Evening star., 1942-04-23
Say Material on Hand
Can't Be Used for
Other Purposes
Could Convert for Wor
Job While Stocks Are
Being Consumed
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

BY NALTEh mctAIkUm.
Gathered in Washington for sew
eral days past have been executives
Of the biggest golf manufacturing
concerns In the United states, which
means the world. for this country
has In 1t the bulk of all the golfers
of the world. Executives Of at least
q half dozen companies, represent
ing outfits which turn out millions
of dollars worth OF golf clubs
and golf balls every year. have been
IN almost constant conference with
War Production Board officials try
ing to find out whether golf club
production is going TO stop pronto.
or whether 1t viii 80 on until present
stocks of materials are used UP. A
few days ago w. p. B. placed the in
dustry on a so per cent club pro-
duction basis. and ordered stoppage
OF golf club manufacture after
May 81.
We don't think we are asking
anything unreasonable" said one
executive, when we ask whether we
cannot complete our manufacture
OF clubs with steel and other ma
terials which have been processed
for golf club manufacture and are
not at for other use. At present we
are not ready for war production,
and our plants, geared TO golf club
manufacture, are Allied with ma
terials ready for manufacture Of golf
clubs and for nothing else.
IF we shut down May 81, we shut
down and that's all there Is to it.
But we feel we have q case when we
ask that we be permitted to use I'D
our stocks OF shafts and other ma
terials and bind ourselves not to
order new materials to carry on in
definitely. At the same time we can
be making ready for conversion to
war work"
Executives OF the major golf
manufacturing companies In WASH
ington have been L. B. Icely Of
Chicago, G. r. Robbins of Chicopee,
Mass; John Rogers OF Louisville,
KY; Phil Goldsmith OF Cincinnati
and Clarence Hickey of Ohio. Be-
tween them they represent the larg-
est group of golf club manufacturers
in the world. They turn out the
clubs which you and you have been
using for years. Maybe they'll get
the green light to go ahead and
clean UP the stocks they have ac-
cumulated and maybe they won't.
But they've given the thing the old
college try, although the original
w. p. b. order still stands.
Three Qualify for p. G. A.
Three places are open among
about IS members of the Middle
Atlantic p. G. A., In sectional rounds
for the national pro championship
to be played at Burning Tree Mon
day, May 4. AL Houghton, tourna-
ment chairman for the Washington
area, announced the allotment of
places today. The trio of qualifiers
will 60 to the national tournament |
ut Atlantic City late In May.
Entries for the sectional rounds, |
to be staged over the 36-hole route,
win close Friday, May 1, and should |
be sent to Houghton. The course
win be open for practice May and
8, only in the afternoon.
Helen Hicks Harb, crack fem
tnine golf professional. will hold q
golf clinic for students at Coolidge
High School Saturday morning at
IL O'Clock. Helen will show the shots
which won her the national women's
championship a decade ago, and
viii illustrate the correct grip and
swing.
The gal knows her way around
any golf course, too. She played
the Congressional course in 76
whacks yesterday and held her own
In company which included Club
Champ Gene Pittman, DR.. II. L.
Smith, Parker Nolan and John
Agur. I'd like to see her play in
few Of the amateur women's tour
neys around town. She would be
ball of fire and a winner of virtually
any affair In which she started.
Jack Isaaes, Middle Atlantic p. G.
A. champion. is in the Army at
Langley Field, Va. where for sew
ersl years the blond- youngster
maintained q driving range for Air
Corps officers. Jack hasn't much
time to play golf nowadays, but he
hasn't given 1t up entirely, and he
may be able to defend his P. G. A.
championship at Prince Georges
later in the season.
Golfers Await Gas Rationing.
Golfers around town eagerly are
awaiting clarification of the details
surrounding promised rationing of
gasoline, scheduled, according to
well-authenticated rumors, to start
around May Is. If the family car
gets only five gallons of gas a week
the hnksmen and nnkswomen might
as well shut down and close up shop,
for five gallons in the average car
Is good for about three trips to the
country club, provided it isn't an
outlying club. And as for those, and
we mean such far-away clubs as
Manor and Congressional. gas ra-
tioning will be q terrific jolt If the
weekly ration Is held as low as five
gallons
It might be 10 gallons a week,
in which case golfers, already dou-
bling UP on transportation TO save
tires, might get by and have an
occasional visit to the country club
ElYt Ave callonS a uraak hardly will