
Scotsman, yet the runner up was Wal
ter II. Smith, collegian, and several OF
the leaders were likewise college men.
The class Of game put up by the play
ers in the intercollegiate tournament
last month showed distinct improve
ment over the one held last spring. al
though the play on the first day took
place in n driving rainstorm.
Players are often heard comparing
their scores with the records over the
st. Andrews or other well known links
in Scotland. A player will say.
THE record at st. Andrews is 70. and
my score is only a." and he will thence
for S~~regard himself as a coming cham
pion. Now this method OF comparison
Is altogether wrong. for the simple rea-
son that our links are much shorter
than the ones over the water The
length OF the average is hole course in
the United States is seldom over $500
yards. whereas the st. Andrews links
are 6,323 yards long. So that. II com
parisons be made at all. then from ~
to Is strokes at least should be added
20 the. total, according to the length OF
the links played on.
one OF the finest courses In this coun-
try and one OF the few which compare |
with the magnificent seashore links of |
Scotland and England, is the Morris !