The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-29
~ JOHN q. ANDERSON.


indeed were the statements Of my
friends from England and Scotland who
had braved the oceans war zone perils
and toll mo a few days before ! sailed
that there would he little golf seen and
still less talked about in Britain. The
war, which has caused the enlistment
Of so many golfers. good. bad and In
different but all courageous. has like
wise dampened the ardor of those we'll
along In year h feel that a day or
SO OF golflng pleasure In a week IL
quite sufficient, although there had been
a time when a day's omission would
have constituted an event. The papers
too have little news of golf. which is not
strange when We know that few tour
naments are being held and charity
contests between the big five. Vardon.
Taylor, Braid, Ray and Duncan, are not
overplentiful.
No now links are being constructed.
so far a. I hear. n the sport has been
consigned to a place far In the rear OF
activities. II Is not my intention at
this time 20 write about golflng condi-
lions abroad. for I have been on land
only two days. but In order to give a
little local color ] dropped into Nc.
Cams sporting establishment and
asked the clerls how many golf balls he
had sold the past month. He old me
that thirty dozen had left his shelves.
whereas In times OF peace ten times
that number would have been pur-
chased. W. get mos, OF the trade fer
We cut prices" he said. and ] could
we'll believe him, for marked down to
twenty-one shiilings "A dozen were balls
the equal TO II not the superior OF
those for which We pay the equivalent
Of thirty-eight shillines In the United
States. But OF his and other matters
more o
The ocean Ii a grand place whereon
10 get a proper prospective OF "A years
golf. All around you are undulations
surprising the hand Of man. a green to
make the grass jealous. and an OPP
portunity, n your head IL clear n
your appetite good. to waste the time
In putting the ball into a corner while
taking watch and cognizance OF the ex-
pected swells and rolls. and then. al
most without hunting them up. you can
find golf cronies. What a relief Il Is TO
know at the beginning Of a trip that
golf can be the subject OF a non-limited
conversation. Al least VI. ]. il. Gray
Of the National Golf Links. Mr.. II.
Landsdell OF the Hackensack club and
myself feel that way. and the hours
pass quickly in lauding the noble game.
But again II seems / am wandering
from his topic. which is. In brief. a re-
view OF the season from tho standpoint
Of numbers.
II Is an irresponsible statement which
proclaims thai there are in the United
states 3.0O0.o 900 people who play golf.
Perhaps some day in the next twenty
Years Il may he possible for that state
ment TO 20 unchallenged. but the time
il no, now. No good comes of eNaS-
geration. and IA very careful !
believe. would place the number in the
neighborhood of 6o0 900. In order to
get as accurate a number as possible i
have ascertained and added UP the
membership OF the clubs which are en-
rolled In the national body. taking but
little stock In the summer hotel and
seashore resort links. since these are
FOR transients who play golf
and belong 10 more clubs,
ard then reckoned the number OF clubs
which ". might can of the second class
and also the players who patronage the
public links of tho country.
This number is not so formidable as
IL would seem ~ first sight. Whe!
we are told thai tho combined play
over thu Chicago. New York and Boston
public links totals $4,000 rounds We
must not think in such terms of the
actual players. To give the golfers
only four rounds each in a whole wear
would mean but 10000 different players,
and ] much doubt whether four rounds
would satisfy the average appetite of
a quasi member OF Van Cortlandt, jack
son OF Franklin Park.
hut there ~ a better. a saner way OF
arriving at conclusions concerning the
number OF people who golf. Go az II
from the source Of supplies. II. rs has
been written many a time. wo have over
two, possibly three. millions OF golfers,
il would be extremely interesting to dis
cover where this multitude gets the golf
balls to bat around. ! have II on eN-
cellent authority hat America, the
United States and Canada purchase
about $4,000 dozen golf balls each
year. II We say that, every golfer uses
nut two new balls in "A season. absurd
OF course. the total. taking our 1000, 000
golf.rs az a basis for comparison, would
be 5000 900 golf balls. This would be
1900, 900 more golf balls than are manu-
featured and sold in the course OF a
year.
II We reduce the number 20 1000. 900
golfers and make the number slX balls
apiece we still get ~ ridiculous Il series
OF figures. The $4,000 dozen balls
represent all grades of balls, except
repaints. II would take little figuring
as we'll 70 ascertain that even though
there are $4,000 golfers who depend
upon ''seconds'' II IL quite certain that
tho others will make up for the average
and buy an many as ten in n season.
Although we know Of many players who
Will uss up hfty dozen or more in "A
season there aie thousands belonging
generally 10 the smaller clubs who will
be well content with a new bal! on IA
Saturday and a supply, unlawfully per-
haps, bought from the caddies.
A general average OF seven new balls
II year and six hundred thousand
give q figure ~totalling just about the
exact nunber OF golf balls sold In the
United states every twelve months. -Four