The Washington herald., 1907-07-12

business" And he waved his hand to-
ward the neighboring golf links. Golf
hasn't quite put all tennis out OF bust
ness but it has established rival king
dom of its own that bids fair to be per
manent. 1t was slow in first deciding
10 establish itself, nut having once be-
gun its conquest of the country il has
progressed with q speed so wonderful
that one can almost play from Maine to
California, or from Washington 10 Flor
ida, on neighboTing links.
1t is not a new game in this country,
being as old as the nation itself. but the
revival is comparatively recent. Being
OF Dutch origin. golf came 10 America
with the settlers OF New Amsterdam and
other Hudson River colonies. and be-
came so popular that as early as De-
cember. 1853. a law was placed on the
statute books OF Fort Orange. now Al
bany, forbidding the playing of golf in
the streets. The Rivington Royal Ca
zette, New York publication conducted
by Tories during the Revolution, has an
advertisement in the number for April
o. 1879, wherein the virtues Of a certain
mans g0l1 balls and sticks are set forth
in a dignihed manner,
But other things soon came In 10 dis
tract the attention OF early Colonial set
tiers. There were Indians to fight. great
tracts Of forest land TO clear. homes and
cities TO build. and the many adverse
conditions of a new world to overcome.
The nation had little time for play. So
little time did the people eventually al
low themselves that success was sup
posed 70 be built on much work and lit
tie play, and the lives Of great men
written out for the next generation to
read. invariably noted the fact that this
or tina. man had devoted ala his waking
hours 10 toll and had avoided pleasure
and rest as q plague. Now sure of her
self, independent I'm riches and all the
material things that bring comfort, the
nation has found time TO play. and games
old and new, strenuous and otherwise,
have been levied upon for the purposes
OF amusement.
In 1919 Charles B. Macdonald. OF Chi
cago. went abroad. and from Scotland he
brought back set Of knobby sticks new
TO most Americans. To the quiet amuse-
ment of his neighbors and the intense
joy Of the hoodlums. he sometimes occu-
pied his time in knocking little balls
around the field back of the University Of
Chicago. This is the first recorded play
lGs - golf since the old Dutch settlers
and English Tories got too busy 10 play
in pre-Revolutionary days. In 1887 Robert
lockhart and John Reid gathered a few
friends around them at Yonkers. n. Y,
and played golf. In the following year
the first golf club in the United States
was organized at YOnkers, and was
called st Andrews" Two years later
another club grow up in the ShinnecOck
Hills Of southampton. Long Island and
now there are between 1900 and 1000 re-
corded links in the United States. with
membership exceeding 100000
As a game golf has a great many
strong points. some of which are peculiar
10 it alone tt does not require an ex-
penditure Of so much nervous energy, nor
does 1t demand youth as its first asset,
Is most other games do. although the
British have a theory that playing must
be begun in childhood to be perfect. At
any rate it can be played by both sexes
at any age. Il takes one out of doors,
always where there Is good air and fair
prospect One can play alone. with one
antagonist, or with several The game
can be played in any kind Of weather.
The amount of exercise taken by the
player may be governed altogether by his
needs and desires, and the rules Of the
play are such that there is little chance
for disputes or differences of opinion. such
as constantly characterize baseball and
tennis, when the participants are in
Clined 10 be contentious There arc no
close decisions in golf. The ball either
goes in the hole OF il does not and when
the player misses ne cannot lay the
blame on an umpire or any one but him
self
In winter scarlet balls are used by some
players who tramp over snowclad links.
The first time women competed In public
was on the MeadOwbrOOk course, In the
fall OF 1885 about twelve dauutless souls
trudging through the rain to prove the
apotheosis Of this new game. At later
tournaments women and even schoolgirls
have come over 1900 miles TO compete. In
1894 the first handicap west Of the Ale
ghenies was won by Reginald de Koven,
who used a metal putter for the entire
game. as he was left-handed and there
were no left-handed clubs. This game
WIS noted. also for the brilliant effect
made by Gen. Nelson 4. Miles and his
STAFF, who, in fun uniform, followed the
game on horseback over the entire course
Colleges early took TO golf. Wellesley
and Bryn Mawr girls played 1t first about
1898. and in 1895 Princeton introduced II
among regular college sports. Public
courses have been laid out in several
cities. notably in New York, Boston. Phil
adelphia, Cincinnati. and Providence. On
December p, 1894 the United States Golf
Association was organized, and under its
auspices annual tournaments have been
held that have done much to encourage
the growth Of the sport Last year the
twelfth amateur championship. under the
association, was held AT EnglewOod. n. J
with T. N. Byers. Of Allegheny. the win
ner. The open championship was at the
Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest, Ill. with
siXty-eight entries and sixty-six starters
Alex Smith. of Nassau, Winning. The
women's championship was held at the
Brae-Burn Country Club. West Newton.
Mass, with Miss S. H. Curtis the cham
pion. The American championship for
this year is being played at Cleveland, !
Ohio, this week.
The origin Of golf lies so far back in /
the past that it is lost in a haze Of /
guesswork. The German word kobe. the /
Dutch kolf. the Gothic kulban. the Greek /
cholaphon. and the French chole have
each been named as the sponsor for the /
name as We know ii to-day Some say
il came from Flanders, and an old leg /
end Of one Roger shows that even the I
supernatural powers We're not averse to 4
taking q hand in H. Tradition says that 1
Roger. a blacksmith Of Flanders. then a 4
~ Of Frame eo rTeauhT .-1-1