Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-27
OUR EARLIEST GOLF CLUB
Did Preident-El Taft Err in So
Calling st. Andrew'si
PRIOR ONE IN WEST VIRGINIA
shiunecoek Hills First to he Incor-
porated I'm New York state
Pfenies ON Links
Game Was Young.

dinner in this city Of the st. Andrews Golf
club, referred 30 the club as the Oldest
in this country. This Is now true, for since
the organization on November IS, 1855, there
has been no lapse in its activities; but II
was not the first one. Recent investigation
has disclosed that there was a golf CLUB
started In West Virginia in 1856 or 1881
which flourished until about 1900, ana posi-
bly, them were other local clubs OF the
same era. but none OF this pioneer band
has survived.
The location of the West Virginia club
was about four miles from White Sulphur
Springs In Breenbier county, on the slopes
Of the Allegheny mountains. Frank u
Relnhart, who. when at Princeton won the
intercollegiate Golf association champion
ship, has been visiting there for eighteen
or twenty summers and has played over
that primal course.
Two of the five founders Of st. Andrews
were native Scots, the late Robert Lockhart,
who. on one OF his business trips. brought
from that country the first clubs and balls
ever seen In Yonkers. and John Reid. The
others were their Deighbors, the late Harry
Holbrook, L.. o. Tallmadge and John B.
IJpham. The West virginia course had It's
insp,ration also in scotchmen who obtained
their playing equipment from their native
NhNA
land.
r. Cary Montague in a letter from oak
hurst. White Sulphur Springs, states that
the first golf course consisted of three
practice holes laid out at Grey CHI, the
estate Of George, Grant, to whom the
charms of tho game had been introduced
by his cousin, Lionel Tarrin' VINO h@
PLAYED in Ceyion. This was in 1856 or
1857. About the same year a seven-hoie
links was laid out at Oakhurst, the country
place OF Montague's father, and a little
club formed. The earliest members were
Messrs. Grant, Tarrin, Montague ana a.
e.. and r. Macleod, who purchased a chai-
lenRe medal which was played for at resu-
lar intervals. For a long time all the CLUBS
and balls were brought over from Scotlaho
by friends OF the MacLeods or by them
as they went back and forth about every
two years. II was at that time quite I'M
possible to get clubs or balls at any OF the
sporting goods houses in this country Inc
se~ven-hole course was somewhat over d
mile for the round and three rounds was
,ba medal contest. It had a number OF
very sporty hazards.
The cali TO members to attend the St
Andrews dinner said 1t was TO celeorAte
,ha tuentieth anniversary of the organ
hEnff0n ana ~
the recoliections OF old-time Manhattan
golfers the club was not incorporated untt
the winter Of 1925, when 1t had been de-
c,dad 70 lease or buy land for a petter
course. II Is on record. however. that the
rh,nnacock Hills Golf club was incorpor-
ated Mt Albany in 1891 and for two years
he fore preparations had been under way
for golf at southanp ton.
There IA one great honor that Is due TO
the shinnecock Hills Golf club. IL mas not
akipped an open or invitation tournament
any season since the inaugural one IN 1881
In add,tion. the national championships OF
1905 were held over the sand dunes, and
besides, special competitions arranged 20
give matches to the visitors Wine Farh'
ir. and Harry Vardon. the ShinhecocA
HIS folk gave a special tournament 10 en-
terrain the oxford and Cambridge team III
1908. Also the club had the womehs ma.
,,ona, IN 1900. the best and most generously
oorductad tournament ever held for the
so,ntu,ne golfers. The Garden City Coll
cIub held it's usual invitation last spring
ana the amateur championship last tall'
hut q a exceptional that q metropolitan
golf association club does not drop its
Tournament the season 1t gains a national
championship.
Golf was a family picnic at st. Andrews
In 1855. II was played over a few holes on
the fields opposite the Holbrook nome
Gardeners were engaged to keep the grass
abort on the putting greens and TO NOW
.ha Yairway every week. Clubs and balls
bore Scottish trade marks, and so that the
members might recognize their own pahos
OF coIored paints were on the cluo shai.s
an oroouet, maIlet style. When Harry Hol-
brook ar. lost the head of a favorlte
80 She alnh NV Lock.
hart 10 have a new one refitted. Balls were
1000 ana the members did not think the
hours wasted that they spent in the long
Grass searching for one. The holes were
dug ont by hand and were very shallow
After holing out the players would take q
ninoh OF earth from the edge of the hole to
make a tee with. so that at the close oil
the play the hole would be the size OF a
aoup Mate. Sand boxes, tin cups. disks
and caddIe bags were all unknown. &c
were caddle boys. and those to volunteer
were often Fred Holbrook and the Reid
boys. John, jr., and Ache.
LAS the twig inclines the tree will grow.
and not long after young Holbrook an'
John Reid, jr., started scholastic gof pS
laying out the first course at Lawrence
vile. When Reid went to Yale he helpe'
20 begin golfing there. while LawrenceVil
BOYS MANIPULATED inc bauC ~
Golf at Harvard was due mainly 10 boy
from st. PauIs and ST. Marks schools
Many persons had been hit with flynn
golf balls OF club heads before stmeoI
Ford, as be told the st. Andrews diners
once soaked John, D.. Rockefeller at Lake
wood on the off hind leg in the golde
calf, from hts tee ~shot-'rhe only ma
probably to ever touch John ID. and ge
away with it"-but the very first aceiden
In American golf happened on this it'll
course. Kenneth Putnam and Fred Hol
brook were In a match when the head G
the formers cleek flew off. 1t hit youn
Bogert. who was serving as caddie, bu
did not seriously hurt him.
A tent served as a club house for the s
Andrews golfers on the Holbrook course
In 1883 they had q short seven-hole cours
on ground now part of the Ewing estate
The John Reid gold medal was played 70
there and won by p, cortlandt Myers.
spreading apple tree was the shelter an
clothes rack for the golfers, supplements
on special days by a tent. In 1921
there was a great accession of new men
49, t.awnad the ramA At SOuthamt