The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-11-27
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC ,. HAsKIN. Direccor.
WAahingtDn. DC.
DANGER OF CONTEMPLATING

| its executive committee has issued a
warning to that effect. The men who
rule affairs in this great outdoor sport
want halt called on the, practice of
putting up unduly large purses for
professionals to contend for in tourna-
ments and in special matches. Unless
this is done, the committeeman fear
that the money interest soon will pre-
dominate in the game, with altogether
unwholesome and demoralizing re-
suits.
In a formal statement issued as a
bulletin from the association, the
committee predicts that if golf like
other sports is allowed to be CONNER
cialized by the professionals, popular
interest in the pastime, which has at
tanned phenomenal proportions. will
be nullified to q great extent.
Those who have followed golf de-
velopments in the United States within
the past two or three seasons have
seen the game blossom into garden
of rare pickings for the men who
make a business of it. Salaries have
doubled, trebled and quadrupled, 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 services as a professional until he
can almost name his own figure. while
ne can DICK uD a LnOuSanu OO4ldTS OF
so for an exhibition match any time
he wants it. Not so bad for youth
who was caddy boy but a few seasons
backI
Walter Hagen, Jim Barnes, Jock
Hutchinson, Joe kirkwood, and others
of the top-notchers are finding golf
a veritable money tree and the large
earnings of these leaders have had a
DECIDED tendency to increase the emol-
uments of all professionals. A craze
for erNn f-a1 fob in - a
one of Nthe stars will display his skill
and prowess to the wonder and awe of
the average club members has spread
all over the country, and as the de-
mands for this sort of thing has grown
naturally the cash prizes that must be
offered to attract the best of the talent
have skyrocketed-
An English invasion is held largely
responsible for this craze for exhibit
ton contests. All the English pro-
fessionals are not Scotch, but they are
all canny and when they saw the
chance for rich pickings in the United
vantage of It. Harry Vardon and Ted
Ray were about the first, if not the
first, team to come over from England
to play a series of matches turnout
the United States. These eminent ex-
ponents of the ancient and honorable
game were managed and routed like
vaudeville stars and in all played some
eighty or ninety matches. They re-
ceiYed not less than four or five hum
bred dollars for each of these exhibit
tions. it is understood. and the bank
roll they took back to the old country
with them was something to make a
professional there decide that he
would come over here to get a BIT of
the easy money if he had to swim the
bIoomin' Atlantic.
Duncan and Mitchell and others
soon followed and then the profess
sionals here found that they. too, could
cut in on the exhibition game and the
process of commercializing golf was
we'll under way. Wealthy men intent
on getting the best Of the talent en-
tered in tournaments that were little
more than exhibition affairs began
offering larger and still larger prizes,
until the climax was reached recently
in a tentative proposal to put up
$1,000 for such an affair near WASH
ington.
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 English open was approximately
the same. And it is that sort of thing
that led the executive committee of
the U. S. G. A. to declare that it had
watched with misgivings the practice
of offering unusually large purses in
dulged in by member clubs and sec
tional associations for the purpose of
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 thruout the country TO witness
the performance of the leading pro-
fessionals, and assumes that the grow
ing interest in the game is partly re-
sponsible for the money Inducements
offered in the open competitions. This
practice cannot be continued without
a protest from those who have the
best interests of the game at heart.
ct is therefore earnestly requested"
concludes the committees statement,
that member clubs and sectional as
sociations give this matter their ear
nest consideration and in the future
when contemplating the staging of
such tournaments, that the question of
moderate prize money awards be care
fully considered, bearing in mind that
If this pastime is allowed to be COM
mercialized by the professionals, as
in other sports, the phenomenal inter
est now taken by the ordinary golfer
in the game will be nuIlified to a great
extent"
DR.. walter S. Harlan, dean of
washington golfers and a former U. 81
G. "A. official feels very keenly on this
subject He sees in the commercial
izing tendency a real menace to golf
at Is a bad thing for the game
said Doctor Harlan, when the Z. s.
C. A bulletin was received in this
city. .and in the long run it will prove
to be bad thing for the professionals
themselves. Any one can understand
why the big money prizes appeal to
the men who make a business of golf. |
they want to make all the
money they can legitimately, and play
ing for cash prizes is one of the legiti- |
mate phases OF their business.
However. that should never be per-
mitted to become their chief source or
hope of, income. Golf needs teaching |
professionals rather than playing pro-
fesSionals, and when the money re-
wards for competitions become unduly |
large ii is inevitable that the profess |
SIGNALS will neglect their chief func- /
ton. which is to instruct and assist
those who maintain our golf clubs, /
and devote themselves primarily to /