Evening star., 1942-01-04
linksmen Not Likely
To Take Long Trips
To Play in Meets
Cors, Tires Will Be Used
Sporine|y Even for
Local Tournaments
By WALTER McCALLUM.

BY WALTER McCALLUM.
Biggest wallop that ever hit the
expanding game of golf is the COM
bination Of the new automobile and
tire restrictions. The solons who
run links affairs may as well get
together and reconcile themselves to
a new lineup in golf. And not only
because golf balls are going 10 be
hard to get.
Right of the bat they should cut
out tournaments far away from big
cities. A lot of people are not going
to burn up tires on long trips to
play golf They should conf1ne their
Journeys to more or less local affairs
and not expect lot Of travelling by
players.
This means, in this territory. that
the Maryland State Golf Association
one-day events will not be heavily
patronized by Washingtonians In
the case of Baltimore Journeys. and
vice versa They should attempt,
whenever possible. to concentrate
their Journeys around the big centers
Of population.
Clubs Far Out Will Be Hit.
This year two big sectional tourna.
ments are due to be played at WASH
tngton clubs. The Middle Atlantic
championship is slated to 60 to
Manor and the Maryland amateur
dtle tourney will come to WASH
ington club as yet unnamed. That
means Washington golfers won't
have far to travel, but it also means
the out-of-town entries will be
skimpy. You cannot blame lnksmen
who haven't much chance to win for
saving their rubber for more i'm
portant matters
For the immediate year the rubber
shortage probably won't affect local
golf. There will be lot of doubling
up on transportation, and a lot of
autos going to the country clubs
crowded with inksmen instead of
lot Of singles. Two of Washington's
country clubs-Manor and Congress
sional-are around IA miles from the
heart Of the city and there are no
means Of transportation other than
private automobiles.
The other clubs can be reached
by bus, which will be o. K. with
a good many people. Short trips
viii be all right. but these long
motor trips to golf tournaments or
for the week end will be out. Golfers.
even If they can get enough golf
balls. will be loath to use precious
automobile rubber And they won't
be able to step out and buy a new
car every time the old one develops
a rattle.
Local Journeys Likely.
The LINKS solons will be smart II
they pull in their horns and schedule
only local Journeys without counting
heavily on out-of-town support.
They won't get it in the Henderson,
dominated year of 1912.
But there won't be any letup to
golf. for a time at least. even il a
flock. Of men who never would start
without three new balls have to
start with sphere Of the general
shape and condition of a cored
apple. There1l be plenty of cussing
at those yellow men who cut of
rubber supplies, but golf will 60 on
just the same. And golf balls and
tires will be nuggets to be carefully
treasured. Tires mean miles and
won't lightly be used.
Witty Cox, Congressional pro- sees
the current generation of pro golfers
set back years by the prospective
curtailment Of tournaments, but he
says the pro golfer has his greatest
opportunity in the months ahead.
Witty was in the Navy during the
last war. He was a good player
before he enlisted. 1T took me
two or three years to get back in
stride after got out of the Navy"
said Cox. That's what will happen
to all the golfers in the service,
but don't get me wrong. winning
this war is far more important than
playing golf or anything else. Wish
I was a little younger myself"
Pro Golfers Can Aid U. S.
Pro golfers can help immeasur-
ably by providing the material for
raising the U. S. o. and Red Cross
funds through high-grade exhibi-
ton matches In 19l7-19 a pair OF
kids named Bobby Jones and Perry
Adair. too young for military SER
vice. raised around sl50000 for the
service organizations by exhibition
matches. The same thing can
happen this year. And where in
those days there were a few good
players. today there are hundreds
The public will pay to see them
play, with all the proceeds to go to
service organization.
Right now the p G. A. is working
out plan for pro exhibition
matches with the big names of pro
golf to play for the Red Cross, the
U. S. O., or some other war service
organization That SIG 900 the pros
raised at Detroit last July in
two-day show wasn't exactly hay.
Pro golfers can raise $780, 900 by
exhibition matches during the COM