The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31
UTAH GOLFERS
Win VICTORY
Ancient and Royal Game" Enjoys
Increasing Popularity Through
out the World.
TOURNAMENT WITH BUTTE
COUNTRY CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
GAMES ARE PLAYED.
TOURNAMENT WITH BUTTE

The Ancient and Royal Game"
golf, has increased in popularity. It
is no longer a fad, il - is a necessity.
unfortunately 1t Is SO expensive that
comparatively few can indulge in il
thousands of dollars must be spent
each year on links, to keep them in
condition for playing. The Country
cluo Is the only place where it has been
played 10 any extent in Salt Lake
the past season. There more people
have played IT than ever before. and
the quality of play has been better,
as shown by the scores. 1t is difficult
for the casual onlooker to see what
there is about the game that is so
fascinating, that for over two hun
dred years it has had it's devotees
from every rank IN life. men and wo-
men usually fond Of their ease, tray
ersing the links in the hottest days of
summer and the coolest days of win
ter and so interested in the game that
they forget all their other troubles.
"Once golfer, always a golfer" seems
to be case A golfer explains the fas-
cination by saying that the game calls
Tor a combination of strength skill
steady nerves and accuracy of eye.
Whatever It is the fact remains that
the game has increased rapidly in pop
ularity in this country There are
double the number of clubs in this
country that there were last year
Denver has four golf clubs, all of them
crowded. Many OF the large eastern
cities, following the English and Scotch
custom, have established public links,
where people may play without ex-
pense. These are crowded to the limit
on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
The expense OF maintaining such links
In t arid region would be much
greater than in the east, and it is likely
10 be some time before it is done.
y Tournament With Butte.
The event which aroused the greatest
general interest the past season was
the annual tournament with the Butte
Country club team. Each team had a
victory 70 its credit, Butte having been
first defeated here in 1903, and the local
team having been defeated on the |
ySutte links in 1904. The Butte team /
pad been greatly strengthened, both by /
the Improvement in play Of the former |
members, and by the acquisition of |
new playersI one OF these, Richards. |
having won the intercollegiate cham |
pionship IN the east the year before. /
The Butte team was confident of win
ming. and the local team was some
what crippled by the fact that A. w.
Copp had been absent or a year, and |
F. f. McGurrin was I'll. However the
local team outplayed the Buttes at
every point. and won every match The
victory was even more decisive than
on the former occasion. The result of
the tournament was that the Leyson
cup became the property of the Salt
Lake Country club.
There were many interesting handi-
cap events played between club mem
bers, the principal one being for the
Packard cup, which was won by ].
Walcott Thompson. The chief event.
however, was the open championship,
which is played each year. This mar
rowed down to the finals between ].
WalcOtt Thompson and F. z. McGur-
rim. Thompson had twice won the
championship, and McGurrin had been
twice runner-up. McGurrin won by a
narrow margin. but in order to do it.
he had to break all previous records
for thirty-six holes. McGurrin's name
goes on the championship cup, along
with that Of Copp and Thompson. The
cup must be won three times by the /
same player before it becomes his
property.