The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-11-20

lege Park. Catholic University men
land as an improvised golf course.
Park, which is accessible.
The field is quite fertile for q col.
lege golf tournament here this spring
and tho matter, according to reports,
will be taken up by local authorities
this winter with an idea of staging a
spring event.
From indications 1t is a question of
q few years before the colleges around
Washington will be provided with
short or practice courses.
Early last fall when Maryland Uni
versity players reported for football,
an improvised course was started by
some of the grid candidates. They
expect to go farther within the year.
as do students at Georgetown, and
Catholic University in the way Of pro-
viding facilities for students who are
more interested in the branch of ath-
letics than any other.
Colleges Active.
Colleges all over the country are
making much Of golf both as q rec
reational sport. 1t is but a question Of
time when credit will be given for
physical training to those who enjoy
the game and would put in their time
on a golf course rather than in a
gymnasium.
The competitive phase Of tho game
in the intercollegiate matches Is
growing in leaps and bounds
Just as II IL in tennis. Dartmouth,
Yale, Harvard. Penn and Princeton
figure prominently in tho intercolleg-
late golf championship matches and in
the team engagements.
Here in Washington there 10 ample
opportunity for encouraging the sport
in the colleges. Several Of the courses
are accessible to the universities and
arrangements have already been
talked over in some quarters about
memberships for tho college men.
Washington now boasts no less than
fifteen regular or practice courses
either in operation or completed. The
spring will probably find all Of them
operating to capacity as the game has
become unusually populer here fol-
lowing the national championship
staged at Columbia.
Missed Two Days.
Despite the fact that tho weather.
this year was unusually hard on ;he
courses and unprecedented figures
were reached in attendance on courses
but two days have been missed since
the courses were opened in the spring.
Freddy Mcleod, who is in Pine
hurst now, reported that only twice
this season has Columbia been abso-
lutely deserted this year on account
Of bad weather. q record for Wash
ington.
other clubs report unusual activity
on the courses. The game has reached
a height in this city never expected
a.. tN "a
that the spring and summer Of 1922
will find an even larger following for
the game.
AS far as climate Is concerned Wash
ington appears to be ideally blessed
for golf. There is, however, a fly in
the ointment in the fact that the
dreaded brown patch" plays havoc
with the grass and makes 1t necessary
to play on temporary green's.
The fungus spared none Of the
courses this year and was the only
blight on the national open staged 80
we'll at Columbia. Washington ex-
periences wide ranges Of temperature
even in midwinter. The spring and
summer find turf conditions almost
impossible owing to the fact that the
brown patch" gains Roadway in
warm, damp weather.
Experts At Work.
Grass experts have been at work
for the past five years endeavoring to
produce a combination of seeds that
will furnish proper grass to meet the
peculiar weather and climatic condi-
tons. In other words as far as play
ing golf under ideal weather condi.
tions are concerned Washington is
fortunate.
Turf conditions have been poor but
steps have been taken and thousands
of dollars are being spent to produce
seed or the combination of the various
kinds of grass seeds to stand up in
this section under the trying condi
tions.
Various theories, too technical for
discussion, have been offered here as
to why the grass will not stand up
The fact remains, however, that the
seed experts are unable to solve the
question.
Anxious To Play.
Aside from the turf question the
golfing public in this city is all sci
for big year beginning with the
opening Of the courses There is little
question that the good golfers viii
raise a lot of kicks on the conditions
of the turf but the regular army will
stick right to the flubbing and give
little heed to the conditions of fair
way or green.
BY spring 1t is expected that all Of
the local courses will be in operation
and that q new army of golfers, rep
resentin- the colleges here will b,
hot orSs The trail of the little whit,
ball.