New-York tribune., 1907-12-02
PUBLIC LINKS CLOSED.
GOLFERS INDIGNANT.
Frequenters of Fan Cortlandt Pork
Course to Sign Petition.

Course to Sign Petatl0n.
Unless the authorities reconsider their latest ac
ton there will be more golf piayed oven ~,
nuhlic links at Van Cortlandt Park this year. Be
tween 500 and 1000 players visited van Soi , t-'
Yesterday, and when 1t became generahy M M W.
that beginning with to-day no more Boil "ouO ~
naruitted there was general Indignation
So unexpected the announcement 'h0t - 80
P. OConnen, proprietor OF the eoi LUIS 1,ou o. III,
cent to the links asked Joseph I. Berry fark n
Commissioner of the Borough OF the hroiA' IL To-
an explanation. and the commissioner $ Iepy ttt
to the effect that playing over the ililh9 s O. Ia
season of the year injurious TO the turi diIu
as the aim was always toward an l1nproVeLii., ,
of the existing conditions II was thouens tnl' -
course would be benefited generally and the 'uiI
given a chance to heal after months OF usage
The announcement came bomb 10 tle Soilet <, ,
who for wears have been accustomed W u'o ~
links throughout the winter 1t mas peeh ,"oeo ~.
arv in the past to close in March, when the lroSI
is coming of the ground. Last sprlhs as % @
substitute while the regular course was out OF
commission a temporary nine-hcle circuit Oh tio
narads grounds was placed at the dlspoSal oi 'Ii0
golfers It is understood that even TINS IS 10 oe
omitted during the ensuing winter 49,
Another point that is annoying TO the Irequelitel
of the park is fact that they have Tot the la't
five or six weeks been compelled 10 put OH tenn
norarv green's They have never mur1nured at
Temporary banish1nert from the regular greens Tor
a while each spring, but they fail TO see the WIS
dom or justice in such move IN the IAN .3 mo
especially when it Immediately preceueS ''i0 '
closing Of the links. -.
In the opinion of many, the autumn Is the pTat
time of the year for thorough enjoyment OF IIIe me
game The golfers also claim that tnelr troupies
were made the acute because OF the lack OF
care displayed in the selection OF places 1oL Tue tue
temporary greens. They say some ol lhe HUNS
have been put in ridiculous places
The New York Golf Club. which has It's mead
quarters at Van Cortlandt. Is TO nave d meet
ing shortly when some form of protest VIII be
drafted. 1t is not unlikely that a petition signed
by several hundred frequenters of the links VIII De
presented to the Commissioner. A number OF IN
dvidua letters will also be written. This action
I'M closing the course is keenly felt by those VINO
made practice of PLAYING there on saturdays anu
Sundays the year round.
AS for a course being benefited by winter closing
Il is now pretty generally accepted theory among
the hundreds of private clubs that play IN the coid
weather IS in no wise harmful. A little attention
IN the spring is all that is necessary TO place the
turf in normal condition and make the lies as eood
as ever There is only private club OF any m
portance in the metropolitan district that closes
its links during the winter
According to a Boston authority. the system Of
handicapping used by the Massachusetts COLI AS
sociation in the last season has been more sats-
factory than ever. In thirty-four tournaments
those winning the gross prizes, with handicaps
from up to strokes. finished In the foiIo"-
ing relation to the allotted scores OF the INKS:
Ten were all even with the allotted scores, four
were one below, two two below, three were
three below three were four below and two were
five below Above the allotted scores one was one
stroke, one was two strokes, two were three
strokes two were four strokes. one was hve
strokes and two six strokes.
In the tournaments those winning the net prizes,
with handicaps from up to "a strokes. hnished
In the following relation TO the allotted scores OF
the links: one even one was one over TWO
were two over, three were three over and four
were four over Below the allotted scores or the
courses three under, three were Two
under, five three under. two were four under
two were FIVE under three were six under, three
were under and one was thirteen under
Handica piping up to "a strokes was Initiated thls
last season Some OF the clubs limited nahdlcaps
10 1S strokes but many allowed the full
number OF strokes. Five OF the thrty-four tourna-
ments won by players with handlcaps OF
hOlP
were won by players with handcaps which included
nearly every rating from to "a. showing that the
list favored neither the low nor the hish hanolcap
men.
That so many tournaments were won by players
with net scores under the allotted figures for the
links Is partly due TO the dry weather which pre-
vailed during the summer The long TO the
ball rnade the holes easy TO reach and many a
player began to think that he was a giant at the
long game when the ground was doing nearly all
the work
In Woliaston's spring tournament ono player
with a handicap Of 20 finished six strokes below
the allotted of the links, 20; then came two
players tied 70. three az a. two at 80. five at
~ nve at IS and seven at 79 OF sixty-nine start
ers ffty-two finished within ten strokes OF 70.
The haudicaps OF the first ten players were 20. O..
H. T. S. Is II. II. Is. 3. In Wollastons fall tour
nament three were tied At Il. two at a. three az
73 two at II, i've a 75 and hfty-nine OF ninety
six starters finished within ten strokes Of the al
lotted Of the links.
In the spring handicap at Brookline one player
with u finished I'm H. six strokes below the allotted
score Of the links Il; one was a, one 40 and
seven at So seven ST. eight at So. six at So, nine
at 81 ten at So. nine at Sc and eleven at 81. OF
1877 players eighty finished within ten strokes Of
IL Handbags OF first ten were L. .. l. G. 10, II,
5. 10, 10. Il. In the fall tournament a scratch
player Z. W. Whittemore finished in 49, two were
"a one 10, two tied at IS. two at a. four
at 49, five 70. at so. ten at ST. six at So.
six at 49, seven S4. three at S. five at 76.
at 81. OF 1872 players sixty-eight finished within
ten strokes OF II
Oakleys handicap In the spring by n
player whose showing had been poor that his
handicap had been raised from TO 8. He played
in 79 and his net TO- or seven strokes
below IT. the allotted of the links. With
enty-hree starters hfty-seven finished within ten
strokes of Il. A record showing was made In
Oakleys fall tournament, six players with various
handicaps tying at IT. the allotted score of the
links Three were tied at rs. four at 70. two at
So four at 81 seven at Sc. seven at 49, six at 81
The handicaps of the first ten l. 4, .. s. Il.
II, 8, 10. Is
In NIyopia's handicap I'm the spring only seven
teen of about eighty players finished within ten
strokes of the allotted score, 81. The lowest net
score was so. In the fall only fifteen OF sixty
seven players finished within ten strokes of 81.
The lowest net ST. at which two players
tied.