The sun., 1916-11-20
SIXTY CLUBS OFFER
HELP TO WOODLAND
Amateur Ruling Of Golf OFF,
cials May Receive Rough
Treatment.
CHANGES ARE NEEDED
~ JOHN @.

~ JOHN @. ANDERSON.
There may be exciting moments next
January at the meeting Of the United
States Golf Association delegates. The !
decision OF the Woodland Golf Club TO
pursue the course mapped out Soma
months ago and night hard for the re.
,n,tatement Of the members at present
outside the pale ear mean nothing more
Than a clear cut decision which will show
"A the golfers all over the country the
1917 attitude Of the new executive COM |
mittee. The whole question IL far big |
ger than any committee or club. and II
Z TO be hoped that steps will be taken
IN the meanwhile. to have a harmonious
cs,hering two months from now.
am a firm believer in having but one
national organization IN complete con-
tro, OF golf destinies OF having a group |
OF men in charge Of our sport who will \
he A power for good In the i~nterpreta- |
ton and the making OF new rules, par |
ticulariy as they deal with h playing
end Of the Jane. ! count II As sad when
We read OF the possible start Of = new
national golf association, which shall
embrace all clubs In the land formed for
the purpose Of giving representation
where desired In the framing Of national
golf laws and bringing into closer COM
nunion the East and the West. the North
and the South.
Local organizations are needed every.
where they do their part and rarely do
We And fault with the conduct Of Affairs.
especially when we realize that almost
oil changes In system or rulings are con.
s.dered in opel meeting before the
changes are made. I can at this moment
think Of no real discomfort arising from
any hasty and unwarranted deeds of
any Of the sectional districts with which
! an familiar In the East.
Room for Arg.ne.t.
, Now the question which has arisen be-
tween the Woodland Golf Club and the
ehhclals OF the u. s. g. A. has not q few
complex elements. important to every
club In the country whose members favor
the true spirit OF democracy.
Suppose that a hundred clubs had
had their f~avorite members debarred by
the L. s. G.. A. ~oficials and were de-
prived OF a discussion Of the case.
Suppose. as happened in his case.
there was a refusal on the part Of the
resident execptive committeeman to meet
and discuss together the merits Of the
situation and that repeated efforts on
the part OF the club oficials failed to get
the proper and courteous response ex-
pected concerning the notification of
deny that a feeling Of great disloyalty
would creep into the hearts Of the menu
bers OF the hundred clubs on the ground
that they had not the right sort Of treat
ment by the men elected OF . national
ticket for that very purpose?
Mistake Of OAcials.
But as this happened to only one club.
there has not been the same feeling Of
sympathy because Of the peculiar cir
c%umstances Of the members involved.
I contend that the oficers Of the U. 8.
G. A.. must meet half way every time
any club. whether active or associate.
for the clearing up OF any disagreement.
In this case who would say that the
Woodland Club a received anywhere
near a square deal?
II il on that account and not for the
personal sympathy accorded to Francis
Oulmet and the others that the Wood
land Club hast may surprise some OF
the officials to hear-heard from well
over sixty clubs In the East rendering
their belief in their action. and sympathy
as we'll while only nve clubs-you would
not fail to guess them without being told
have said that they believe the club
was in the wrong.
Is II reasonable to presume that the
ehiclal action or ~non-action Is right when
Il Is so Overwhelmingly vetoed by think
Ing men far from the immediate scene OF
action who surely have not been nap
hazard In their choice?
Time for Thinkins.
The game Of golf Is too fine . sport
n be immeasurably hurt by the con-
certed action Of a few men who I know
are sincere In their beliefs that they
are managing for the best interest OF
the game. That IL a point worth con-
sidering. To our more than half mil
Ion there are being added thirty or
thirty-fve thousand new golfers each
year.
What will be the new-order when we
have a million players or more In the
country Have many OF o thought
much about the new municipal cham
pionship won this year by Chicago from
Hartford and played on the links at st.
Louis by representatives of the golfers
who play 500. 900 rounds each year?
In five years more we shall have nfty
20 seventy-nve municipal links: In an
other ten years we shall have 1000
standard courses OF either nine or eish-
teen holes.
Is there going to be one national or
thnlldtlOn III COHtTOi VI al t"0 S'uc"
and their members. with the right to
make laws for the proper government OF
the sport? Golf Is bound to become the
nationally played game of the land. as
I baseball will always combine the play
Ing numbers and be preeminent as a
spectacle.
And now Is the time when breadth OF
opinion as opposed to narrow personal
choice, constructive legislation a. OPP
posed TO guesswork In the matter OF
new membership rules. q countrywide
view rather thai a ninety-seven club
horizon Is needed In America as never
before.
other DiRerences stand Ost.
II the men In authority think tina
II Ia the amateur rule alone which ha'
reused the golfers of the country the,
are much mistaken. For years there hal
been some discomfort over the distri
button Of official favors there have beer
ou,spoken statements that the men II
power did not have a democratic view
OF tho golfng situation in the United
states there was at one time. almos
q decade ago. q serious set OF diner
ences between the East and the Yves
which were happily blotted out for tn
time being.
| submit tina the game Of golf need
men Of conviction who are wise Ant
prudent, l do not intend In this arti
Gle to tax UP the matter of the Inns
teur question. but In this connection 10
me prefer the following TO explain Wha