The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-05
SPREAD OF GOLF
In AMERICA.
The Number Of Clubs Doubles
Yearly and So Does the
Sale of Balls.

1t IS hard TO believe that the United
States Golf Association is only four
years old L came into existence in
December, 1894. and was formed By the
delegates of FIVE clubs who met IN New
I ork Clty for that purpose The clubs
were The Shinnecock Hills. St Andrews
the Country Club of Brookline. Newport
and Chicago. and the meeting was held
AT the Calumet Club. to organize the
association
There ara now over one hundred Clubs
Or which more than seventeen are allied
ana more than seventy-twO are associate
members The membership increases so
rapidly at this time of the year that it Is
figures
OF these New York State has the larg-
est representation. having about thirty
MANY CLUBS.
Massa chusetts comes next with seven
teen New Jersey has fourteen. Pennsyl-
eight. Little Rhody'' three. Ohio ten. and
single clubs have been elected from the
District of Columbia, Maryland Florida
Iseonsin. South Carolina, and Colorado
Inc list shows the strength of the as
socIatOn, and TO an extent the spread of
golf. YET it does not give true idea Of the
vast increase which constantly changes
the figures
OF the links are under the direct control
OF the L. y e. 4. although in an Indirect
way the influence of the National league
Is paramount. In the West the game
/ 1ourishes near every city on the Pacific
coast. and in every section borCerin ?
on the eastern slopes of the Rocky
Mountains. \ traveller who has recently
returned from Western trip says that he
was amazed at the numb Der of private
links Wherever a village or town Adults
on OId-tIme prairie land links are TO be
found, and the game Is fiOurishiug
The cost of converting the soil into
ideal putting greens IS so slight that 4
golf course may be laid out at tritiing
expense The bicycle and a bag of golf
Throughout the West
Fine golf courses. laid out solely 70 At
| tract guests TO the neigh boring hotels. are
common in Great Britain, and viii prob
| ably be the next development of the
game here.
There are -fourishing golf clubs. how
ever, as at Lakewood Aiken, Seabright
/ and OtsegO, quite convenient TO nearby
summer hotels. and the guests, BY PAVING
certain charges. may have the use of the
| links One dollar day is the usual
tons are made to weekly or monthly
guests
One point that shows the extent 70
which golf is played IS that 4 firm that
sold 1000 dozen of imported golf balls
during 1898 has planned 10 sell double
the number this season And this IS but
n item, for. as the song says, there are
The demand for golf balls from the
United States has amazed the foreign
manufacturers, for, although the game
has been established in India. Australia
and South America. no such large de-
mand has ever been anticipa ted from any
country. They don't think much of our
goIfng on the other side, but they are
plea sed to sell Us golf balls. The sale of
golf clubs both imported and of home
manufa cture, is also enormous
America rs lose golf balls so fast that
the number sold here proves that most
of our links are constructed on wrong
principles, as we'll as the main fact that
the game is spreading The presence
of long grass through the fair green. or
abutting on each side of a narrow course,
and the presence of trees IN similar
places are the most common causes of
ost balls.
Most of our links adjoin a rough field
or stretch of woods into which u wild
drive is sure to lose the ball In Great
Britain the links are well cleared that.
except in running water, ball is seldom
lost W. 4. Weir, the English amateur
now in this country, says that he will go
a month at home without losing ball.
but here he averages about one lost ball
q day In the consumption of wooden
clubs the best players here and abroad
are about on an equality ) to the num-
Der used Weir. for instance travels
about with two large trunks filed with
golf clubs. Many amateurs buy their
drivers by the Dozen