Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-02

municipal
Can public links golf III wash
ington hope to progress WITH
out a we'll organized and maintained
municipal golf association?
Are the public golf facilities OF the
Capital keeping pace with the CROWN
of the city, particularly those IN the
densely populated Northwest section!
These questions are asked today by
James d. Preston, national pubic INKS
committeeman for the United STATES
Golf Association, representing Washlng-
ton on the national committee. preston
has lust returned from trip through
the Middle West, during which he at
tended the national public links cnam-
pionship, with its disappointing snow
ing by the Washington public links
team, and visited many courses IN tne
section of the country. Here Is WnaI
Jim has to say of public links condl-
lions III Washington.
My Dear Walter:
II was very much interested In your
story of August IL with reference 10
our local municipal players, Tor the
reason I want to see just what can De
done to place our courses and players
on the same footing that l find Is now
prevailing in many of the cities that
contribute players to the annual pubic
links tournament. In our lndlnerent
mode of running along In the same ola
fashion, we fail to recognize that our
players are brought into competition
with tournament seasoned players los
tered by we'll organized golf CLUBS ana
associations.
Regarded Seriously.
cat no better place can one get an
accurate idea as to just how seriously
the public links annual event Is re-
garded than at the A;ene OF the tourna-
ment. 1t is a clearing house OF Ideas
and this year. Chairman GanSon
Depew of the Public Links Section,
after seeing the splendid types Oh boys
contributed by the various cities, SAID
over and over again, that the puohc
links tournament had ceased to be an
experiment and had taken its rightful
place as one of the four great annual
championships fostered by the United
States Golf Association. 1t Is no longer
a gathering of players such as one VIII
find daily on the local courses, but LOT
the most part players who nave me-
thodically and persiStently worked 10
better their game in order TO meet the
unusual conditions incident TO ma
tional championship.
carl Kaufman. who has three times
won the public links championship, VIII
rarely play two full rounds OF gol1 our-
ing the week. But he does put IN hour
after hour of practice, at times oe-
voting a whole period to one club. ms
routine is followed three or four times
each week, month in and out IhoSe
who watched him use his irons at 81.
Louis, with approach shots so close 10
the pin that it simply unnerVed ms op,
results of his hours Of constant appn-
cation. Another example OF prepare
tion for this annual event was the
Louisville team
Washington Marking Time.
"T often wonder just what we can 90
in this CITY to meet the competition OIL
the part Of city officials OF other towns,
who are whole heartedly concerned Win
the welfare Of their local players by mn
proving present layoutS and construct
ing additional courses OF CHAMPIONSHIP
caliber. This is just as true OF cities
much smaller than Washington, as it Is
of the larger ones. They are rapidly go
ing forward, and We merely marking
time. The public links annual rarely
loses the representation OF city, once
the initial appearance has been maoe.
This wear there were five additions.
Our local golf courses are certainly
bearing a burden. The East Potomac
course will always be good pubic Zee
course, but, away from the resloen-
tial sections of the city, 1t will never
have that following that takes person.
al interest in a course located In a resi-
dental section.
THE Rock Greek course is now carry
ing a load that is far more than should
be saddled on to any golf course. Imag-
inc / 200 pairs of feet treading green
in a single day. It Is truly amazing
that the course is as good as 1t Is. Twelve
hundred rounds on a. Sunday Is some
thing that has happened more than
once, and that was the limitation simply
because there was a limitation to the
amount of light in which to play. Any
one familiar with the section contiguous
to the Rock Creek course cannot fail to
note the steady building of residences
that is going on and unquestionably it
will mean additional patronage for this
golf course.
1.-THE new Business High School is to
be located at Thirteenth and Upshur
streets, and 1t is not unreasonable to
believe that this will prove another fac
tor contributing to the patronage of this
golf course. The present concession
naire at the Rock Creek course, Several
year ago in a way Sensed this eventual
crowdng, by securing the services of a
competent golf architect, to make a
survey of the available land adjacent to
the present course to see If nine addi-
tional holes could be constructed. IN
fortunately his was an adverse report,
for there wasn't enough disable land to
permit of further construction.
Outside of the possible lengthening