Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-25

H. ~ SoaS !
ger that the game of golf will be com |
Inefcialized?
The United States Golf association
seems to think that there is. and
through its executive committee has IS
sued u warning to that effect. The
men who rule affairs in this great out
door sport wan a halt called on the
practice of putting up unduly large
purses for professionals to contend for
in tournaments aud in special matches.
Unless this is done. the committeeman
fear that the money interest soon will
predominant in the game, with alto
gether unwholesome and demoralizing
results.
In a formal statement issued as a
bulletin from the association the COM
mittee predicts that if golf. like other
sports, is allowed to be commercialized
by the professionals, popular interest
in the pastime, which has attained phe-
pomenal proportions, will be nullified
to a great extent.
Those who have followed golf de-
yelopments in the United States within
the past two or three seasons have
seen The game blossom into d garden
of rare pickings for the men who make
a business of it. Salaries have doubled,
trebled and quadNipled, and the money
rewards OF the winners Of the big
championships have increased in even
greater proportion.
Gene Sarazen. who won this years
national open championship. is said to
be taking the money in with both hands.
Wealthy clubs are bidding for his serv-
ices as a professional until he can al
most name his own figure. while he can
pick up a thousand dollars or so for an
exhibition match any time he wants
it. Not so bad for Il youth who was
a caddy boy but Il few seasons back.
Walter Hagen, Jim Barnes, Jock
Hutchinson. Joe kirkwood and others
Of the topnotchers are finding golf a
veritable money tree and the large
earnings of these leaders have had a
decided tendency to increase the molu-
ments Of all professionals. 4 craze
for special matches in which at least
one' of the stars will display his skill
and prowess to the wonder and awe
of the average cub members has spread
all over the country, and as the de
n1and for this sort of thing has grown
naturally the cash prizes that must be
offered TO attract the best Of the talent
have ~skyrocketed.
Started by English Invasion
An English invasion is held largely
responsible for this craze for exhibition
contests. All the English professionals
are not Scotch. but they are all canny
and when they saw the chance for
rich pickings in the United States they
were not slow 10 take advantage Of
1t. Harry Nardon and Ted Ray were
about the first. if not the first. team
TO come oven from England to play a
series Of matches throughout the United
Z Nfa{aE tfIhrn -, ~ - - ~
the ancient and honorable game were
managed and routed like vaudeville
| stars and, in all played some so or 80
matches: They received not less than
$500 or $500 for each Of these exhibi-
tons, it IL understood. and the bank
! roll they took back TO the old country
with them was something TO make a
professional there decide that lie would
!, come over here to get n Bit of the easy
money if he had to swim the bloonin'
, Atlantic.
Duncan and Mitchell and others soon
followed and then the professionals
here found that they. too, could cut
5 IN on the exhibition game and the pro-
. cess Of commercializing golf was well
under way. Wealthy men intent on
. getting the best Of the talent entered
in tournaments that were little more
than exhibition affairs began offering
] larger and still larger prizes, until the
climax was reached recently in a ten
tative proposal TO PVT up $4,000 for
such al affair near Washington.
That is something different from the
days, not so long ago. when $500 was
! all that the man got who won the open
championship Of the United States and
the reward for carrying off the Eng
fish open was approximately the same.
, And it is that sort 1T thing that led
> the executive committee Of the l.. =,
g. A. TO declare that it had watched
2 with misgivinss the practice of offer
. ing unusually large purses indulgpd In
by member clubs and sectional asso-
cations for the purpose If inducing
: golf professionals TO compete in open
tournaments and exhibitions.
. Interest In Game Partly Responsible
, The committee says that it is aware
Of the keen desire Of the ordinary
golfer throughout the country to wit
ness the performance of the leading
c professionals. and assumes that The
4 growing interest in the game is partly
responsible for the money inducements
. offered iii the open competitions. This
practice ann0t be continued without
interests Of the game al heart.
= 1T is therefore earnestly request
e ed" concludes the committees state
d protest from those who have the best
ment. that member clubs and section
al associations give this matter their
earnest consideration and IN the future
when contemplating the staging Of such
tournaments. that the question of mod.
crate prize money awards be carefully
1 considered. bearing in mind that il
this pastime is allowed to be commer.
cia!ized by the professionals. as in other
sports, the phenomenal interest now
taken BY the ordinary golfer in The
d game will be nulllfied 10 d great ex.
! tent"
" DR.. Walter S. Harlan, dean Of
% Washington golfers and a former L. $
G. A. official, feels very keenly 81