The Washington times., 1915-11-13

The beginning OF American golf il
us''ally set down as November Is. 1858,
WIN, John Reid. the Father Of Amer1-
can Golf" Joined with six other enter
prising and enthusiastic gentlemen and
formed the st. Andrews Golf Club.
Tho real start was somewhat earlier.
Robert Lockhart returned from his an
nual trip to Scotland In the fall OF 1850
and happening to meet John Reid on
tho street In Yonkers. he informed him
that he had brought from Scotland
some implements for playing a new
game called golf" and invited him to
come to his residence and try the game
In the back yard.
Vhese two men constructed an i'm
belonging to II. o. Tallp,adge, another
resident of Yonkers. Tallmadge was
invited to join the circle of players for
three reasons-he was a good fellow, he
became an enthusiast about the game,
and he owned the golf course.
The number Of golfers at this time
was perhans half q dozen. and there
were only fourteen or fifteen sticks In
the country. all owned and used by
this group. Those sticks had rings OF
different color painted on them to dis
tinguish the clubs Of one player from
'uoSe VI hnpSHeT. ana also 10 tell the
clubs apart. for the players OF those
days We're not so, familiar with the
variations between the puttcr and the
driver as the present generation seems
to be. The golf clubs OF the old days
were fearful and wonderful things. and
four sticks were good load for any
caddie.
About 1883 the players had become
too numerous for the pasture links.
n nd 81 -kNIn tolI
on the east bank Of the Hudson river.
where now some Yonkers manufactur-
ing plant Is running full blast. 1t was
here that the famous Apple Tree
Gang" came into existence.
The players derived this name from
the fact that their, clubhouse at this
course was a yerdant apple tree; its
limbs were the clothes racks. its leaves
were awnings. and its fruit provided
Here were held the first tournam ents,
and here. to quote the secretary OF the
newborn St. Andrews Golf Club. J. B..
Tpham In the second round Mrs. Reid
and Upham won by one and one-half
hart. ~ to eh." The John Reid gold
medal was played for in 1889 and won
by p. C. Myers. No player was forced
TO wear n high hat. but prince Al
berts" were usually worn at tourna-
ments.
III 1877 tnc khIHS DcCAIIS 80 pOputdt
and the membership Of the st. An
drews Golf Club SO large that another
change was made. and. Of course, was
laid out in the picturesque Sawmill
River valley, east of Yonkers. at n
place called Grey Oaks. Many famous
matches were played here. but the
ever-increavsing interest In the game
forced the st. Andrews >players to move
to the present location at Mt. Hope,
where an eighteen-hole course was laid
out that has remained almost un-
changed to this day.
The roster Of the club members reads
like who's Who In America" An
drew Carnegie has the same advantage
at at. Andrews that Francis Outmet
enjoys at Brookline. Both have cot
tages at the edge Of the course. but
the Laird o Skibbo says his cottage
must be OF the wrong kind. as he can
not get the distance that Ouimet OBJ
tains. Edwin Gould owns the frst four
hotels at Ardsley. but prefers to play
his golf at st. Andrews. Certainly no
one is better qualified to deliver a
trea tise on "The Psychology Of Short
Puts" than Nicholas Murray Butler.
II new hole ia desired. there is Al
fred Craven. chief engineer for the pub
Tic service commission. to lay 1t out.
and Major John r. O'Rourke to con-
struct It. II loan must be fioAted
to purchase a new rocking chair for
the porch George +. Baker. A. Barton
Hepburn. Otto II. Kahn, Isaac Selig-
man. and Mortimer L. Schiff may be
trusted to SEQ that the movement is