The New York herald., 1921-02-18
PELHAM ALREADY
OUT FOR RECORDS
New Links Will Stage Cham
pionship Two Months After
1t Is Opened.
BY KERR n. PETRIE.


BY accepting the westchester open
Championship for the coming season the
Pelham Country Club has set a record
which clubs may find hard to equal.
The only stipulation that the organiza-
tion makes is that the tournament be
held In September. but inaHnuch as the
links in all probability will not be opened
for play before the first of July It
would be a difficult matter for the
w. c. G. c. to stage the event earlier
unless the venue should be changed.
II Pelham comes through" in this
championship. as no one doubts II will
who knows the men behind the club, It
Will have reason to boast Of two splendid
achievements. Holding a championship
In its first year or rather In tho first
months of the existence Of its course is
one. The other is the manner in which
il filled its membership. or at least that
part Of it which put the club on a sound
working bass.
Those who remember how the land
on which Pelham has layed out its
course looked no later than last sum-
ner have reason to manifest surprise
at the marvellous transforma tion that
has taken place, for much of the course
has been cut out OF virgin woodland
Late last year when n party Of persons
likely to be interested was piloted over
the ground it was found that several
OF the greens had been seeded down only
short time prior TO that.
When Pelham gets seasoned it is go
Ing TO be an attractive course. Several
OF its holes, in fact will be talked about
particularly tho short one which has fts
tee on a high glacial rock, another one
shotter where the play again begins high
up and finishes across brook. and still
another. only two holes further on,
tr.1,s
high ledge Of rocks and then a ditch
which guards the green.
Golfers of the metropolitan district
are to see some novelties next year in
the way of tournaments. One of these
held under the auspices OF the Westches-
ter Gold Association, doubtless will oc-
casion quite a bit OF comment. for it is
TO be in the nature OF big four ball
tournament al match play. This is not
10 be confused with the amateur profess
sional best ball team match which the
same oreanizs ton also is promot ing. but
instead is brand new. purely amateur
affair on hitherto untried lines. In this
tourney players can pair ZIP as they
please, and there will absolutely be no
restrictions imposed as 10 the number
OF players entering from the same club.
An open event II is TO be in every sense
of the word open not only to metropolitan
linksifen but TO clubs here. there and
everywhere. A date still remains 70 be
chosen for this important event, but the
chances are that il will be held when
the foreign invaders are abroad in the
land. as il Is the intention of the West
chester men to present real treat in
this tourney both TO players and those
who will be there only to look on.
IN iC oS trt
have discussed the affair that 1t will
prove to be a decidedly welcome innova-
ton, something in the nature OF a ma
tioral best ball championship under
strictly match play conditions Three
days will be occupied to complete the
play, sixteen pairs qualifying. and then
proceeding with the draw and the usual
rounds of match play.
The fact that there is to be such
thing as a qualifying round is likely to
be regarded as more than interesting. for
It is easy to see that individual brilliancy
on the part of only one member OF n
side is liable to be discounted by steadi-
ness on the part of team which on
paper would appear TO have much less
chance OF qualifying than the other.
Although II may depend good deal
upon what part they play in the national
open championship at Washington as TO
how their bookings will run toward the
end OF the season. clubs already are
showing a willingness to compete with
es ch other for choice dates for exhibi-
tons by George Duncan. the British
open champion. and Abe Mitchell. News
Of the World winner for the last two
seasons. Lochmoor and White Sulphur
Springs are among those that already
have received dates. From the other
side of the border the demand also is