The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-07
GREAT IMPROVEMENT MADE
IN ST. LOUIS GOLF links
Glen Echo Seems TO Lead All Local Links in Excellence If Turf
F"" N country Clubs Are Preparing for Eighteen Hole
COURSES Simpson o the New Rubber Ball.
WRITTEN FoR II SUNDAY REPUBLIC.

WRITTEN . THE SUNDAY
Local golf courses have closed for the
winter. That is, the putting green's have,
In most cases. been placed under fertilizer,
and play is on temporary greens. The nine
hoies courses are open, but the inside nine
OF the eighteen at Glen Echo are closed and
play is confined 10 the outside nine.
The Country and Field clubs are. Il is
said, to lay out their complete eighteen
hole courses this winter. Jim Fouls is TO
lay out the Country Club extra nine. Who
will do q like service for the Field Club It
has not been stated. The Field Club. as
now laid out. is a fine course for a left
handler, the play always going against the
highlander who may have a pull" 1t is
very hard course to go out on.
The sun on thu first hole lies right in ones
eyes and a nastier light IS hard To imagine.
What, between the had light. the road on
one side and the washou:s on the other. the
biind. terraced green in a corner between
the road. a bunke boundary fence and a
deep hole many a good player has started
wrong and kept on wrong at the Field club.
Inc wonder OF a visitor to the Field CiID
course is why do they not play il the other
way about.
1t is said that the Greens Committee will
change the entire lie of the course. In do
ing so it will display excellent Judgment.
The Field Club had a coed green this
SultiIfl'T- Inc greens were well Kept and
the fair green much improved. Those who
saw in previous seasons could scarce believe
that the sour old hills could be made to
rr1Guce 50 fine a turf in so short a time.
Glen Echo fairly ran away from all COM
petitors on the question of turf. The fear
fully torrid summer Of 1901 killed all the
grass of the first seasons sowing. Hence
the course was red as a bandana and bare
as a board last spring. IT was plowed up
and rcseeded. The new green's. which were
sodded in May. 1901, never grew during the
awful Sumner: Hence they had to be scdded
again last spring.
In spite of the newness Of its first season
the turf at Glen Echo is remarkably fine.
close and thick. There is nothing like II in
this part of the country. To he sure. il had
an excellent season and all that. Granted
that II did. the work done at Glen Echo
Was wonderful indeed.
The greens we're very close and fine. but
many of them lie or "A smart slope. which
will make them hard to keep in dry sum
iners. as water will TO: lie on them. There
is a deal OF play on hog-backs. too. and
some Of the greens. like No. (which hangs
on a hill like a mans ear on his head
seem very difficult 10 pitch and stay on. get,
on the whole. IL is away the best course
around st. Louis. There IL an awful slope
to the first. fourth. eighth. ninth, fourteenth
and fifteenth greens, and putting down TO
the hole must be a misery. for II is a
good deal like putting down the side OF
those roofs they put on in countries where
snowfalls are heavy to shed the snow.
They are taking great care of the grounds