Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-03
DEFENDS FOURS0ME
Golfers Benighted Heathens,
Says Champion Of Old Style.
TRAVIS TAKEN TO TASK |
Plan on Foot to Have Clubs Pro.
fessional Start Tour
naments.

NEW YORK, January 3-As IL reluctant
to admit the fact that the oid-fashioned
foursome is steadily growing less and less
popular among golfers in America. one
of the champions Of this style speaks his
mind quite freely. He takes Walter ].
Travis to task for the stand the Garden
Ci1y player took shortly before the Lesley
cup matches last fall, and also intimates
that the golfers hereabouts are as the
benighted heather, knowing not of the
fOursOme.
He relieves himself, i'm part. as fol-
lows:
These things must be stated over and
over again. for rumbles are continuously.
heard I'm the New York golfing district,
where the poor. benighted heather know
not the foursome. and attempts frequent
ly are made to influence opinion so that
the foursome feature Of the Lesley cup
matches will be lost by the substitution
of four-ball matches.
Chief Travis refuses altogether to play
foursomes, which, unkind critics say. 10
because he can play his own good game
just the same way every day, ana ne
does not propose to have to play any
body else's game, whether 1t Is better
or worse than his own. In other words
he proposes to play the ball where II Hes
after his own length OF shots, ana NOT
partner
I'm this matter, of course. Travis should
be left to his fate and his fonr-pau
matches. always provided that his TOUR
ball match does not block the course; ~
is almost impossible to convince first-class
golfers playing a four-bail match that
they keep back a single composed OF
mediocre players. But II has been demon
strated again and again that the Two
mediocre players lose about half an hour
they NAV the course Del1uu
such a constituted four-ball match. ana
yet the four-ball match PLAYERS remain
unconscious of their shining. ana IL Is eN-
tremely difficult to bring them to task
when they are such great men-pundits
who have made the history OF the game
here and who pontifcate its services
north and south, following the sun ana
the stars in their courses"
There is considerable talk of introduce
ing at several Of the clubs in the vicinity
of Philadelphia a method whereby the
starting of pairs in tournaments and the
details incident to this task Will De looked
after by either the clubs professional or
a man especially employed for the pur-
pose. The Women's Golf Association OF
Philadelphia has practically decided TO
run of all its competitions along these
lines.
During last summer the various COM
petitions at the Apawamis Club were put
under way by the clubs professional. who
was kept at his post, either at the first
tee or the nearby scoreboard. from dawn
to dusk While IL WAS the means OF
eliminating a lot of arduous labor on the
part of the tournament committee, there
are those who think that the social side
of tournaments might suffer, for there
would be no member or the committee
at the post unless by special
At some OF the popular resorts the num-
Der of starters made 1t necessary to put
In force an ironclad starting system. with
a professional in charge of matters at
the first tee In that manner regular
starting was assured and the course pre-
vented from becoming Overcrowded. At
Saturdays. Sundays and hol-
days during the regular season the men,
bers found it quite convenient to arrange
for a starting time by telephone the night
before.
1t has been suggested that this method
be adopted in the metropolitan district
Most of the tournaments I'm this section
have been under the direct charge OF .
committee, and thus a certain pleasant
social side has become attractive to many
Of the golfers who take part in invitation
or open competitions.