Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-29

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game within my time and know ledge and I
can only hope that they have added and
mat further changes also will add to the
greatest pleasure Of the greatest number Of
those VINO play our game.
Golfers Now Majority.
| These last words lead me into another
train of thought about golf-the great and
at one time quite un,ooked-for increase in
| the numbers of those who are golfers. and
also the great and. trust, lasting hold the
/ game has taken in the affections OF thu.
people. Why, when l was a young man,
even in St. Andrews here. where TODAY
practically every one plays to some extent
the golfers We're small minority of the
population. and we had very few visitors
who came here for the purpose of PLAYING
golf. In these days l have frequently heard
golfers described AS mcn with MAR sler
tnan sense, and even today there are peo-
pie, il-natured probably. who Will yet say
so. but of course they are wrong
But ! was saying that used to have
but few local golfers and few golfing
visitors then: what a difference here now
every day there are many playing even in
winter, while in July. August and Septem-
Der the congestion on our links is matter
or common knowledge; and though We can
not of course but rejoice at the greater
number who now play. still the fact does
not tend to increase the pleasures of the
game for there is nothing like getting
round played without any undue waiting
Tor allowing US to draw the full pleasures
therefrom.
iol'er marker ollerehce now, and the
natural sequence of above Is the enor-
fnously increased number of courses and
we are constantly reading of new ones
US ,a'u ou. anu opened AT one Time
of courses. all fairly well known; now
there is scarcely a town but has one of it's
own, of some kind or another
Changes in Golf Courses.
Speaking OF courses makes ME think of
announcer cnahse' "hich might here de
scribe. and although it may be more local
in character than the others I have been
dealing with sti.I T lpo,,, ,,,,, ND. IN
,,oi. 49,, r...
appreciate t'ie hiei'Ioh OF H. ana IL II the
great alteration Whlch has come over our
grand Old course here-so long under my
personal charge and of which I am etill en-
,,ro,d ci,oa srs. l,,,o,, l. 90. ,L4, -,
p-o al nav" H. say '"'S mas
more OF Iocal aspect than my other OBJ
d'.ots' put no. SO ihucn AFTER an De
centage of the golling world who haya at
some UNI OF o'ler III thelr experience VS.
tins know wbat tbav are IN a,'t 49, a.,
been for the past dozen years or so.
But they were very different, / re-
member Well ana lear those who know
- II go ,'ossihlo 80. - I - I'LL
ried back to those old DAYS and shown
what was then our golf course. There was
','''''''
1 i've recent SearS mat the ne" course
grown over with thick high ,ybins intars.ct
ed by winding paths in fact all outside the
course was then lust a waste of links or
downs And that one course was not the
wide one that we know now. for the wbins
came very much closer in at the sides: in
deed when | first remember il there was
but one single line of holes and putting
green's so that both the outgoing and in
coming golfers had to pay at the Same
hole-in those DAYS NOT much of a hardship
when the plavers were as I said comnara
tiveIy few blt unite irnnossibIo now whom
there is crush and congestion bera IN sum
mer although we have three courses omen
for play. Another local change I might note
is that when was a younp man thara
was no clubhouse for the ROYAL and An
Client Club and the members first found
house room in a small one-storv bouse near
the links: now they have their present dno
building began To he huIIt in 1s5i and n
membeTship that is world wide. as is ito