The sun., 1916-09-11
"CHAMPS" DO MORE
THAN DECIDE TITLE
Are Clearing House Of Ideas
and School on Rules,
Says Anderson.
TEND TO IMPROVE LINKS
~ JOHN q.

To the thinking golfer a national
championship means vastly more than
the mere assemblage Of men with minds
concentrated upon winning links honors
or the title itself. Doubtless there were
golfers competing on the Merton Cricket
whose sole idea in attending the tourney
to gain personal laurels.
There were many o~thers-and ] do
not doubt they were In the majority
whose primary object In attending the
championship was the pleasure OF re-
newlng old acQuaintanceships, forming
new ones. engaging In friendly matches.
trying out a course new to most of them
and otherwise enjoying the camaraderic
Of golf.
The practice rounds really have an In
tcrcst and a kcenness hardly appreciated
by the RAM and file OF followers who
reserve their attendance for the cham
pionship play itself. The practice rounds
invariably find an outlet for intersec-
tiOnal rivalrics. Hardly a championship
passes without some predominant inter-
sectional four ball match. usually East
w. West. such as Philip Carter and
Maxwell Marston OF the East against
Paul Hunter and "Ned" Sawyer of the
West.
Champs Ala to Courses.
But the championships have n larger
meaning. a greater Significance thai the
pleasure OF the individual contestant.
They arr. In q sense. the clearing house
OF ideas and playing progress: they are
a school for the dissemination Of knowl-
' edge on h rules goodness knows thero
10 woful ignorance ~displayed). and. per-
haps moro than anything else. the cham
pionships e for tho higher standard
Of courses.
Take h case Of the Merton Cricket
Club. Tor example. Thousands OF dollars
were spent In an endeavor not alone to
have the courses In the best Of condition
for play. but to improve the course as a
test OF golf. following the advice Of ex.
perts both In the professional and anna.
teur ranks. The same was true OF thu
Detroit Country Club a year ago and o,
the Ekwanok Country Club In 1914. The
Belmont Spring Country Club OF the Bos,
Ton district. where the women's nationa
Is to be played next month. appropriated
10000 for the improvement VI tn,
course. after having been handicapped
previously on development plans through
. desire to 20 slowly on expenditures.
The moment a club secures n n~ationa
title tourney. however. the moro certain
II 10 10 loosen tho purse strings aht
spare neither expense nor effort TO hav,
Its course made wori Thy the event.
Now. Is this wasteful prodlgality
Without hesitation l answer. No. Tn
benefits derived from possibly heavy ex
pe~nditures In toninG up a course FOR {
national championship are permanent. 1
Is kin to "A big business deal In which
a large amount Of money IL involved fol
tho initial outlay. with the returns com
Ing slowly but surely. The golf c,ul
may expend heavily. AZ Merton did 10
this championship. but through thos'
expenditures the Merton courses--eas
course more particularly--havc been ad
ranccd In one season. as q test of gol!
to a degree that might have taken rev
eral years without the stimulus OF
championship. In other words. improve
ments have been crowded into . shor
space OF time wh.'h ultimately Nigh
have been made anyway. spreading IN
outlay over a longer period.
There Is nothing like Il cham 'onshir
moreover, 10 provide fruitful ID - for
green committee. The links architec
r may be "A marvel In his line. yet. aftJ
: all. the proof Of his handiwork lies /
the way the course measures up In tn
, play BY a championship Held and I'll
green's committeeman who keep carcft
watch OF the play may CLEAN valuabl
( knowledge or the placing Of hazards.
The Myopia Hunt Club Of Hamilton
. Mass, admittedly one of the finest test
OF golf In the world, was bunkere
4 through this method by Herbert Iced
lilo was indefatigable In watching q
play Of leading golfers and noting whei
Q they placed their shuls. with chart
$ hand, he would take his stand on or
O hole and watch player after playe
!. Is It to be wondered that after such
- 49,. L~-- aLn.
G bunker The Myop!a course In a mani
that keeps tho most skilful amateur
professional on his nettle from first no
to last?
At Detroit, last year. the consensus
adverse criticism was that tho fairwa!
/. are too wide to be a real championsh
test. II the green committee TAX
c%ognixance of those Crlticisms. what "
DO the result? The fairways will be na
rowed down much labor and time W
be saved OH up eep less money will
required for reseedinS and in cor
paratiyely few years the club will save
much money as was expended in pr
n pairing for the championship. not to me
ton that the course will be a better te
:, Of golf.
Ninth Hole = Gem.
\ One Of the Merton Cricket Club mel
Der6 maze IL IdsthlS HlcH'ot'" " W'
r. self by defrayin2 tho expenses OF I
4 construction Of q cement bed for ,
brook which runs In front OF the min
= hole Of the cast. or championship cou1
also "A cement wall to form IA wall {
a pool still nearer the green, as an a
ditional water hazard. What Is tho CO
:, seauencec The ninth holo is a gem
~ the one shot variety, being we'll suard
~ by the water in front and bunkers
p, right and left.
nj but that Is not all, Before the art
,e cial bed was supplied to form the m
brook and before tho dam was CO
structed, this ground was nothing mt
than an undesirable piece OF bog lai
1e Through the members generosity I'M
es ground has been utilized. to the add
y: quality Of N golf. and the donor !
"a only has the personal satisfaction Of n
~ ing the good effects OF his generosity. !
no has, or should have. the everlasti
thanks Of the other members.
ib 1t seems to me that where there are
many men Of wealth keenly interested
ID. tho royal and ancient game there IL
be way In which they could provide
re greater memorial to themselves II