Evening star., 1940-01-07
Skill, Diplomacy Mark
Matchmaking by
Links Club Aides
No Fuvors Ever Given
In Contests Arranged
On Spur Of Moment
Nv WALTER McCALLUM.


When better golf handicapping is
done it will be done by two such
masters of the art of turning out
"balanced" matches as Red" Ban
agan at Columbia and Brick" Wood
at Washington.
OF course. the pros and assistant
pros at all country clubs around
town do their bit in arranging
matches for the members, but Ban
agan and Wood do the outstanding
jobs. They are invaluable to their
clubs as matchmakers and handi-
cappers.
Plenty of men find the job slack
ening around noon. and II the
weather happens to be good they
think of stepping out for a game of
golf If they haven't prearranged
game, they have to take what they
can get. But they always can get
something good at Washington or
Columbia. A phone call to Wood or
Banagan will do the trick.
The big red-head at Columbia is
known all over the land (probably
all over the world for his skill at
arranging matches and making them
come out right. And also for fixing
1t so no cliques form at Columbia.
He mixes up his matches in such
way and with such diplomacy that
every one is satisfied with any match
Banagan makes.
"Red" Plays No FavOrites.
hi1cu dow uQ IL
into the locker room at Columbia
and see Red sheaf of notepaper
in hand. standing at the turn of
the lockers. He spies fellow COM
ing down the aisle Got game?'
says Red Nope" says the new
conner. You play with Gen. Lind
say and Ben Skinker in 20 minutes"
says Banagan. You're pretty good.
so you play their best ball and they
give you one hole"
And the victim never squawks.
It's traditional at Columbia to ac-
cept Reds matches. for from long
experience they know he's fair and
never gives any one or any group
the edge Back of it all is the known
and accepted fact that they don't
play for sizable bets at Columbia.
I've seen him treat political big
shots and bigwigs of the Army and
Navy the same way Red is fond Of
Gen. Malin Craig. former chief of
staff. U. S. A.. and the general has
a soft spot in his heart for the big
Irishman. But Gen Craig, the
minute he steps in the Columbia
Club, is like any buck private to
Banagan.
Tammany Leader Surprised.
He treats them all alike JusRas
he did John Curry, the Tammany
bigwig not too long ago. Curry
long had been member of Colum-
bia, but seldom appeared there. He
walked into the locker room one
day without a game and was di-
rected to Banagan.
MY name is Curry" said the New
Yorker. Il want to play golf"
Yeah. I know you" said Ban
agan. Glad to see you, you play
with Bob Quirk. and you give him
two holes" 1t sort of knocked
Curry off his mental pins. but he
took it and liked it. Later he
learned who Banagan is and how he
operates. And still later he was
quoted as saying that maybe he
could use Banagan in his New York
office
Diplomat, politician. big-hearted
1rishman. Ace Handicapped, smart
diagnostician of golfer and keen
matchmaker That's Red Banagan,
the most valuable man I've seen
around country club anywhere in
the land. in golf-playing career
stretched we'll over 80 years.
Wood Can Size EN- Up.
Not far behind Banagan is Brick"
Wood at Washington. Wood has the
priceless attribute of being able to
size up a golfer and to arrange
equitable matches. His guideposts
are the caddies. How did so-and-so
play?" asks Brick" after match.
The caddie tells him and Brick"
puts it down in his mental notebook
SO that when the chap next appears
he is handicapped on his previous
game. Brick" makes most of his
matches out there on the first tee
A watchWord around Washington
Is, Lets make our bets right here
in the locker room and let Brick
fix the match and the handicap"
And it's done. You have to have a
lot of confidence in fellow when
you risk your money on his judg-
ment and the knowledge that he'll
make a fair match.
But that's the way Brick" oper-
ates. Almost the same way as Ban
agan operates at Columbia The
difference is that where Red" is as
sistant pro, Brick" is caddie master.
In that job Brick" has to stay on
the first tee to take care of caddie
assignments and at the same time
operate as a matchmaker.
Every club should have fellow
like Banagan OF Wood. They're
priceless. How often have you
heard your fellow-member say: Il
would have gone out to the club,
but I didn't have game and didn't
think I could find one"
You always can get game at
Columbia or Washington, under the
gentle czardom of Banagan or Wood.
Howard 0uint 0nenS