Evening star., 1941-08-10
Greenkeepers' Head
Reveals Joys Not
Directly Sport
Players Stressing Card
Make Nerve -Ruckind
Ordeal of Game
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

There's always more to golf than
the mere slugging of big tee shot
or the roll of a fast putting green
We won't go into raptures about the
scenery out in the country away
from the dizzy whirl of the city, or
the birds or the texture of the rough,
but any golfer knows, if he looks
around him, what we mean. And
even though a good golf game, and
q successful one, is part and parcel
of the whole, in itself it isn't all
there is to enjoyment of the game.
Out in Minnesota there's chubby
faced, likable fellow named Har-
old Stodola. Harold happens to be
president of the Greenkeeping
SuperintendentS Association. He is
a greenkeeper himself, man who
has all the headaches when the golf
course goes wrong and few pats on
the back when it is o. K. But Har-
old hasn't lost his sense of perspec-
tive, although he is in the thick of
one of the toughest jobs of them
all-greenkeeperS at country club.
How to Enjoy Game.
He writes of a phase of golf that
some people overlook. And he does
80 fine a job of describing angles
overlooked by a lot of people who
play only for the score that it's
worth passing along.
Several weeks ago." he says, Il
had the pleasure of playing the most
enjoyable game of golf in my life.
1t was on a nine-hole course in the
beautiful lakeland of Wisconsin.
What impressed me was the fact that
we did not keep score and everybody
had loads of fun. These are some
of the things that stick in my mind:
The noisy group of Indians playing
baseball below the second tee, the
statueSque trees left on the course
right in the line Of play and the at
mosphere in the little clubhouse.
No one in particular talked about
his score.
The club champion just received
passing notice and was not held up
as a Greek god People played this
course for fun and they had it. 1t
will be a pleasure to play there
again.
How different that is from the
golf played in some metropolitan
districts. All the emphasis is on
the score and the factors affecting
that score. If the tees are not level
there are complaints about poor
footing. If there is a patch OF clover
in the fairway they kick because
the ball slides off the club face. If
there is footprint in a trap a
howl is heard because of unfalrness.
"If there is a little grain in the
green's the ball rolls too fast with
the grain and too slowly against it.
IF the grass is heavy it is too slow
and if it is thin it is too fast. The
METROPOLITAN golfer judges every
thing by score He has little time
to notice the trees, the grass, the
beauty of the lakes, the flowers or
the neatness Of the clubhouse
grounds. He is wrapped up in his
score and his game. If he shoots
well the course is well kept and
okay; if he shoots poorly it just
isn't right.
Make II Nerve Racking.
Golf has become a nerve-racklng
game instead of game of relaXa-
ton. I heard this remark several
wears ago: "A foursome goes to golf
course for a friendly game OF golf.
The course is there and the condi-
ton of it is just as fair to you as
# is to me. Now we go and play
that course. We cannot change II,
SO let's try to conquer it. and in the
meantime have fun But 1t is not
that way.
1T is all right for the profess
sional golfer who makes his living
by playing golf to concentrate hard
end play hard, but the amateur
should play for fun and he will get
out of the game what he Is sup
posed to y fresh air, sunshine,
Friendly competition and a relaxed
seeling that peps him up for his
duties"
9ow true all of this is you can
.ldge for yourself. There's lar
more to any golf game than the
mere hitting of ball and scratch
ing of a few figures on paper.
There's Companionship. enjoyment
of the outdoors, pleasure in the
country atmosphere. Those things
far outweigh any score or even the
winning of trivial silver mug.