Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
FAMOUS GOLF ARCHITECTS WHO
PREFER TO REMAIN AS AMATT11pc
THAN BE CLASSED PROFESS1ONAIc
George Gearss a. urc%pI K.1 Hugh Wilson Alb Smith and
george eo,f y; N,Sader M;ad err Have Done Lot for
BY PETER PUTTER

TURING the progress of the amateur
~ golf championship at Merton last Sep.
,smber the executive committee of the
United States Golf Association placed ban
anon course architects who received pay
Sor their services. Up to that time the
amateurs could lay out golf courses or
make changes in them and get paid for II
Ana still play in amateur tournaments. But
,he executive committee thought 1t was time
20 call a halt, and today the course archi.
tect who is paid is rated as a professional.
II only affected n few of them and of these
on,v one had a national reputation
The great bulk of the men who we're golf
srcbitects have kept on with their work,
nut as they do not receive cent for their
yvork. their amateur standing is In no way
tarnished Many Of the so-called golf course
architects get very nice pickings. In spite
~ the fact that the game is twenty-five
vsars old in the country, measured by the
.umber Of amateur championships held
hsre. the sport is still in its infancy. The
demand for architects is a steady one. Some
~ the best get as high as 500 day and
As they usually spend four days on every
course, it can readily be seen that such work
"a highly lucrative.
Side Lines Like Drummers
tYke many statesmen on the road they
nave side lines. And they will sell motor
.ytters horse drawn mowers, fertilizers,
sur,us worm eradicators, seeds and any
tbing under the sun that can be used on a
course. and as they get fat commissions
IN these some of their Jobs will net them
from $500 and upward Some Of them are
excellent men with splendid ideas. Others
are bluff and sound. Some of them would
he willing to take our two best golf courses,
Pine Valley and the National Golf Links
and guarantee to improve them. Some of
them think they can give II. S Colt prob
shlv the best of the English golf course
architects, and Donald Ross, easily our
best American architect, cards and spades
and best them at that.
Many Of them are like some physicians
who are always ready to prescribe no mat
ter whether the patient is healthy or ILL.,
No matter how good the course is they
can better it, Nothing stumps them, and
show them the work of a rival architect
and they will convince you in two minutes
that the other chap does not know the
slightest thing about the business. They
will tackle any golf job in the world. They
know they are go>d and they do not have
to prove it in their own mind.
But the real course architect in addition
10 knowing how to lay out the various
holes ought to know something about soil
condition and the chemistry of the soil.
He ought to know that one course will
not grow certain kind of seed and another
on a sandy course. but it is not worth a
hang Gil most others Crested Dog Tail
never was any good In this country, yet
come of these experts will advocate its use.
There Is another type of architect and
this is the amateur who lays out courses
for the joy and pleasure of it, and we
have several of them right here in Phila-
dephia. And among the more prominent
are George A. Crump, Hugh ]. Wilson,
George C. Klauder and Alb Smith There
are others, but these are the most prom-
nent. Pine Valley was laid out by Colt, but
most of the actual work was done and is
peing done by Crump. He knows soils and
grasses as few others know them. When
be puts in a bunker you know that IL Is
going to stay there, for that Is the right
p1ce for it,
Hugh Wilson laid out the two Merton
courses, the Seaview course, and he is re-
sponsible for lot of the changes made at
Philmont and North Hills. The executive
committee Of the L. S. G. A. stated during
The amateur tournament that Merton was
the best test Of championship golf since
the championships had been held and all
the players backed them up. He Is q
student Of golf matters if ever there was
one. He has made golf construction a
study for years and he does everything in
such an intelligent way that few mistakes
result Among others things he believes
that fall seeding done intelligently will do
away with the spring seeding and thus re-
duce by half the cost for seed. He ex.
periments no more with putting grass seeds,
Tor he knows what is best and uses no
other
george Klauder is responsible for most