AROUND PHILADELPHIA By "HAZARD"

Transcription

1 196 AROUND PHILADELPHIA By "HAZARD" The annual meeting of the Golf Association of Philadelphia was held at the Bellevue-Stratford on January twentieth. A very representative delegation responded to roll-call and although matters of great moment were very thoroughly discussed, not one dissenting vote was recorded during the evening. The work of the executive committee in connection with a Pennsylvania State Association was reviewed and the plans for the actual formation of the new body were unanimously endorsed. The next competition for the Lesley Trophy will, in all probability, be held at White Marsh and Philadelphia's quota of players on the Pennsylvania team will be decided by a very stiff thirty-six-hole competition against "par" over the course a week before the Lesley matches. The championship matches for major teams will be conducted along new lines. The 36-hole medal play for the Patterson Memorial Cup will serve as a means of qualifying four clubs for the matches, (the totals of the seven best cards from each club to determine the result) each club will then select a team of ten players who will meet in all-day matches, which will be conducted exactly as are the Lesley contests, viz.: singles in the morning and foursomes in the afternoon. The two surviving clubs

2 197 play the final after the same fashion. It was also decided to change the open championship from the present system of match play to a 36-hole medal competition. The following events awarded to the clubs as named: The Lesley Competition, White Marsh Country Club; The Open Championship, The Philadelphia Country Club; The Amateur Championship, The Huntingdon Valley Country Club; The Patterson Cup, The Spring Haven Country Club; The Philadelphia Cup, The Philadelphia Cricket Club, (in the event of the new club house being ready for occupancy.) The Suburban League requested that they be allowed to play their team matches as in the past, which was granted. The projected public course was indorsed and the association voted to aid the commission in every possible way. A committee was appointed to investigate junior golf in the city as the desire to foster the game among school boys was very manifest. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, R. W. Lesley; Vice-president, Dr. Simon Carr; Secretary and Treasurer, Harrison Townsend. Executive Committee, S. Y. Heebner, H. W. Perrin, Ira J. Williams, R. C. James, Fraser Harrison and Richard Mott. The retirement of Treasurer Samuel Y. Heebner from the U. S. G. A. executive committee is widely regretted. His work in behalf of golf has always been a sort of religion, and although he is withdrawing from the glare of the lime-light his love of the game is fortunately as warm as ever, for he is unselfishly devoting his energies in the development of the new White Marsh Country Club, of Philadelphia. Since the infancy of the game in the Quaker City he has watched by the cradle, gloried in the first toddlings of the young game and with the eyes of a proud father followed its growth to vigorous manhood. During the many championships his presence has seemed almost a neces- MR. S. Y. HEEBNER sity. I wonder how many obscure, ambitious players have wandered into the field of a national tournament, feeling like a cat in a strange garret, and approached the seats of the mighty (the executive tent) in humility to take in trembling fingers the fateful score-card and pencil only to take into his grateful heart the big, kind, sympathetic man who wished him "Good Luck?" Such is Heebner. "Uncle Sammy, may you live long and prosper!"

3 198 In my contribution I include a rather unique snap-shot taken during the National Championship at Nassau in DR. SIMON CARR (in center) Dr. Simon Carr (whose reluctance to face the camera is well known) is walking by the side of "Aleck" Williams, of Philadelphia, who had just put out Chandler Egan. During this championship Williams displayed some of the best golf ever shown by a Philadelphian in a national championship, and it is to be regretted that he is not more active in the game to-day. He still plays occasionally at St. Martins. Dr. Carr in this tournament was drawn against Jerome Travers, then a mere school boy. It was the first really important match for both men. This reference to Dr. Carr and apropos my article on "Birdies" and "Eagles" (which appeared last month) I am reminded of the very sensational finish of the final for the last Philadelphia championship. The match with Hanson had gone to the 37th hole which is as I remember about 465 yards in length. At this critical point the doctor won the championship with an "Eagle" a wonderful 3 although a "Bird" would have sufficed. It is quite probable that Philadelphia will in the near future offer a Public Golf Course in Fairmount Park to her people. The project has been boomed in the columns of the newspapers and the endorsement of local players, together with the genuine interest of the general public, has caused the question to appear before the city councils. The mayor is quite in sympathy with it and it seems that only the approval and cooperation of the park commissioners are now necessary. Fairmount Park really offers splendid opportunities, for the turf is good and the general conditions are quite in harmony with the golfer's ideals. In this vast play-ground of the city's people every other branch of sport is pursued; there are base ball grounds and tennis courts galore, where hundreds of happy folk find recreation which would otherwise be denied them. One has only to walk about for a bit on a fine afternoon to realize that these people are truly a sport loving people, firm believers in the doctrine of "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" these are the people who are clamoring for a chance at golf over those broad acres of Fairmount which are at present unused. Those of us who know the good old game also know that nothing is so well calculated to bring out man's good qualities if they be there or instil them if they be wanting. Golf developes and makes character so

4 199 give us public schools that our boys may be men; and give us public golf courses that our men may be men indeed. The Philadelphia Cricket Club has had plans prepared for a new clubhouse at St. Martins. The old house was destroyed by fire last fall, at which time several of the employees were severely injured and the body of one of the waiters was found in the ruins. The plans provide for a spacious building of brick after the old Virginia colonial model, which will contain on the ground floor, lockers, showers, wash rooms, a cleaning room for clubs, a tap room and a steward's room. On the second, or main floor, are the club rooms, card rooms, offices, coat room and billiard room. The third floor contains the main dining room, a large ladies' dining room, kitchen, steward's room, serving room, and bed rooms. Quarters are also provided for the employees. The club announces that the ground floor will be ready for occupancy not later than May 15. The drawings were made by Mr. George J. Pearson, one of the club members, and are exceedingly pleasing. When one becomes a true devotee at the shrine of golf he carries with him always the fragrance of the incense. When off the links he unconsciously permits suggestions of the game to creep into paths that are remote from the greens. I remember once asking of Davie Herd in St. Andrews, the location of a certain shop. He informed me that it was a full cleek down the street. If it had been around the corner to the right I imagine he would have sliced his directions a bit. I call to mind several rather amusing illustrations of the spell of golf. A certain well known Philadelphia gentleman, whose absence from the single figure handicap list can in no wise be traced to lack of zeal or careful study of the many authorities, was seated in the family pew one fine Sunday morning. He is a very devout man and never golfs on the Sabbath, but imagine his wife's horror and amazement when she observed the most extraordinary working of his fingers and wrists during the sermon. He had been trying to master Vardon's locked grip for the past two weeks. Another Philadelphian was not long ago shooting in Carolina. The birds had been unusually scarce and wary and after several hours of hard tramping the dogs suddenly came "to point" on the edge of a large field of broom straw. Cautiously the hunters approached the quivering dogs when suddenly the possibilities of the field struck the golfer and ranging a critical eye over the rolling ground, he exclaimed, "Just imagine a green over in that dip!" He missed his putt when the covey flushed. The members of the Green Committee out at Huntingdon Valley have been working like beavers, determined to improve the conditions and gradually develop a championship course. Huntingdon Valley has always required "more playing" than any other; of our Philadelphia courses and the improvements there cannot but help raise the standard of Philadelphia golf. In brief summary, the work has been along the following lines: The small creek has been dammed (two "m"s) making a wide and deep

5 200 hazard for the drive at the second hole, where the green has also been guarded by pits on both sides. Deep pits divide the third and fourth fair greens near the third green, and at the sixth the approach to the green from the left is rendered more difficult by reason of yawning sand holes. All of the bunkers have been deepened (notably at seven and seventeen) and running through is now quite impossible. A new hazard appears before the ninth green, which is also guarded from the left by three pits. The short tenth hole is rendered more difficult, as the rather treacherous green is now bounded by three pits on the left, another guarding the right where in the past a rather indifferent drive might at times find the roll to the green. A water hazard appears before the tee, but this danger is rather more imaginary than real. New pits have been placed on twelve (for a slice) and also between the thirteenth and seventh fair greens. No longer will it be possible to run up your approach on fourteen; and the mashie (which is quite at a premium at Huntingdon Valley) must serve us again in negotiating the fifteenth where the tin is close up to the new water hazard. The long sixteenth has been slightly shortened by moving up the tee close to the creek. Altogether the changes have been most judicious and the course is better in every respect. A new worm destroyer was used experimentally last season and the results were very gratifying. As the course now stands the twelfth hole is probably the most exacting, and a very pretty problem it presents. I hope that the committee will eventually modify the fourth a short, blind hole, which is hardly worthy of a place among the other seventeen. W. P. SMITH J. L. LOW A. W. TlLLINGHAST D. RANSON S. Y. HEEBNER J. T. BRAMSTON