Evening star., 1939-07-16
Would Hold Journeys,
Sponsor Players
In Club Events
East Potomac Livewire
Also Is Seeking Body
For Mid-AtIuntics
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

BY WALTER McCALLUM.
Something new in public links golf
is coming up soon, if Tommy Doerer,
the dynamic little golf promoter at
East Potomac Park, goes through
with his plans.
Tommy plans within few days to
call meeting of all public links
golfers in Washington to form a
District Public Links Golf Asso-
citation" embracing East Potomac
Park, Rock Creek Park and Ana
costa Park
After this has been formed he
plans to confer with Preston A.
Pairo, public links representative of
the United States Golf Association
In Baltimore, to organize Middle
Atlantic public links organization
to which delegates from Richmond
and Norfolk will be invited.
Seen as Aid to Game.
Both organizations will back tour
naments, will guarantee in tourna-
ments at the country clubs the
financial responsibility of public
links players, and will tend, says
Doerer, to improve relations between
the vast army of public links golfers
and the country clubs.
I'VE haven't any squabble, or even
the suggestion of it, with the asso-
Citations governing golf in this terri
tory" says Doerer. But as the
situation now stands public links
golfers cannot play in many of the
larger tournaments in this section
True, few of them played in the
Maryland State amateur champion
ship, but they do not play in the
District championship, and in other
events.
Il feel that if we work out strong
organization and guarantee the
financial responsibility of our play
ers we will be on the same footing
as any other association and can
have some of our players in the big
tournaments.
Points to Baltimore Body.
Tommy explained that Baltimore
only recently has formed a new
public links organization embracing
Mount Pleasant, Clifton Park, Hill
side and Forest Park, the idea being
to enter public links players in the
tournaments staged by the Mary
land State Golf Association. Full
representation of the public links
golfers in State association Journeys
was beaten at the annual meeting
last January.
For several years an organization
called the East Potomac Park Golf
Club existed at the downriver course.
But this outfit disbanded last spring
and at present no embracing
public links association is in ex-
istence in Washington. This all will
be changed If Doerer has his way.
Nor has the whole situation any,
thing to do with the barring of
Doerer himself from a mixed four
some tourney of the Maryland State
Association at Beaver Dam last week.
THE State association has every
right to live up to its bylaws" he
said. Il have no club affiliation and
I have no handicap" said Tommy,
therefore I cannot join the State
association tournaments. They were
completely in the right"
But at the time time Tommy feels
that the public links golfers have
been booted around long enough.
He feels sure that if financial re-
sponsibility can be proven, a handi-
cap list be arranged, and the gen.
eral apathy toward public links
golfers can be overcome, the players
who use the pay-as-you-play courses
will be welcome in most of the
tournaments.
Tommy in Earnest.
At present the bylaws of most
OF the sectional associations contain
q clause limiting member clubs to
those which own or control their
own golf courses. This could not
apply in the case of the public links,
because the courses in Washington
are on United States Government
property, leased by S. G. Leoffler
from the Government and are not
owned or controlled by the players,
or, in the case of a club, the mem
bers. Maybe some way around
these provisions could be found.
In any event Doerer is deadly Sc
rious with his intention to 60 ahead
with the formation of two public
links associations.