New-York tribune., 1921-05-31
Our Public Golf Links
Congestion Might Be Relieved by System of Classifying Players
By r. F. Foster

The capacity of every golf links, pub
lie or private, is limited by the fact
that there are only eighteen holes.
Some of these are long enough for two,
three or four players to be on the
green while those following are driv-
ing off the tee or are on their way be-
tween the tee and the green. On the
shorter holes those on the tee have to
wait until the players ahead of them
are off the green.
Taking the average length of the
holes and the average as three players
at each end, we get times 18, or 108
players, as the capacity of the links.
AS it takes about three hours to play
round, with no waiting to speak of,
we find the limit of the course to be
about thirty-six players an hour. Sew
eral years experience at the public
links at Van Cortlandt Park has shown
that the starter calls about forty num-
bers an hour, many of which are not
responded to, which makes up for the
delay in getting around the course.
Taking the average as thirty-six play
ers an hour and twelve hours as the
available daylight for those who start
and finish before dark we pet about
$50 as the limit Of the accommodations
OF the course between o'clock IN the
| morning and dark. These 45O players
are all that can be accommodated of
the $500 to whom permits are issued.
The fDnvifah h1a Is
delay and disappointment to many
hundreds Of would-be players.
The order of play is governed by is
suing tickets at the clubhouse, which
are serially numbered, and these mum
bers are called by the starter at the
first tee as fast as the players move
off and the hole is ready for the next
players, whether they are 8 foursome,
threesome or a pair, singles not
being allowed on Saturdays and holi-
! days.
10 take a concrete example of how
this system works: On Sunday, May %,
a. Van Cortlandt Park there were 1902
tickets issued before $3.50 o'clock in
the morning, At 10:3O those who had
been on hand and got their tickets at
$3.50 were still waiting their turn to
start. AT the moment ticket No. 101 ,025
was starting to drive off the first tee
ticket No. 101,260 was being signed for
at the clubhouse. AT the rate of forty
an hour, which experience has shown
to be normal, the holder of ticket No,
1o1 ,260, which he signed for at 1o:30
O'Clock in the mofaing, would not be
able to start play until about A:30 in
the afternoon.
This congestion is not evident at the
first tee because the players do not
wait there. Upon getting their tickets
at the clubhouse they ascertain the
number ahead, divide it by forty and
figure on spending the five or six hours
leisure ahead of them by reading the
Sunday papers, going over to watch the
ball games or going back home for din
ner and a nap. In many cases they do
rot return at all. If every ticket is
sued were used not more than thirty
players an hour could start, owing to
the congestion and delay caused by
slow players.
What is the remedy? One person
has jocularly proposed that the Park
Commissioner should issue a notice
that all applications for permits must
be accompanied by check for s25, in
stead of the usual SIS. Those who sent
in $25 would then be notified that they
were not the class for whom the public
links were intended, as they could
evidently afford to subscribe to pri
vate club. A. modification of this sug-
gestion would be TO refuse permits to
all persons who were members OF prs-