Evening star., 1941-03-30
Many More Courses,
Thoroughly Modern,
Are Needed Here
Muny Links Work Loes;
Present Facilities
Being CurtoiIed
By WALTER McCALLUM.

By WALTER McCALLUM.
Washington's public golf facilities,
now being curtailed by use of part
of East Potomac Park for tenniS and
baseball, should be increased, and
not restricted. No man knows ac-
curately how many golfers there are
IN Washington, or how many use the
public courses, but guess of 50,00O,
with possibly $4,000 of these using
the municipal courses, probably
wouldn't miss the mark very far.
And the number is growing, as is
congestion on existing facilities.
Fifteen months ago, shortly after
s. G.. Leoff1er, with some fanfare OF
trumpets, was given flVe-year
contract to operate all the public
courses on Government-oWned
property in Washington, the Office
of National Capital Parks made
known that another golf course in
Fort Dupont Park would be ready
for play in 1912 and also announced
that plans had been drawn and
would be pushed for another 18-
hole course at Fort Hunt, Va, on an
unused Army reservation.
Little Progress Noted.
During part of 1889 and 1910
boys from the Civilian Conservation
Corps were at work at Fort Dupont,
In the AnacoStia section, clearing
fairways, and building the course.
But inquiries as to the progress at
Fort Dupont meet with shoulder
shrugs and expressions of doubt as
to the 1912 opening date.
The Fort Hunt course so far is
on paper only, and hardly a spade
full of dirt has been turned in the
direction of building another course
in that area for a public which
wants increased links facilities.
Apart from the quality, or lack
of it, of the present public courses,
in Potomac and Rock Creek parks
land they are a decade behind the
progress made in public golf in other
municipalities congestion on eX-
listing layouts is approaching the
saturation point.
No Washington public course
rates in quality with the municipal
ly owned and operated Mount
Pleasant course in Baltimore, or the
splendid public layouts around New
York and Chicago. But Leoff1er,
the concessionaire, claims his hands
are tied, and says he cannot make
extensive improvements on the
Washington public courses without
the express permission OF National
Capital Parks.
Course Being Destroyed.
Even while the present golf IA
cilities in the public parks are over
crowded, workmen are preparing
the way for further encroachment
on these facilities by cutting OH
several holes on course G in East
Potomac Park. Hundreds OF golfers,
realizing the congestion already ex-
listing, have petitioned the Office OF
National Capital Parks seeking res
toration of these parts of the course.
But such restoration alone would
not answer the demand for in
creased links facilities.
Washington happens to be fast
growing city. Population OF the Ma
tional Capital has jumped greatly IN
the past two or three years, and Is
growing. Yet golf facilities remain
at the 1925 level, when Washington
was a city of around 100000 people.
Today the Census Bureau says the
city alone has more than 100000 in
habitants and the Metropolitan Area
includes three quarters of million
souls. How many of these people
play golf is an open question, but
many of them do.
Two Now Private Courses.
A few years ego two clubs now op-
Grating as private clubs were open
10 the public on payment of green's
fees. But these now operate strictly
as private organizations, and the
man who In other years could play
the courses simply by laying dollar
on the line is cut off.
Sooner or later some smart fellow
Is going to lease or buy consider
able chunk of property not too far
from downtown Washington, spend
enough money to build a modern
golf course, charge greens fees of
dollar or so, and get the bulk of the
discriminating golfers who cannot
afford TO pay dues at private club.
That move is as sure as that the sun
will rise tomorrow. So far the only
move in that direction is a 9-hole
course in nearby Virginia to be known
as the Accotink course. This layout
was built last year and will be op-
Grated by John 5. Connolly, opening
In June.
On the public course side of the
picture there Is no more room in
Potomac Park for golf. But there
Is room in Rock Creek Park either
for addition of another 9-hole course,
or construction of a completely new
18-hole course. In addition, if this is
done, the present Rock Greek Park
course should be heightened and
modernized.
Facilities Too Meager.
washington's public golf facilities
are far too meager for city afflicted
with growing pains, already stretch
ing out and covering much of nearby
Maryland and Virginia.
The Fort Dupont course should be
rushed to completion, but that would
answer only part of the question.
There should be another public
course serving the northwest sector.
Whether Leoff1er, the present public
links car. operates these courses is
beside the question.
But the day soon is coming when
present facilities, already overtaxed,