Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-05-12
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Devotion to Golf Still Growing
at the HudsOn's Mouth.

at the HudsOn's Mouth.
Many VIII Persist Permanently In
the Gnme. Though with Some IT'S
Only Fnd-OIdcst Club - sunday
Golf.
NEW YORK, May 11.-[Spccial 1T is
moro than probable that the present cx
tremc vogue of golf among New Workers
will by and by be much diminished and
that with some now wrapped up in the
game it is nothing more nor less than
fad, but the fact remains that the Scottish
outdoor amusement par excellence has un.
doubtcdly taken a permanent hold upon a
very large number.
The best way to get fair idea of its
popularity is to go to Van Cortlandt park
and spend an hour or two watching the
players who make use of the public links.
There you may see all sorts of men and
women and boys and girls welding the
queer shaped clubs and chasing the obsti-
nate little white sphere from hole to hole
with as much earnestness as IL they were
in that way making a living instead of
amusing themselves. There are some play
ers to be seen on the Van Cortlandt park
links every day in the week, but of course
Saturday is the great day. Naturally the
diversified nature of the costumes worn by
the performers, both male and female, is
one of the most interesting features.
Dummy women in short skirts and leg
gings, angular women in divided skirts,
fat men whose legs are incased in yachting
trousers, tall, thin men supported on pipe
in L nj el-ar hoo
stockings, men wearing checkcrcd coats
or scarlet jackets, big, brawny Scotchmen
who labor with their hands and drive the
ball an unbelievable number of yards
pale, spindling, fat chestcd clerks, ath
letic students from Columbia and the Col
lege of the City If New Nork-thcse and
many other types are in evidence, and the
seeker after interesting Municipalities
would find the throng profitable one to
study.
sunday Golf Playing.
The public links are not supposed to he
open on sunday, but sunday players some
times mike use of the ground. To date
there has been no serious objection To this.
Although Van Cortlandt park is city
property and well within the limits Of the
greater city, the links are far removed
from residences and thoroughfarcs, and
no one need be shocked by those who play
golf there on Sunday. If the papers are
TO be believed, there are many sunday
golf players among the church folk Of New
| York and some even among the clergy
men, the Rev DR.. Rainsford being one of
| these.
The question of Sunday golf is sure TO
! kick up more or less of row in several
| locations hcreahout. 1t has caused COM
| nj oh On pf hA nj
club whose links are located less than 20
miles away and the majority of whose
players are New Workers. At the begin
| ming of its existence this club located its
| links upon leased ground, the owner Of
| which stipulated before signing the lease
that there must be no sunday playing.
For time this stipulation was not irk-
some, but last fall the members Of the
club got together and decided before re-
newing the lease to get the prohibition re-
moved if possible. Ii could not be done,
and accordingly the club strained point
and bought big tract of land outright.
Its members can now play golf as much
rs they like on sunday, and they will I'M
doubleday avail themselves extensively OF
the privilege.
Just what will happen in the commu-
nifty when some of the club members who
yearn for Sunday golf begin to satisfy
their yearning is yet matter for spccula
ton, but it is expected that mild up-
heaval among the strict sabbatarians Of the
place will ensue. a large proportion OF
the golf club members are also church
members, and some of them look for moth
ing less than discipline by the churches
These members have been studying up the
Sunday question with great assiduity in
the past few weeks, and there is certain Il
be much discussion thereof among then
and their friends, if nothing more,
oldest Golf Club.
A deliver into old records brought ou
the fact and published it in one of the pa
,pers the other day that golf is not new il
America, having been introduced not les
than 800 years ago. He also established I,
his own satisfaction the fact that it wa
brought here not by ScOtchmcn, but b!
Hollandcr., and that they called it kolf.
But, granting the correctness of this in
: formation, golf as a popular game has bcel
known in America only about II years
The first club was established at Nonkcrs
which adioins the Greater New York i'm
modiatcly to the north. This club i
known rs st. Andrews, and its member
ship, limited to 100, is highly exclusive
though not selected along strictly socia
lines. 1t includes some well known men
howevcr-John Kendrick Bangs the hu
morous writer and literary editor II
Maitland kersey, who is decidedly mem
Der of the most smart set; DIR. Rainsford
j. p. Morgan's spiritual adviser; Gerri
Smith, son of the abolitionist of tina
name; John Reid, celebrated among gol
experts, and others.
The links Of st. Andrews are sprea
over an area of about 100 acres, and tn
distance around, measuring in straigh
lines between holes is about three miles
SO that the golf player who worries throug
two or three games in a day is certain t
walk pretty good distance. As amatte
of fact, no one ever gets through gam
without walking more than three mile
for the best golfer cannot send the ball il
variably in the right direction. A movie
at the game is likely to add at least thir
of the distance around the course to h
walking, and such one is lucky if he AZ
complishes a game without walking fou
miles or more.
Money In Golf.
An ingenious statistlcian has collecte
a lot of figures about golf which show thf
the United States boasts GOA golf clubs an
that the ground taken up by their link
approximates 80, 900 acres 1t would NJ
be easy to estimate the capital this reall
vast area represents, but the aforesai
statistician figures that at least $50, 900
900 is expended annually on the game.
Golf instructors can earn from $50
$3.50 a month; some get more than IL