Evening star., 1936-01-31
SHY TEST EVENTS
j. S. STARS ENJOY
Accounts for Failure in In
ternationaI Play, Mel leod
Believes.
BY w. r. McCALLUM.

amateur golfers nave peen
singularly unsuccessful IN
i 1 their attempts to lift the
Walker Cup, while their professional
brethren have gained at least an even
break in the Ryder Cup series with
American pros?
Fred Mcleod thinks he has the an
swer to this question. little matter
which the British themselves would
like to know. Its all in the competi-
ton they have" Fred says.
And how come?
The professional golfers of Great
Britain, opines the little North Ber-
wick Scot, have ample competition to
stiffen their golfing backbones in a
series of tournaments among them
selves from April to September, while
the amateurs of the old country have
comparatively few tournaments of the
American variety.
ut is competition which makes a
golfer" Fred says. Without it no man
can go far in this game. He must hav,
q good golf game to begin with, but
he must also know how his game will
stand up in the tough test of tourna-
ments, when the other fellow is hitting
the ball down the middle and planting
his second shots up there around the
pin. British amateurs do not have
enough tournaments among them
selves.
De Forest Is an Example.
a FEW years ago a British amateur
named Johnny De Forest came
to America to play in some of the
tournaments here. He didn't do sc
much in the amateur events, but he
made the Winter swing with the pros
never winning anything but getting
the competitive experience he needed
The next Spring he won the British
amateur championship.
More competition Of that kind il
what the British amateurs need. There
are plenty Of golfers scattered from
Aberdeen to London who can hit the
ball and hit it well, but they do moi
have the constant round Of tourna.
ments that American amateurs have
Why there's never closed season or
amateur tournaments in this country
It's going on right now in Florida, anc
II an amateur has the money and thu
time he can play tournament circui
stretching So weeks a year from Cali
fornia and Florida to Maine and Sc
attic. And that is what makes golfe!
.-competition.
You will find that our Walker Guy
playing in tournaments starting earl.
in the Spring before the matches a
Pine Valley In September. And they
will be all set for the matches b,
steady tournament experience loni
before they come off,,
Golfing Pick-Ups.
"A NDREW J. (CY) CUMMINGS, tn
sage of Montgomery County, ane
the main guy at Laurel, has been con
fined to his home for several days
Cy had serious operation las
year he hasn't swung golf clut
for some years, nor has he done any
golf dinner speaking since Charley
Watson left town E. Cy's speeches al
ways brought down the house when hi
swung into that towering oak stuff anc
Gods footstool here in Montgomer,
County" Lefty Harrell's Augusts
crowd is limited to % players for th'
Washington's Birthday trip d. more
golfers would form too unwieldy 6
group, Lefty thinks =. and the grour
L. practically filled now, what with
bad Winter and lot of the boys
itching for the feel of driver again
=. . Bill Hardy of Chevy Chase though
he could get away for Miami triE
this Winter, but Bob Barnett is keep
ing him so busy with orders for club.
he has abandoned the idea. set
Collins is the champion of the fan
tan game at the Columbia golf shol
Collins will shove off to Miam
tomorrow land no Hialeah," h'
says. Secretary Bill Barr and thu
Missus may go to Jacksonville for
few days of rest after the Distric
association meeting next Monday.