Evening star., 1939-03-27
No Spectator Appeal
In 12-Hole Game by
Star Amateurs
Sport Devised by Stone
Minimizes Drive, Fovors
Keen Shotmuker
By WALTER McCALLUM.

~ssVSH SYSsS
Keen Shotmoker
BY WALTER McCALLUM.
Perhaps Bill Stone has something
in the new game of American golf,"
which he has unveiled to Wash
ington's links public after more than
year had elapsed since the original
ballyhoo started for the l2-hole test.
But you couldn't prove it by those
who watched the original presenta-
ton between picked teams of eight
amateurs each at Indian Spring
yesterday before an apathetic and
skimpy crowd who knew little more
about it than the players them
selves. Bill Stone, enthusiastic over
his new idea of proving that golf
is more than a big wallop from the
tee, plans to 60 ahead with inter-
city matches at II holes between
teams of amateurs and professionals
and even now is figuring on build
ing, somewhere around the Capital,
a 12-hole course which will serve
as the proving ground for what he
hopes will lead to formation of in
tercity leagues.
Spectators Apathetic.
Rumor around Indian Spring has
it that Stone, having dumped quite
piece of change into the prelimi-
nary work, is prepared to sink many
thousands more to prove that golf
before seated spectators played on a
more or less circumscribed course
can be made into quite a spectator
sport. Stone himself talks enthusi-
astically about it. And maybe he
has something
To few who turned out for
the initial showing yesterday. where
big group of chairs stretched like
pallid ghosts around the ninth green,
the game became one of only pass
ing interest. They gaped at the
scoreboard above the table where
Stone sat, with some show of en-
thusiasm, but you couldn't discern
any frenzied cheering
Frankly, it looks good 1t will
take away the overpowering advan-
tage of the big sock from the tee.
If all Bill says is true. And it looks
true. But it also will give the lad
who can hit golf shots and who
knows the course the undoubted ad-
vantage.
Sharkey Topped Scoring.
You don't have to 60 farther than
Yesterdays test to realize that, when
you see that Buddy Sharkey. the
Indian Spring club champ, outscored
all the others with a 12-hole card
OF As, which happens to be l over
par. Buddy grew up at Indian
Spring and not only knows the dis
tance, but all the angles as we'll. But
so did Roger Peacock and Bobby
Brownell.
If you care for statistics in the
face Of pallid exhibition the East
side" team. led by BrowneI, whipped
the "Westside" outfit. topped by
Claude Rippy. Eddie Bean Of the
winning team was second to
Sharkey in individual scoring with
a AZ.
Maybe it will go as a big time
attempt to make golf a spectator
sport. But you didn't gather that
idea at Indian Spring. Where
few people sat in the chairs and
watched the boys put on their ex-
hibition, there must have been $50
more on the course, little bothered
by the fact that a good many of
Washington's top amateurs were
playing in the first public view of
American golf"
Indian Spring Not Sold.
Indian Spring, bothered by a
whispering campaign that had the
club sold to interests concerned with
another country club around Wash
ington, issued a statement today
that the club has not been sold and
will remain private club. Tom
Moore owns the property and In
dian Spring is a going concern.
A statement issued Jointly under
the signatures of DR.. A. Thomas
UtZ, chairman of the Board of Gov
ernors, and Alma Won STEINER,
club manager, said: "Rumors have
reached the Board of Governors and
the management of the Indian
Spring Country Club of q reported
sale of the club property near Four
Corners, Md. These rumors are en-
tirely without foundation. The In
dian Spring Country Club now is a
private club and will continue 50 to
operate"
Tourney at kenWOOd.
Out at Kenwood today the Wash
ington golf pros were staging their
first pro-amateur tourney, with q
schedule to be drawn up providing
for series of links contests
throughout the season.
Meanwhile, around town a flock of
club golfers were recovering from
their first links spree of the year.
The balmy weather drew thousands
to ali the golf courses around town.
Both private and public courses
were thronged from early morning
to dark. It looks to be the beginning
of a big golf season.