Evening star., 1917-12-09
MAY CARRY OWN GOLF CLUBS,
GIVING RED CROSS CADDY FEES
Suggestion, if Carried Out by Players All
Over Country, Would Net Relief
Fund Millions of Dollars.

small group Of members of goli
clubs have been tuning over in theii
minds the last few days a scheme fol-
war relief contributions of economy
which may take the form of a sugges.
tion to the United States Golf Associa-
fson In case 1t is felt that the golhns
along this line. This scheme looks te
the wartime suspension of caddy
service.
Shortly after the entrance of the
United States into the war last spring,
rolf clubs brought forward the plan OF
utilizing part of their acreage for the
raising of vegetables. Following this
came the Red Cross tournaments, such
rs the Decoration day fund OF the
Metropolitan Golf Association. the Ma
tional Patriotic tournament at White
marsh Valley, Pa. for pros and amateurs
by the United States Golf Associaiion
the liberty day tournament on july
throughout the United States, the Inter
national Red Cross week in this district
the last week in July. and the various
exhibition matches for war reilef Iunds
by Champion Chick Evans. francis
Ouiu,et. Jerome D. Travers, Mrs w. a.
Gavin and hundreds of others. The
largest amount raised by any OF thess
was the Fourth of July total, which
reached $4,000.
But all these have been on tne posl,
tive side, the idea being the raising. or
money without any thought of changing
the existing order of things at the DIFF
ferent golf and country clubs The idea
which has been discussed by the above
mentioned group of golfers has to 90
with the raising of war relief funds
through self-denial and the sacrifice OF
a certain pleasure on the part of golfers
This pleasure is the use OF cadd1es.
Some of the radical retrenchers In the
matter of expenses maintain that if
thu half million or more golfers who
play every week were to carry their
own bags a huge sum would be raised
without putting the financial screws
on" as one of those interested in the
plan has phrased 1t. Those who have
discussed this method of raising money
for war purposes without further as
sessnlents on players. argue that caddies
are a form of luxury which might well
be dispensed with under the high eco
nonafc pressure of war times. At q lunch
con recently at which this plan was
discussed one member gave his views,
as follows:
Reasons Back of Scheme.
.sTo those who have never played on
n public course perhaps a caddy seems
absolutely essential, but to one, like
neswho played for some years over
municipal links, where caddies are con-
spieuous by their absence, a bag toter
does not appeal as necessity. Al
though j find playing with caddy very
. much more pleasant. still could get
along very well if 1 carried my own
clubs
at might seem great hardship to
certain golfers to have to carry their
load of clubs now dragged around by
caddies, but if they had to carry their
own bags they would very soon find
that they could get along with just
half the number of clubs they have
now, and play as good game, IL not
better.
taking a low rather than a high
estimate Of the players of the country,
let us figure that half a million golfers
play a single round on the links each
week. For purposes of easy multiple