The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-29

IN St Louis, where it really has taken less
hold than in most places, it IS 1iou:ishing
exceedingly.
Now, it does seem that st. Louis golfers
should make some efforts to further prop
agate and extend the game. It IS hot
That there IS not enough Of clubs and
links in St Louis. There are Yet il does
appear that there IS not quite the number
and quality of good golfers there should be
about ST. Louis. In fact. a very restricted
number Of players, some forty or fifty, seem
to constitute the golfng constituency OF this
city.
1t seems that The existence OF this Enlfius
oligarchy is due 20 the fact that every good
golfer in the city belongs 10 every club
Aeb bout the city. Hence a few good players
are representing the various local clubs all
The time. II YOU belong 10 but one club
md play on It's team you Will fnd the same
tnen playing YOU on opposing teams all ihe
time. The hest four or five players in S..
louis lead the teams Of two or more clubs.
The match committee, being naturally de-
Hirous of securing q winning team insist un
these stars playing. And quite as naturally
The starr. loving the game and playing fl
well. are as eager 20 play as their COM
fnittees are 10 have them play. Further. il
may be that T. is net SO easy after all t. get
mp tea-mau team without securing The
stars who belong 10 other clubs as well as
20 your own.
To whatever cause this state q affairs
Is due Il IS none tie less harmful 10 golf
and destructive Of real interest IN the
game In the first place II destroys club
esprit du corps and pride. II destroys club
Individuality. II destroys club interest and
public interest And, worst Of all. Il acts
as a deterrent and an extinguisher ur,oa
young and promising players
Although gJt is a game which * played
Tor its own sake il Is quite natural that
most PAYERS especially the most desirable
class or players. the young players. should
nave ainbluoas 20 excel. 10 be considered
good golfers and 80 represent their clubs
~ lT,,. matches WITH other rival Crsaniza:ions.
1iitse young players, Who should &c en-
couraSed TO induced to play and improve.
are h5lnS smut out by stars who play on
uliS, that ana every team
AGAIN the fact that some half-dOzsn good
golfers play on some three or four different
club teams destroys iuGividuaiisrn and Kills
Rubhc interest IN the team. With these
Meyers representing the four or I'VE clubs
~ cIuo can lay claim to possessing ii team.
j. Is practically one team. which represents
all the clubs in turn or oft Of turn. There
can be no previous speculation over th. re-
sun OF game between clubs, for the clubs
have no representative ana regular teams.
of course this evil has its origin in sopi
where evil seldom originates. Mos. goii-
ers love tc support the gam and like TO
play OF various courses. 30 they ioin
every club that comes along that they may
TO different courses for practice. This is
especially true Of the enthusiastic hard
Wofkins golfer, who is never weary trying
70 improve. Hence, belonging 10 several
clubs, each club feels that 1t has first cali
on MIN. And. as a rule. the club that calls
upon him first gets him for matches.
! believe there is q rule Of the L. s C. ~
A winch foroids any playe! 40 represent
more than one team under certain iimta-
lions. II this rule was enforced about 81
LOUIS il would work deal OF good for the
game. II would force The stars to ass IT
themselves and play with hut one club.
fNen II II drove al or them into one ctuo
and made that organization pre?ondera1Jly
strocg Il would be better than permitting
these knight Grants Of the links to bend
their drivers in defense of every club that
aTpeais to them. Then the rising genera
ton is always producing new golfers and
things would very soon find their level.
IL tt IS your luck TO be a fairly g0cd man
who belongs 10 bus one club md one team
same opponent in tye different matches.
| Say that you are No. On the Jockey Club
team You Rlay at MsesteT and meet .h NJ
defeat you. Nest week You md your team
playing the Field Club. Ten TO one you
McKlnnie. y taird week you play the st.
Louis A c. Again you ind yourself play
ing che of these same two gentlemen.
No doubt these stars would much rather
restrict their effujsency to one orbit and
play with one club, Certainly they do n0t
join other clubs 20 ply on their teams.
Hence, limiting them 70 che team would
Not work any hardship on them
FAIRY ThrS season Mt. MCl EEar'. CHAIR
man OF the Jockey Club COMMITTEE. resolved
10 play no one Oh his team who played
with other teams. He kept that good reso-
luton as long as he remained at the head
of the committee. II was a very good one.
and one which other committees might fol-
low with profit
With the practice Of playing stars at the
top Of every team abolished, young men
who have been doing five and six on their
teams would go to first and second. Play
ing against the established stars they might
get beaten regularly for a time. But recOg-
Hizing the fact that they were CarGed 10
lead their team for season and melted by
the honor of their promotion and the great
worthiness Of their adversaries. they would
naturally work hard to improve, and. of
course. would improve. Thus the list Of star
players would be wonderfully augmented.
clubs would possess their own loyal repre-
sentative teams which would possess their
own loyal following and interest In the
game would grow apace
For the better government and for the
greater good OF golf would ii not be well to
FORM a local association composed Of the
golf ciabs which ramify from ST Louis sim
liar in many ways to the Western Golf As
>eociaton exerts in Chicago? Such "A body
NIud do lot OF good fo- golf locally. 1t
cSAld allot tournament dates so as to CEN
trai1ze talent and interest upon one links on
certain dates 1t could regulate such mat
ters as we have spoken OF above. it could
foster and help to promote tournaments of
which St. Louis golfers have entirely too
Few. and, IN general. do g. deal of good for
the game. There has been a woefuI lack of
coherent and preconcerted effort among
local golfers and local golf clubs 10 push the
pastime and make it 20 il goes in New
York, Chicago and other large cities \
local association formed Of all the ST Louis
clubs would work a vast deal of benefit and
is worth consideration.
This has been a wonderfully good month
for grass. As a rule the upland links about
ST.. Louis are burned at this time Of wear
Happily the rains OF July have left them
green as leeks. Yet the past spring with
It's alternate cold and warmth. scant soak
ing rains and copinus sunwstorns was a
bad one for turf. Seldom has tho well-clad
Fair Grounds links shown such ratry feat
ures as IL did this spring Yet now, the |
grass lies thick and close as plush floss or
4he seat of a Pullman car.
At the Country Club. the best links west !
Of Chicago, Mackrell reports turf IN excel |
lent condition, except on his green's which =
he denounces in -erms that are almost
blasphemous. Mackreli has surely worked ,
wonders ON the course. 1t was about ~
comey and encouraging as an abandoned +
backyard when he took IL In charge. You /.
would never imagine that he could ever pro-
duce a hrassey lie. not II he worked 100
years. Yet IN three rounds there the other A.,
day q gentleman OF my acquaintance who !
elays on good courses and Is particular 4
about his lies, admitted that he did not have
one bad lie In some 40 strokes. That is /
quite testimony 20 MdckrelFS skill as 4 !
IMAM o. the green"
BY the way. It is stated that the Country
Club course Is TO be changed, or rather re-
rersed. That Is. instead OF going out TO
the right, players will he sent out to the !
left. The present No. green win be No I.