The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-30
Frederick Haskin's Letter,
YOUTH AND THE GAME OF GOLF

nobody would until he had nothing
else better to do.
One such youth yielded to per-
suasion and condescended to try
q round on a Washington course a
few years ago. True to tradition.
he got OF exceptionally long drives
from the first three tees, He was
not SO good in approaching the
greens and in getting down his
puts, but he was extremely well
pleased with himself as he stood
on the fourth tee and prepared to
get OF another slashing drive.
WELL" he said in all serious
ness, Il have mastered the long
game, but see that I'll have TO
give a little attention now to the
iron clubs!"
Needless to say he did not there
upon whale out another long drive.
Whom the gods of golf love they
chasten, and that young man was
duly chastened before he learned
the difference between luck and
skill in a well-hit golf shot. Today
the golf courses of the world are
covered with men who mourn the
years they lost-the yearS Of
youths suppleness and resilency.
when the teyes were keen, and when
there were no such things as
jumpy nerves, atrophied muscles
and stiffened joints.
Futures for Professionals
Second of the reasons why the
younger generation is taking to
golf is that it now holds out sub
stantial rewards to those who make
a profession of it. Walter Hagen
will probably make $4,000 this
year as a result of his having won
the British open championship. He
and Joe kirkwood, the Australian
champion, have teamed up to play
! exhibition games and have practic-
ally all their time booked for
months ahead. They get minimum
of $500 day for these games, and
! while there is nothing about that
| to make Jack Dempsey give up
prize-fighting, it runs into a tidy
sum in the course of a year. Kirk
! wood is past master OF trick
| shots and he and Hagen make a
combination that 81 hard to beat as
drawing card.
Gene Sarazen will cash in on his
success in like degree. He is in
great demand for exhibition games
| already, and in October he and
Hagen are matched in a contest for
what is termed the worlds cham
| pionship that will yield big cash
prize to the winner and be we'll
| worth while even for the loser.
AS an illustration of how success
in golf may be capitalized it may
! be noted that>a western promoter
offered Bobby Jones $4,000 to play
a series Of exhibition games with
Sarazen. OF course Bobby declined
the offer, as he is an amateur and
has no thought of abandoning this
amateur status, but at least he has
| the satisfaction of knowing what
he can do in case the mortgage is
about, to be foreclosed on the old
homestead. or some similar emery
ency arises.
However, the professional does
not have to be one of the top-notch-
ers in order to make money. Those
who stand even fairly well as play
ers and as teachers are in demand
and have no trouble in securing
positions that will net them from
I 81, 500 to $4,000 or $4,000 a year
including their fees as instructors
and their profits on the sale Of
balls, clubs, golf bags and other
equipment of the game.
Every boy who becomes a csAa,
speedily is enamored of the game
and begins playing as soon as he
can get possession of an old club
or two. Nine times out of ten he
decides that he would rather iiiay
golf than do anything else he cal
think of, and when he realizes thai
! he can get real money for playing
1t the only thing that can stop min
from becoming professional Is
utter inability to master the game
| So it is not surprising that the
oldsters are no longer permitted
to look upon golf as their game
and they are fortunate that the
sport is such that they cannot BIZ
crowded out entirely. Youth ma!
win the championships. but it. car
never acquire a monopoly of the
pleasure and benefits to be derived
from the game.
. Besides, golf is a game that once
a man has taken it up and learnc'
its thrills and destinations he vii
never quit it until he finds himself
: in that last great bunker from
which there is no recovery-th'
grave.