Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-18


enough local players entered to fill
the tournament and leave pretty
good surplus.
With a comfortably large entry
to handle and with all day for the
qualifying only a moderately early
start was made. few players,
hopeful that there would be less
rain in the morning than the after
noon. were making dashes for the
first tee about breakfast time. but
the majority of players took it
easy and began play at a more rea-
sonable time.
1t is quite likely, considering the
stuff misbranded weather" that
has been handed out of late as the
real thing, that fall of moisture
will cut some figure with the quail
flying rounds. Under the rules of
golf 1t is not permissible to stop be-
cause of rain. This will mean that
perhaps a few lucky players will
get around without being drenched
while majority will ruin into a
half dozen of the maverick show
ers that are always prowling about
seeking somebody to drench. Nat
urally 1t is a difficult matter to play
good golf in d driving, bowling rain
and a lot of good scores are likely
to be spoiled by the weather man
At best, there isn't any great like
lihood that the amateur record for
the local course will suffer much
as a result of today's qualifying
round The course is in excellent
condidon-as good as II ever was
in its career but it is wet. That
means that every ball hit will stick
about where it lands in the wet
clay. The tremendous run" that
is on the end of every hard hit ball
when the course is dry and baked
will be entirely missing. On a long
course. such as the one at East
Lake is, this run is helpful and
when it Is absent the records are
seldom in danger
=
INVITATION golf tournaments
are a thing Of comparatively
recent origin in the South. It is
probable that the Nashville Golf
and Country club was the first one
that inaugurated such events in
Dixie There may have been spo-
radio outbreaks before that time,
but Nashville's was the first chron-
t.
fine tournaments there, too In the
old days Nashville had but nine
holes, and they were most of them
fine little drive and pitch affairs
the first. second. fourth. fifth, sew
enth and ninth then answering that
description. This just suited the
average players and they f1ocked to
the tournament in droves 1t got so
finally that the little course could
not begin to accommodate them
and when a couple had played their
first round in a tournament they
would have to retire to the club
house for an hours wait before they
could get another turn at the first
tee The Nashville tournament has
not been played for the last cou
pie of years. but while it f1ourished
it was a wonder
The Birmingham club has kicked
in at odd times with an invitation
event, but has never made 1t a
regular annual affair
The first Birmingham tournament
was considerable of frost. The
Alabama club provided the most
remarkable collection of trophies
ever offered in the South up to that
time, and one which probably
hasn't been equalled since. But
nobody, to speak of, came to the
tournament So the Birmingham
players played for their own cups
and made the best of it. After that
the Birmingham club retired from
the invitation tournament business
until this year, when they gave one
that was a great success.
Montgomery had a somewhat
similar experience with their first
tournament. Only handful of
NlSllIHS players lui liou up III lLC
event. and it was, IN some ways,
considerable OF a frost The Mont
gomery club was game, however,
and came back last year with an
other and this year with still an
other and now has the event well
established. Next year the con
tinuity will be interrupted by the
Southern championship which will
be held there, but in 1914 it is prob
able that the Montgomery club will
revive its invitation event
AS things stand now, Atlanta and
Montgomery are the only South
ern clubs which advertise and pro-
mote annual invitation 'tourna-
ments. though the Birmingham and
Memphis clubs give enough to keep
them decidedly in the running.