San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-18
SPECIALIZATION HAS
MADE AMERICAG GREAT
NATION OF GOLFERS
That's the Reason, Says
Perry, That Game Has
Developed So.
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.

Copyright by The San Antonio Light
New York, April IS. With the
flower of our amateur golfers-aside
from Chick Evans and Bobby Jones
ON the Atlantic en- route for Eng
land, we catch the word "specializa-
ton in more than one London dis
patch, setting forth English comment
upon the forthcoming invasion.
The Americans, SO runs the trend
of thought, may win the British ANA
teur title among them and as a team
they may succeed in defending the
Walker cup. But this will prove
merely that we have made specializa-
ton in golf-as in other sports-a re-
ligion, whereas such victories would
not prove that the average Ameri-
can is more athletic than the average
Englishman. All of which is inter-
esting chiefly because it is true.
As a matter of fact, as far at least
as versatility in sports is concerned,
it is hardly TO be doubted that many
more Englishmen than Americans
have the ability 10 perform credit
ably in several games. On the other
hand, our English friends would do
well to consider that were il not for
this very habit of specialization, no
team of amateur golfers would now
be on its way TO Albion's shores for
the simple reason that we would have
no amateurs of ability sufficient TO
warrant sending them. And surely
the overseas golfers would look upon
this as regrettable since in recent
years the scheme Of international COM
petition as between England and
America has done much TO improve
our common understanding and de-
velop that mutual respect which is
born through friendly rivalry.
Specialization alone has made our
amazing progress in golf possible. II
has provided us with a short cut to
high proficiency in the game that
could have come in no other way.
When it is realized that our first open
championship was held in 1894 and
that our first national amateur came
a year later-not thirty years ago
one gets an idea of the extraordinary
distance we have traversed in a sim
gle generation. Thirty years ago
golf in the United States was a fad.
Years of steady expansion have re-
moved the sport from this category
and made it as definite a part of our
sporting scheme as baseball. Indeed,
there has arisen a belief that the
next twenty years will see golf sup
planting baseball as our ma jor ma
tional pastime-this chiefly through
the present movement for the ex-
pansion Of municipal links.
However that may be. there is every
reason to believe - visiting foreign
golfers make no effort to deny it
that America is destined to become
the greatest golfing country in the
world. 1t is estimated that nearly
two million men and women, boys and
girls in the United States. are play
ing golf-or will be shortly-and
there are estimates which give this
country some 1000 golf clubs with a
of nearly a million. We
are spending. according to eolfing en-
thusiasts. about S13s 000,0 900 n year
on the game. This is a stupendous
sum and in some ways is to be re-
GREETED in so far MS an appreciate
item in this annual expenditure goes
for golfing paraphernalia which is
very expensive and must be reduced
II the calling TO the game of addi-
tional tens of thousands through the
municipal link idea is adequately to
be realized.