Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-09
GOLF COURSES
PLANNED WRONG
EXPERT CRITIClSES THEM IN
EVERY WAY
SAYS THOSE IN AMERICA NOT UP
TO STANDARD
Makes Many Suggestions for Changes
with View to Bringing Them
Closer Back to
Nature
renecial to The Herald.l

NEW YORK, Jan. S.-Golf courses
with Americans usually either ran TO
come up to a high enough standafu To
provide a real test of championship
skill or are made so extremely d1d1cult
and almost impossible as to be OIL no
interest except to experts Wlllihg vi
pitch their way between bottomless PITS
and cribwork bunkers which seem as
unnecessary as they are htdeous To-
look upon.
The fact that the majority of courses
are too smooth and parklike, all OIL
which has cost money to produce ana
cost more to maintain, seems TO leao
committees to listen to foolish adVlcel
regarding trapping.
A few years ago they were ADVISED
to put high cop bunkers to be carried
from the tee, and second cop bunkers
short of the green to be pitched over
on the approach. Thus equipped MEM
bers were informed that they had al
golf course, though it really more
closely resembled a hurdle track than
anything else.
Under these conditions, SO long as a.
man could slug he could play with I'M
punity. The turf for yards around theI
green was kept closely cropped, ana
any ball within reasonable distance OF
it could be rolled up with putter Just
as easily DIS IL II lleIo HSSiA
placed on the green.
The introduction of the rubber-cored
ball made this hurdle jumping golf
farce for with the lively ball nearly
everybody could make carries thereto
fore almost impossible, except to the
expert. Hazards which depended upon
mere distance for the deadly penalties
ceased to be feared except by the dutfer.
Refinement in the requirement OF the
| IL iaT1gs n
along slowly, but on lines that gener-
ally permitted safety on the straight
line and heavy penalty at the sides for
defective direction and about the
greens. AS a matter of fact, nowadays
almost anything will do until the near
approach to the green is reached. Ma
ture, left to itself, will provide all the
penalties that are necessary at the
sides. Rough grass and bushes along
the sides will as effectively hold the
penalize a bad shot as dozen pot
bunkers.
1t is in respect to the near approaches
to the green where a course is gener-
ally put down as good or bad. Among
the larger clubs the tendency is to have
| the green too large; so large, in fact,
that Il wild shot will frequently get al
most as good a reward as a good one.
The first consideration should be to
| 'DISN6llI ILLS W1u0 IOSSlDlllly lOI GNudl-
! izing good and poor shots alike by
either reducing the size of the greens
or making them so that they really rep
resent two or more separate putting
! surfaces.
! This can be done by either allowing
! strips of rough grass to grow across in
various directions by running long
mounds or if the nature of the soil will
permit sinking deep and irregular traps
! in the green itself.
The net result of this treatment is
that ball must be played to a GER
| tain part of the green to be reasonably
sure of going down in two puts. If it
reaches another section it cannot be
often played with a putter the same as
the more accurate and correct shot
| Among the smaller class of clubs the
putting green's are held down to reason
able proportions and, surrounded by
stubble grass, demand accuracy in
| order to reach the exact spot and
| trickle up comfortably near the pin.
| Where this is not the case, and even
| where it is, the introduction mounds
| or traps on either side of the short
| approach, and occasionally around the
sides and back OF the green will tend
to improve matters in demanding the
exact spot that should be employed to
| get safely home.
1he 5iasS OIL inc suSSS VI Inc SlIdlei
| greens should be quite long, so as to
rcall for the use of the mashie or irons
and prevent the use of q putter just
the same as if the player had gained
position where he was entitled to
use it.
Through the fair green strips of rough
| grass to extend all the way across or
at other points can be used to produce
| almost as good effect as more expen-
sive bunkers or traps.
| Each of the changes indicated, it
will be noticed, is along the line of
bringing golf courses closer back to
nature, reducing the area to be kept
closely cropped, and placing the
| heaviest penalties about the greens, in
accordance with the latest refining con-
| ceptions of the requirements of the
best test of the game.
|