The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-21
SIZE OF GOLFING ARMY
FOOD FOR SPECULATION
Exact Statistics Are Lacking But America Probably Can
Muster Over Half a Million Devotees of the
Royal and Ancient Game.

ern open championship by J. NJ Barnes,
formerly of Tacoma but now in the Phila-
delphia district The Metropolitan open
championship was won by Mcdonald
Smith, who now claims Pittsburg as his
residence. which while not East is not
exactly West. as we consider 1t. How
ever, 1t would not be fair to include this
last In the list of Eastern won titles.
The women's championship. won by Mrs.
II. Arnold Jackson, gave Boston another
victory.
There are two ways In which we may
account for this seeming sweep OF VIC
tories The courses for the champion
ships were evenly distributed between
the two sections. and the percentage OF
home players was far greater of course
as the title play was near at home or
away. Taking the professionals first II
cannot be doubted that the Fasteners
outclasscd their Western rivals all the
way through. This was evident In the
number who finished in the first twenty
both in The national and Western open
championships. 1t would be wrong to
say. l think. that the best players on
the whole were not in the East.
When we come to the amateurs We
find similar conditions The Westerners
did not have all their hes: players by
any means in the amateur event at Elk
wanok. but they had their very best in
'IlNk ENdUS, WHO lell III lnt MIST TpuIu
All through the tournament the East held
a decided advantage, three of the last
four and the two finallsts being Eastern
ers.
We ind too. that In the Western anna
teur championship one of the tinalists
was j. u. Standish. whose home course is
indeed Detroit. but who has spent the
greater part OF the past seven years in
the extreme East. first as a studen; at
Williams bap at harvard T'niNe--
sity.
All this points to number Of potent
facts. 1t shows that the great improve
ments which have been made In the
courses have materially affected the play
OF the players. The links in New Eng
land have been brought up to a higher
standard than ever. the New York courses
demand a greater amount OF skill. and In
no instance do | know OF decided adj
vance being made In the game OF some
particular golfer where it cannot be
traced to the quality of his home course.
New problems to a golfer simply mean
that he must devise new ways OF cir
cumventing them. and this can be done
only in the improvement OF ones game.
1t can easily he seen. therefore. that n
shadow OF doubt is east or the improve
ments of the generality OF Western links.
II is 10 disparagement 10 say that
there are more golfers in this section OF
the country who are interested In the
character of the courses. because there
are a greater number OF golfers and
the spirit of the times here in the East
at present is to lay off on the praise OF low
score making and the winning C: chan:
pionships, and TO devote all energies and
much money to the solving of architectu-
raj problems which will bring TO pass
highly standardized courses. To win a
championship over such links will bring
the greater measure Of reward.
The courses In the West. at Detroit and
Mayfleld mark a new step forward in
Western golf five more such and there
would he no chance for any difference OF
opinion as to the respective merits OF the
golfers from the two sections Of the
country.