Evening star., 1934-01-13
40OPER CENT loss
IN RECEIPTS SEEN
U. S. G. A. Up Against 1t for
Funds, With No Great
Drawing Card.
BY w, r. McCALLUM.

TIME United States Golf As
sociation, parent body of
1 the game of golf in the
United States, isn't exactly
on the verge of toppling into
oblivion, but it would give a
couple of high-powered golf balls
and a new set of amateur rules
to see another Bobby Jones ap-
pearing over the bunkered no.
rizOn.
For the income of the U. S. G. A.
from admission fees at the amateur
and open championships has been cut,
oh, so sadly, since the great one from
Atlanta retired from the tournament
scene and decided to make himself a
little money from the game to which
he had contributed so much in cash
for the Golfers of the governing body
during the days when he was the
finest drawing card anywhere along the
sand-fringed pathway to the hole.
~ ECEIPTS for the two major cham
K pionships have dropped off more
than 40 per cent from the peak
year of 1890, when Jones was in the
midst of his spectacular stunt of cor
railing all the major links titles OF
the world according to United states
Golf Association announcement today.
While the mogulS of the game do not
say in so many words that the drop
in gate receipts is due to the retire
ment of Jones. the figures are PLAIN
to see. For where the amateur cham
pionship in 1888 drew S4,0l6 and the
open drew So GOT. or total OF a little
under $4,000. without Jones. the two
major championships of 1880, when
the great one was in the middle OF his
Crusading career. drew total OF more
than S5l 900. And there isn't any
Jones appearing anywhere along the
golf front to restore the gate-pulllng
power of golf and enrich the cofters
of the United States Golf Association.
Goodman might 90 it. but he isn't the
golfer that Jones was, and he lacks
the magnetic qualities of the erstWhlle
emperor.
VEN back in 1929, the year Jones
won the open at Winged Foot and
fell before Goodman in the f1rSt
round of the amateur at Pebble Beacn,
the combined gate for the two cham
pionships was more than $4,000. Nat
urally much of the drop IN the gate
receipts for the major championships
may properly be laid at the door OF
the depression, but golf is like any
other game.
Produce an outstanding inquire, man
who captures the imagination OF the
throng, and they will lay their dough
on the line to see him perform Jones
was that man, and the box office never
will be the same until another Jones is
produced How the gents who handle
the finances of the U. S. G. A. must
yearn for another like him. In those
fat years when Bobby was pulling 'em
in at the gate the U. S. G. A. piled up
a top-heavy surplus. They invested in
gilt-edge stuff. sent Walker Cup teams
abroad with a hurrah and a hoop-la,
spent many thousands of dollars on
greens section investigation, all OF which
was thoroughly worthwhile and in keep
ing with the spirit of the times.
DUT nowadays, with no big box office
X figure to pull in the cash custom
ers and a reduced membership list,
the U. S. G. A. has had to pull in its
horns, speaking in terms of dollars.
They will send a Walker Cup team
abroad this year, and the boys probably
will again lug home the historic trophy,
but the old thrill will be gone. There
won't be any Jones in there, winning
points and pulling EN- in at the gate to
justify the expense.
Galleries at the major championships
these days are slim indeed, compared
with the bowling, tearing mobs that
followed the Great One when he was
giving them all up and making 'em
like it. Of course, the size OF some of
the Jones galleries was exaggerated, but
when you get 5000 or 1000 people fol-
lowing one golf match, that's lot of
folk getting chilblains and aching feet
to see one man hit little round ball.
Nowadays few matches, even the final
in the amateur championship, draw
more than 1000. But put Jones back
there in the thick of the scramble once
more and you would Immediately find a
big box Office reaction. There just
hasn't been any one like him either to
put on a show or to provide the obese
gate receipts, and so far no one has ap-
peared that will match his appeal with
John @ Public