Evening star., 1921-08-14
BY MAJOR TEE.

BY MAJOR TEE.
W IHILE Douglas Fairbanks and
NN/ Charlie Chaplin may fur
nish more thrills and antics
than the average man. they
have not produced all the amusement
and funny situations in the world.
Right here in Washington we have a
continuous performance consisting of
a nine-reel picture-a picture that is
kaleidoscope in it's character, that is
intensely amusing and that gives a
wonderful insight into the character
OF the average human. The players
who participate in this picture are
not the high salaried and petted
actors and actresses who have brought
added renown to California. Our
artists pay for the privilege of going
through the reel.
If you have not, by this time,
guessed what this story is going to
be about. just think of the municipal
golf links. and you will have the
location" where a most dissimilar
aggregation of stellar players per-
form daily. Some of the players who
frequent the municipal golf links
would furnish Dickens. were he alive,
with enough material to double his
works of character sketching. AS
one motors to these links he has a
view Of the site of the famous Long
Bridge, now replaced by a modern
structure. He sees the beautiful place
he of
liant southern gentleman, Robert E.
Lee. He notes the spider-like far
reaching towers of one of the greatest
wireless plants in the world, and as
his eye follows the course of the
Potomac River he sees in the distance
the famous old city of Alexandria.
Turning Hams point at the lower
end of the golf course, one comes
back by the side of a branch of the
Potomac in which are harbored the
humble rowboat, the little putt,
putt" launch of twenty feet or more,
he gazes perhaps with envy at numer-
Gus sptck-and-span private yachts, the
property of wealthy senators or other
high officials. The auto is then turned
to the left and straight ahead are two
ccmmodious and we'll equipped club
houses. one for the fair sex and the
other for mere man. In each house
are lockers, showerbaths and all the
paid the courteous attendant and a
ticket from roll similar to those
used in motion picture houses is pre-
sented. Then one passes the swing
ing doors and stands on the tile porch,
before the eye is a beautiful nine
hole course. The bunkers and other
hazards are artificial, as are the putt
ing greens. and while the course is
level except for the hazards and the
greens, 1t is one on which the PLAYER
learns everything he gets" The fair
ways are kept in good condition and
while some have criticized them as
being too narrow, players who drive
for direction do not complain. The
higher grass. known as the rough"
on either side of the fairway tests
the players skill. for the rough" is
all that it's name implies, and once
the ball enters 1t. forward direction
ceases.
THE putting greens are not level;
they are undulating, in the main
and call for the maximum amount of
skill. The surfaces are, however,
beautifully kept. AS you leave the
clubhouse and wander to the first
tee you place your ball in a little tin
gutter. This is done SO that each
player will know when his turn comes
to play. Saturday afternoons and
Sundays the gutter is filled to over
flowing and it is amusing to watch
the players carefully note how many
balls are ahead of them. At last
those preceding you have been given
the word to go. The attendant mo-
your little green ticket. grasp a
pinch Of wet sand and build your lit
tie mound. Your turn COMES, you
take your position, or as golfers term
1t, select your stance, and prepare to
drive the little white ball toward
the first cup. You throw back your
says. that is another story.
made, evolved. or however they came
into being, 1t must have been with
the thought that their mission in life
was to study golf players, and while
in Washington psychologists may
have had to content themselves with
such interesting studies as members
Of the House and Senate. the cabinets
Presidents and other outstanding flg-
ures in the past, they now have q
far broader field. The Washington
golfer. both native and adopted, ID
here in force: Before we drive Of,
the tee, suppose we watch some OF
the players who are indulging in this
healthy exercise. The first is four
some, masculine in composition and
generous adipose tissue. That courtesy
of the links prohibits any one from
talking while a player is preparing
to hit the ball; not SO with that four.
some, however. The man on the ex.
treme left, who in architectural lines
resembles the late John Bunny OF
movie fame. 10 being guyed by his
three associates. Their banter is