Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-30
Interesting Golf Notes
From the Local Clubs
By ROBERT L. RIPLEY.

Press reports on the annual meeting
of the United States Golf Association
gave SO much space and attention to
discussions regarding, the interpreta-
ton of the amateur rule that many In
teresting questions which were brought
up for consideration or action were not
touched upon at all. Prominent in this
class was that relating to the Official
national handicap list, which has been
made up annually by the executive
committee of that body for several
years. and which now is thing of the
past. having been discontinued with
the 1915 list. On that list 271 players,
handicapped from five strokes to
scratch, were named, and "a were later
added. bringing the total to 325.
The executive committee has con-
cluded that the system which has been
followed to date is very unsatisfactory,
as esther there we We're more than 9.5 names re-
clubs as eligible to be given a ma
tional rating and to compete in the
championship event. This means that
more than two-thirds of the names
! proved by the executive committee.
and with each "turn-down" the COM
mittee came in for a severe panning
not only by the player, but in many
in Detroit last September the execu-
tive committee decided that the local
or sectional golf associations were in
la better position to judge who of their
the championship event, and that they
should be asked to nominate players
from their own sections.
The committee still has the matter
has been taken, it is believed that the
faction outliQed above will be followed
this year. and that all Of those named
will simply be listed. When an entry
! is received the secretary of the United
States Golf Association will merely
satisfy himself that the entrant is so
listed before accepting the entry. If
this plan is adopted by the national
body this year-and every indication
points that way-then the Middle At
lantic Golf Association will have a big
| job on it's hands. as it will be neces-
sary for some kind of an arrangement
with regard to the rating of players to
be made. Almost all of/the sectional
associations have handicap lists of
their own, and so it will not be diff
! ficult matter for them to select their
better players: but the Middle Atlantic
Golf Association does not maintain any
such list. and neither does any of the
city associations under it.
| The suggestion that the Middle At
| lantic Association rank its players has
been made any number of times, but
up until the present there really was
mo reason why such Il list was neces-
/ sary; but conditions will likely change
this year. and it would not be at all
surprising If one of the first pieces of
work the middle Atlantic officials take
up at their annual meeting, TO be held
here in March, did not have to do with
handicap list or some other method
of indicating it's best players.
! The congressional delegation at the
| Columbia Country Club will be in
| creased by three at the next meeting
| of the club, as the names of Repre-
sentatives Clarence b. Miller, Patrick
| D. Norton and Warren II. Gard have
| been posted for membership and I'M
doubtedly will be favorably acted upon.
| The congressional membership at Co
| lumbia now is the largest of any of the
| local country clubs.
The bowling committee of the Chevy
| Chase Club has announced that as a
! result of several try-outs the follow
ing players will represent the club in
match games tffis season: John w.
Calvert. Samuel Dalzell. A. Y. p. Gar
nett. L. B. T. Johnson, Ormsby Mccain
mon. H. p. Mccain. George C. Minnige-
rode. Fleming Newbold, j. Henri de
Sibour, Morven Thompson and George
prominent golfers. Loren johnson.
who is named above, also is member
| of the Washington Golf and Country
| Club and is captain of it's team. He Is
| now at Pinehurst and Immediately
! upon his return will take up the ques-
| ton of arranging a match game be-
i tween the two clubs.
| The board of governors of the Ban
| nockburn Golf Club held meeting
| last Thursday evening. at which time
| President Daniel l.. Hazard and Treas
! urer NJ H. Moulton outlined the fiscal
! conditions of the club so that plans
| could be made for disbursing this fund
most judiciously. The meeting was de-
| voted largely to discussions of plans
! to rebuild No. 9 green, and the green
| committee was authorized to obtain
!! estimates from local engineers on the
work of regarding this ground
| The handicap committee of the Kirk
! side Golf Club has given up any idea
| it had of attempting to get out it's
handicap list at the beginning of the
| coming season. 1t does plan, how
| ever, to continue gathering up all
! available data regarding it's members
/ and to get out it's list as soon as 1t Is
possibl to do SO.
! John Davidson of Columbia probably
is one of the most versatile players on
| the clubs roster. In addition to being
| the present middle Atlantic champion,
one of the few local golfersto be named
| on the U. S G. AS handicap list, and
the record-holder for the home course,
Davidson held the District tennis cham
pionship for number of times several