Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-24
wilson
0N[Y. SCRATCH MAN
Chief Executive Has Distinc-
ton Of Being One Golfer
Without a Handicap.

At last the only scratch man who plays
golf at one of the clubs about Washington
has been discovered. His name is Thomas
Woodrow Wilson and his residence is
given as the. White House, Washington.
D. c. His Official titles include those of
President Of the United States and COM
mander-in-chief of the Army and Navy.
CHANGING through the list of handicaps at
the Washington Golf and Country Club
recently member of the handicap COM
mittee. attracted by the magic symbol
scratch" desired to know how this golfer
performed when on the course. He found
that the President is very human being
on the links and is one Of the few men
who do not mind weather, playing golf
when the wind blows high and cold as
well as on those days when the sun shines
clear and the greens are true.
Interesting Figure on Course.
President Wilson. as in all things, is
an intensely interesting figure on the golf
course. Human first, his pleasure at a
good shot is only equaled by his desire
to follow it up with another OF the same
quality. His favorite course, not the best
in this locality, but one on which he can
play his favorite match with friends or
Mrs. Wilson without interruption. is that
of the Washington Golf and Country Club.
a rolling course set down in the hills of
Virginia, five miles from the heart Of the
capital. and hilly enough to satisfy the
understanding desire Of all those who
do office work much of the day
On one occasion the former champion
of the Washington Golf and Country Club
happened to be playing an adjoining hole,
and watched the President get out of a
particularly trying situation. His ball.
sliced from the fourth tee, lay in a small
gully and he had to make a perfect shot
to reach the green, lao yards away. Hit
perfectly. the ball struck on the green and
rolled within putting distance of the hole,
and the smile that broke over the Presi-
Dental countenance was as happy as that
Of champion. In that respect golf is
democratic.
Golf Believes His Mind.
When he is worried by affairs Of state
one Of the first desires Of the President is
to get out to the golf course. where he
the joy Of seeing a perfect tee shot going
straight on the pin. But his place at
scratch is not warranted by the. quality
Of his game. Although the President
committee of the Washington Golf and
Country Club had his position in mind
when they placed him at scratch, purely
innocuous position, for the chief executive
never pays III COfnpSClllO1lS, Anu therefore
will not have to give a 25 handicap man
Is strokes in round of the course.
His average score is probably in the
neighborhood of 30 or 80 and sometimes
he goes around the course in the high
sos.
Immensely pleased at the consum-
nation of a good stroke, the President
maintains that attitude of introspec-
ton into. his faults in playing the
ancient Scotch game SO necessary to
the betterment of the individual
player. When he makes bad shot
he is frequently seen taking a practice
stroke and endeavoring to find out WHY
the shot did not come off in the in
tended way.
He makes no attempt to pass through
players who are SO slow as to bar the
progress of his game on the course,
Rather, he will cut out a couple of
holes and make his way to another
tee in front of the slower PLAYERS.