Evening star., 1939-11-05
Must Limit Entrants
Or Stage Journeys
On Two Courses
Washington Association
Is Rated Second Only
To PhiIIy's in U. S..
By WALTER McCALLUM,

~ TuIIIy III ". ,.
BY WALTER McCALLUM.
Feminine golfers of Washington
have wound up season that in
many ways has been their most sue
cessful since the Women's District
Golf Association took over the juris-
diction over women's golf around
1928, removed it from the benevolent
despotism of the men and started
going to town with their own af-
fairs.
How they've gone to town is one
OF the bright sagas of administrative
effort and skilled organization of any
association of sportsWomen any,
where. Here are a few facts on the
1889 season:
Entry fields in the major tourna-
ments have reached new peaks.
The women played series OF nine
team matches in three classes.
The crack team of the Women's
District Golf Association won two
out of three intercity team matches.
They played in 10 major cup
tournaments and they played in
three major sectional championships.
Only one of these was run by the
Women'S association, but through the
efforts of this association the two
others were made successful events.
These were the women's District
championship, the Middle Atlantic
Gold Association championship and
the Maryland State Golf Association
championship.
Finances Well Handled.
Above all these events they have
managed their financial affairs so
well that today the treasury OF the
feminine links organization is well
fortified. This year, for the first
time, they took in more than 81 600
in entry fees, either in the form OF
budget book sales, enabling the
holders to play in all tournaments
for a small charge, or in the form
of downright entry fees at 81 a
tournament.
So outstanding has been the work
accomplished by the Women's Dis
trict Golf Association that the or
garization has become pattern for
other women's associations. Only
one feminine links outfit eclipses the
local organization; that in Phlla-
delphia, a city four times as large
as Washington, which possibly mas
the most highly organized women's
golf association in the United States.
Now the Washington women have
before them a problem that was as
inevitable as the steady growth OF
their organization. The problem was
certain to follow the growing tend
ency toward larger tournament f1elds.
It simply is that with larger fields
they seriously must consider split
ting the entry lists by some methoo
to avoid serious congestion.
Fields Bound to Grow.
This year their largest field was
in the National Broadcasting Co.
tournament at the Army Navy
Country Club. Two hundred ana
six women entered and 1873 actually
played through a rainy morning.
Entry lists of $50 and more have
been common this year. Ten years
ago association officials would have
thrown up their hands in horror at
such a list. But so accustomed have
they become to large fields that
today $50 players form a routine
entry list. With the experience OF
years behind them and a smoothly
functioning organization they start
and finish these large fields without
delay and without trouble.
But the women realize that the
fields won't remain at their present
level; that they will grow larger
as they have continued to grow for
years. They know they are faced
with a situation that inevitably
will have to result in one Of two
measures. either curtailing the entry
lists by some means or splitting the
fields in major tournaments between
two courses.
The first alternative is not pleas
ant, for they cannot conscientiously
tell the high handicap player she
cannot compete in tournaments
until she reaches a specified handi-
cap level. But the second is en-
tirely feasible. It has been tried,
in fact, in one tournament this year
and resulted in an altogether satis-
factory method of reducing con-
gestion.
Men Yet May Squawk.
Back of it all, of course, comes the
problem of getting courses with
out interfering with the. regular
play of the members on busy days.
The men haven't made any serious
complaints, but if the time comes
when women's tournaments tie up
golf courses from 8 am. to late
afternoon they won't like it.
Several years ago the Times and
the Herald, then separate newspa-
pers, gave cups to the Women's Dis
trict Association. Since then the
two papers have been merged. When
the time came to play for these
trophies this year the womens as
sociation decided to play for them
on the same day at two courses,
splitting the field according to ham
dicaps. The Woodmont course was
used for the low handicap players,
while the higher handicapped
women went to Kenwood. The whole
affair was highly successful and un-
doubtedly the move to split the large
fields due in 1910 will be patterned
after this tourney.
This is the biggest job confronting
the women over the coming winter.
But they are well equipped to handle
it. They have a complete organiza-
ton, experienced and capable. They
have strong constitution and a
set of bylaws that prescribe the
conditions of play in their tourna-
ments. They've done one of the
really great jobs of organization in
any sport anywhere.