The sun., 1918-12-08
SECTIONAL RIVALRY
GROWING IN GOLF
Particularly in the Politics Of
the Game Has Jealousy
Increased.
FRENCH NOT DROPPED
by JOHN @. ANDERSON.

4
Tho recent adverse criticism OF the
nominating committee of the u s. @. A.
In respect TO their geographical selection
OF officers and executive men, which
was started In the supposedly neglected
districts. at once found initiative discus
sion all over the land. Two sections
| New England and Philadelphia, with
perhaps 225 clubs. not, of course, all
members OF the national body. but with
a very szable and important member
ship in the light Of ability and expe-
| rience, were supposed to have been left
out of the list OF golf representatives.
! As a matter Of fact New England was
: included Asa French being continued in
/ office for another year, but this fact was
| left out of the first announcements,
/ Before the correction had been made
/ half hundred notations had been made
to the effect that golfers from the sec
! tons in question would like to know
why, for the first time in history, their
large golfing bodies had been sighted.
Ordinarily. to our way of thinking,
there would be little or no occasion for
: any real discussion on this point. What
! Is needed and usually obtained is q group
of men who can handle wisely the ma
| tional problems, and IL makes little diff
| ference whether they come from Seattle
| or Portland. Me, provided they are
competent. Naturally such possibilities
are extreme probabilities because the
men who are the best Judges come from
| the districts where golf Is played the
most.
And so. at a time such as this. when.
| presumably. there will be put to a test
the solution OF many provoking ques-
lions. both as regards the playing Of the
4 II. Gl.Nl
! districts OF Importance feel that they
ought to be represented by a delegate
who can present best the opinions OF the
majority and the leaders of this particu
lar section to the other members Of the
ruling forum.
One Western Man.
The Western Golf Association this
year has but one representative, while
the southern section OF the country car
ries tho balance in its favor by having
four voting members. despite the fact
that the total representation in clubs is
far below any other division. why" ask
| several writers and golfers, els this so?"
The action Is possible because of the
powers OF the nominating committee.
| whose proposals are never made the sub
j ject for discussion. In the past these
bodies have served their purpose gener-
|
| they have made a few gr.evous errors.
Whether they err in selecting delegates
| who are not separated by distance re-
| mains to be seen. Some day the consH-
tuition OF the national body will be al"
/ tered so that the nominating committee
! will not name its successor. and these
members will be voted upon in open
meeting after nominations from the
| floor. but even that more democratic
| mo will
| clannishness II the best men happen to
( live in the same sections.
| 1t Is interesting to note how the fav-
ors, II such we call them, have been dis
tributed since the start OF the golf asso-
| citation in this country. We may be one
or two out OF the way In our totals, but
these figures are nearly correct From
the East there have been selected ll3
officers and committeeman, from the
West flfty-eight and from the South, in
! Guiding the four this year, but eighteen.
! This makes II look as II the Southern
| States had been a trife overlooked. and
perhaps they have. although golf there
| has been a slow spreader over an eX-
| tended area
| In the Eastern group we find that
| certain clubs had many members in the
! early days when golf was still in it's
| infancy, particularly in the West. New
/ port, Morris County and Shinnecock
Hills, for instance, in the early period
of golfing history, were represented
| twenty times. Since the general flourish
/ OF the game there has been rather
I even distribution of honors. taking into
consideration the golhnE population.
| The clubs which have been honored the
greatest number OF times have been the
Garden City Golf Club and the Country
Club. Brooklne. with eighteen represen-
tatiyes extending over period OF twen-
| ty-four years. plus a generous percent
/ age or nominating committeeman. Phil
| adelphia, which for the first time in
many moons will have no official men,
Der Of the golting family. has given
nineteen members of the official family,
while Ba!tusrol with ten has been an
| other strong Eastern club.
| Seventeen clubs in the Eastern sec
! ton from an approximate total OF 500
| have had representatives but 1t must
! be recalled that the 500 do not all be-
long TO the national body. 1t is fairer
| TO say that seventeen out of a couple OF
hundred allied and active clubs were
thus honored at least once
Interest Recent Development.
We find in the West that thirteen
| clubs have given of their best to the
national executive committees, the Chi
CaEO GOlI CluD leaulnR tne OtneIS Win
twelve, and Glenview and Onwentsia fol-
lowing with ten each. Atlanta in the
South leads, as IS proper. with Wash
ington rivalling in number eight the
formers quota. Few will deny that up
to two or three years ago golfers In
general never did care a hang what
clubs had representatives or who the
men happened to he, for there were few
problems which were not settled at once
TO the satisfaction of the whole country,
but with the arrival of questions which
were obviously two sided there came a
desire TO take a serious and active part.
and to have as spokesman those who
were acquainted with the ideals Of club
members. This participation has been
! what we might almost term a necessary
Evil but It has been forced by the differ
ent attitudes Of individual golfers, clubs
I and associations
The warldke spirits OF both the East
and the West have been letting their en-
ergies flow In other channels the past
year or 80 and the refreshing results
have been a source OF satisfaction and
! real pleasure. What n fine thing II
l this could continue! II can and will n
the big golfing men OF the country get
together quietly. unheralded and In Sc
cret there and then come to mutual
agreements which shall present to- the
golfers OF the nation solutions absolute
" essential for the maintenance OF
the best in golf and all that is connected