Evening star., 1939-11-26
By WALTER McCALLUM.

William r. Stone, the father and
author of American Golf, is known
as a plugger In business, man
who never quits, and who keeps on
working away. AS a golfer he is
just the same, a man who took up
the game around eight years ago,
and who today plays in the low
80s and the high 70s, which hap
pens to be pretty good golf for a
fellow around 60 years of age.
Bill has carried the same plug
ging tactics into his brain-child, the
newest thing in golf, which he calls
American Golf" Briefly, the plan
would substitute IL hole courses for
the present layouts of 18 holes: it
would call for two-hole courses,
and would build up circuits between
cities of golf teams which could
play night golf on lighted courses.
But Bill has gone into all angles
OF golf in working out the details
of his scheme and some of them
are not f1attering to present golf
setups.
hcqulTcS 100 MUCH lime.
Here are a few of the Stone OBJ
servations on golf, as it is played
today:
"At present, there is nothing worse
than golf for the average youth or
worker in its pernicious and evil
influences, due solely to the time
required to negotiate 18 holes of their
customary lengths. To become ex-
pert, he must neglect his studies or
his work and abandon himself to
associates equally as thriftless, with
extremely exaggerated ideas of the
fame which expertness brings, and
OF the chance to become an expert.
But if the game could be played
within one and one-half and two
hours, between 5 and pm. day
light, and between and II pm,
flood light, instead of taking four
or five hours for the desk sitter
to walk himself into a state of ex-
haustion on week ends and holidays
or to sacrifice money making dur
ing his working hours, obviously it
would solve more problems than
could all the medicines and hos
pitfalls combined.
Apparently Saint Andrews organ
izations (by which he means the
older golf sponsors have grown be-
yond the control of their individual
adherents. They apparently are
shackled by system too big and
too crystallized for even their duly
| elected representatives to alter radi-
| cally. For years the jungle rough,
the maze of traps and the lengthen-
ing holes, not to speak of the irk-
| some stymie, have been condemned
by large majorities. but the ancient
architecture still is the accepted
standard of perfection.
Country Clubs in Red.
Only a new organization and a
new game forthwith can eliminate
disparities, scientifically standardize
courses and adequately stimulate
public interest In due course con-
vention of members would write the
necessary bylaws. They need not
tear down what has been builded
we'll Knocking balls around with
sticks is pastime as old as the hills.
The method Is what counts.
Literally the country club has
been in the red from the day it was
born. A waiting list and a sprinkler
system are only adventurous boasts
to prove the rule Most clubs could
decorate more extensively with mort
cages than with surpluses. Many
buildings have not been renovated
properly since their erection. Bunker
terraces are filled with holes and
weeds A net profit, minus upkeep,
usually is a net loss
With these few blasts at the pres
ent golf system Stone goes on to
expound his theories for night golf,
shorter golf courses and the setting