The Washington herald., 1918-06-23
RAISING CORN
ON GOLF LAND
War Department Turns
Municipal concourse
Over to Boy Scouts.
~ FRANK n. YOUNG.

=
Local golfers are certainly con-
WINGED that war ID exactly what
Shesman said It was. in fact they
are of the opinion that it Is worse.
On the other side of the big pond.
all Of the famous courses have been
greatly damaged either by shot and
shell or by their use as training
camps for soldiers. but the recent
action of the War Department in
turning over the local Municipal
tract to the Boy Scouts for corn
raising has brought the matter
home to them with q capital III"
For years the Supt. of Public
that the District was short on recre-
alton facilities and Congress was
finally convinced of this fact and
an appropriation made for q mu-
nicipal course in East Potomac Park
and plans were started last year
for two courses, one OF nine holes
and one of eighteen, after an .,x-
perimental 3-hole one had been
placed in Potomac Park and had
proved an unqualified success. The
ground on which these twenty
seven holes was to be built was
turned over to the Boy Scouts last
year for corn-naising as plans at
that time had not been carried out
far enough to do the ground much
harm from a golfing viewpoint, the
green being roped OF and not touch
ed by the volunteer farmers. These
green's. which had been planted
with expensive imported seed would
have been in perfect condition this
year. The government had gone to
considerable other expenses In
planning the golf-layout and Wal
ter Travis. one OF the best golf
architects in the country. had made
a number of trips here and laid
out two excellent courses.
While golfers, like all other
Americans at this time, are willing
to make any necessary sacrifices
for the country's good. yet it does
seem that with the thousands of
war-workers now in Washington
who should be given every possible
facility to keep themselves in good
physical condition. some other 10
cation could have been found on
which the Boy Scouts could have
"practiced" farming.
Conditions in Washington at this
time are such that II Is almost i'm
possible for either the thousands
of newcomers or those who have
been in Washington for some time
to find recreation ground in order
to keep themselves in the neces-
sary physical condition to turn out
their best work. Practically all of
the municipal tennis courts have
been taken over for building sites
so that those who depended on these
are now like the golfers. distinct
ly up against it." Washington
only has six local country clubs.
and there Is little chance of con-
Meeting up with any of these as
they are all now practically filled
up and cannot accumulate and ad-
ditional members.
With the standing room only
signs hung out on these and prac-
tically all other avenues of recrea-
tion closed to them, washingtonians
are surely in a bad way" and II
is generally believed that the recent
action of the War Department was
ill-advised in that, while 1t will af-
ford q good playground for the Boy
Scouts who do not need il and will
result in rather questionable good az
regards the amount Of crops to be
produced, 1t robs thousands of wal
workers of their only opportunity
of keeping in condition so that they
may do their bit" in the best OF
their ability