Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-27
popular" Golf
BY Frederic J. Haskin

courses xas exonpli6ed at the Columbia
| Country Club near here n few days ago
when the public was invited to tn
| grounds To witness An exhibition b.
several OF the greatest American amateur
and professional players.
II was the first half holiday of th'
| summer for the thousands Of government
employees in Washington, many Of whom
arc strangers, and the clubs invitation
was accepted with n rush Upwards oi
ten thousand automobiles were parked
outside the grounds of the club, and q
great multitude came by trolley and or
foot. For day, this hitherto exclusl vc
organization became community socla
center and public amusement park.
Many persons who had never before
Witnessed golf game tramped around
the course in the wake of Chick Evans
Walter G. Hagen, James Barnes and
Fred Mcleod They saw the last named
expert negotiate the eighteen holes oi
the three-mile course in 81 stokes, which
is three below par The Camp Megs
band furnished music for The occasion,
and special thrill was pro-
vided when the Washington-New York
aerial post flew over the green and de-
livered special sack Of letters 20 club
iFttD tfie Nt-fp tStht VI <hiif'aAftt
ron THE RED CROSS.
Incidentally, large sum Of money
was collected for the Red Cross, but
this was not the main purpose of the
gathering. Its object was to show that
great golf course can toe used In war time
rs means Of recreation for thousands
besides its membership, and can also
promote community spirit and social
intercourse, perhaps better than any
other organized sport For, IN the first
place, golf IL one Of tho few games m
which the spectators, tramping miies IN
tho open air, up hill and down, get al
most M much exercise as tho players
Seeing a golf match is very different, in
this respect, from trying N wear out 3
hard board sea. at a ball game. And IN
the second place, perpetually moving
crowd Us an essentially soriabie one; Old
friends meet and ncw friendships arc
fornod; il il a sort OF informal outdoor
reception.
This innovation Of opening a great
private club TO the public may be taken
as tho golfers reply to the charge that
his sport is wa.teful ono, which the
nation cannot afford in war time II ~
true, he admits, that golf requires a
great deal Of land. and often Of very
good land A good golf course represents
a large investment in soil which could
otherwise produce foodstuffs Further
moro, a great deal Of labor u required
10 keep golf course in frst-class con
dition, and this labor might otherwise be
engaged IN war work Undoubtedly a
golf coursr IA a much move crpensiwe means
of recreation. in proportion 70 tho number
q - k.sa
court or bsseball diamond In Wash
lngton tho municipal tennis courts have
become the slt~s If buildings for war
administration, but the leading golf course
are still kept up.
GOOD REASONS poR TT.
II il absurd to talk about plouing up
the golf courses, that have been 50
highly improved at great expense, when
there are miles Of equally fertile SOIL all
around them IN its original virgin state.
There arr three good reasons for keeping
the golf COURSES open. First, they offer a
means of exercise for their own members
and their guests Second, the games pro-
duce a great deal Of money for war work
Last year the golf courses of the United
States turned in over 100000 for the
Red Cross on the 4th Of July Similar
matches will be played this year and it ls
expected that a much larger amount viii
be realized.
The third reason is the idea Of COM
munity entertainment. When a golf club
periodically opens its doors to the general
public It IS then capable of affording
am sement 20 as many persons, per acre
of land and per dollar invested, as any
recreational institution in the country
II is believed that the example of the
Columbia Country Club will be fol-
lowed by many OF the other golf or
CARNATIONS which are accessible TO great
cities
One result OF this movement will be
to give the pubic an entirely new idea
Of the game Golf has been popularity
as the sport OF rich men, as
game of fashion and leisure, requiring
much money and time, but no great skill
This impression is undoubtedly due 20 the
act that 9S per cent Of Americans have
never seen a golf game. They imagine
he sport as a group OF portly plutocrats
iribbling little round ball across lawn.
With lackeys serving highballs at every
lole, and a Scotch gardener with side
,urns chasing the erasshoppers out OF
he way, and trimming the grass with
,air Of scissors.