Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-22
"CalCuttaS" Breed
Crooked Golf

were previously unknown to club officials. But
obviously they received invitations. What ''hus-
tier" arranged that? The club has banned any
future Calcuttas, but that will not undo the harm.
Deepdale is splendid club with fine members,
and il IS tragedy that they have all suffered from
the effects Of this scandal, which has hurt the
good name Of golf throughout the country.
A few weeks after the Deepdale event, in the
name Of the U.S.G.A., sent letter to our 1000
member clubs and to district golf associations.
The letter said integrity Of golf at stake because
Of this kind Of gambling. Some clubs which
sponsor gambling tournaments of various types
are inclined to feel that what happened to Deep
dale could not happen to them. They are mis-
taken. The clear fact is that cheating can happen
wherever there is motive other than the playing
of the game for the games sake.
However, let me make it clear that | am not
suggesting that all individual betting can be
eliminated from golf. Like taxes, the private
wager IS here to stay. There is no harm to the
game or participants if these bets are modest and
are made only to add zest to the competition.
But the danger in even this kind of betting is
that it sometimes leads to bigger betting, and
before the golfer realizes it he is playing not for
sport but to win the money riding on the game. 1t
IS situation that cannot be controlled by rules.
A man who has always bet modest 81 Nassau at
home goes off to a business convention. He is
invited to golf with group Of people important
to him, but the stakes are way over his head.
The Tragedy Of Cheating
That man IS no longer playing golf for fun he
is mainly intent on the money involved, and he
might do better at a roulette table. If he loses, il
is going to hurt him. As to what constitutes a
small wager" that depends on the person
involved. would say that when the bet is such
that the players mind is on the money rather
than the game, then the bet is too large.
What, may l ask, is more tragic than the man
who, in his desire to win bet has tried to cheat?
If he is caught at it, he Invariably is ostracized
by his friends Disgraced, he withdraws from the
club. But the tragedy here is that in the very act
Of cheating. man has sacrificed his self-respect
to win money on golf game. have seen men
falsify their scores, have seen them move their
golf balls when they thought no one was looking.
And seeing these things has filed me with both
contempt and pity for them. Of course, this kind
of dishonesty is not wholly caused by gambling.
but gambling certainly accentuates it.
Actually, there is no good reason why an
amateur tournament should have any gambling
connected with il. The prestige Of winning the
tournament, plus a handsome trophy. should be
reward enough. But when huge Calcutta pools
are tied to a tournament the whole emphasis
changes. Occasionally the man who has bid in a
team at the Calcutta auction has approached
those players and offered them piece" Of his
winnings if they emerged on top. Ofcourse, the
payment is made in dark corner Of the locker
room and no one learns about or can prove this
shocking violation Of amateur rules.
Strange things have happened when there was