Texas High School Students Keen for Golf Classes
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Texas High School Students Keen for Golf Classes By JOHNNY RAMSAY Senior, Shermen (Tei.) High School Golf for boys and girls is a comparatively new, but rapidly growing, activity in the high school at Sherman, Tex. About 3:30 each afternoon, Tuesday through Friday, one of the school busses stops at the Wood- lawn CC near Sherman. From it emerges 27 students, all but six of them boys, to receive their regular Instruction in golf. Responsible for this fine golfing program Shermen, Tew, H.S. golf clen. Prin. Byron is Byron Davis, principal of Sherman high Davit, right, Profotiionel H. W. Williford, left. school, who has been playing the game for years. His great interest in the sport is Final step in organization of the activity one of the foremost factors in the organ- was securing an able instructor to teach ization of this high school golfing program, the young golfers the rudiments of the which is unique in Texas. game. H. J. Williford. Woodlawn profes- sional who has participated in many tour- Although 1947 was the first big year for naments and who has a long golfing experi- golfing in Sherman High, it was not the ence behind him, agreed to teach the group first time that the sport has been offered four days a week from 3:30 until 5:45 at, to students there. It all started back In the a price of $50 a month. Members of the spring of 1942 with Mr. Davis as sponsor class attribute much of their progress to and with interest just as keen. That was his encouraging manner, his friendliness, al the beginning of the war. Mr. Davis and his understanding. entered the Army. The class, left without a sponsor, was abandoned. Immediately With an ample amount of equipment after his return in January of 1946. Mr made available through the purchase of Davis set to work to organize high school additional used clubs and bags, the boys golfing on a larger scale. were ready to begin learning the game. Williford, the Instructor, says that the Finally In February, 1947, the Woodlawn team worked seriously and with a strong CC offered free play to 16 boys. Since there competitive spirit in spite of the fact that were 26 applicants for the class the sponsor not one of them had ever had a golf club tried to select those who would derive most in his hand prior to the spring of 1947. This benefit from the training and those who. year enough new golf sets were acquired because of their scholastic standing, would to equip a team of 21 boys. help the club to gain recognition as a good organization. The class was opened to girls for the first time last fall, and six of them enrolled. School Finance* Equipment They still do not have complete equipment, Next came a big problem getting clubs but this will be supplied as soon as their for such a large group. An appeal to local progress justifies the purchase of addition- golfers for aid brought a little response, al clubs. This idea of girl golfers in a high but not enough. Funds for equipment, school golfing program is new in Texas, as transportation, and instruction still had to far as we know, although it has been tried be secured. The Sherman school board in several other states. agreed to help by allowing the club to use Funds for the activity are still being $300 from the school's athletic fund and supplied by the high school athletic fund additional money from the high school activity fund. and the activity fund, but members of the class help to raise additional money in Mr. Davis went to work Immediately on various ways. The Parent-Teacher Associ- transportation, contracting with the owner ation has also promised to aid the team. of a school bus to pick the golfers up at the school at 3 o'clock and return them there Mrs. J. V, DeFord. president of the local at 5:45. Cost of the 12-mile round trip to PTA, is highly interested in the program the Woodlawn club was fixed at $4 a day. as it Is being operated at the high school. Cluh Members Interested Another factor in the rapid progress of k the team is the interest and enthusiasm which members of the Woodiawn CC have shown in the project. They are helping the r boys in every way possible in order to » stimulate their interest in mastering golf, John Robert Williams, captain of the boys' team, had never touched a golf ciub when the class was organized. Eight S months later he was shooting in the low 80's. He is showing steady improvement, his instructor says. Williams is only one example, for there are several other boys Individual gold bronze medals to be awarded in the class whose progress rivals his. to intramural go!! tourney winner! are made avail- Already matches with neighboring able to tchooli free of charge by the National schools have been held. As only the six Golf Foundation. top-ranking players are scheduled in these tournaments, competition is keen around chlal school In Illinois: "Many thanks for the week of the contests. your encouraging program it's a break Additional prestige has been added re- for the kids." From Calif., "May I take cently to the local high school golf team this opportunity to thank you in advance by write-ups in state newspapers, in- this Is an excellent gesture on your quiries from neighboring schools concern- part." From a Kansas golf professional: ing the program, and arrangements for "I am vitally Interested in the program as the playing of several matches with teams I realize the young fellows are the future from other schools. golfers," It is interesting to note that schools Mr. Davis hopes to extend this golf pro- registering for the intramural golf pro- gram until it takes in 30 or 40 boys and gram range from the smallest to the larg- girls. His main desire is to arouse still est, Hudson, Kansas High School with an more interest in golf throughout the state, enrollment of 48 is the smallest with the and he hopes someday to see the game Univ. of Nebraska the largest so far. take its place with football, basketball, track, and baseball as an in terse hoi astic Most of the schools are sponsoring tour- sport. naments for both boys and girls with more boys than girls competing although, in His advice to schools Just beginning their some instances the number of girls entered golfing program is to start out on a small exceed the number of boys. scale and take two or three years to de- velop the project. As the activity is opened Materials for conducting an intramural to more and more students interest will in- golf tournament furnished free of charge crease, he says. Vital lo the success of any to the schools registering for the program such program is a sponsor who has an In- include: (1) A 32 place draw sheet, <2) A terest in young people and a love for the booklet on suggestions for conducting in- game of gotf. tramural gotf tournaments, with informa- tion on seeding and drawing, (3i A pro- It looks like a busy year of progress motional poster, < 4) Handsomedy litho- ahead for the young golfers at Sherman graphed National Golf Foundation Certifi- High. Perhaps if one ventures down this cates of Award, and (5) Individual golf way in four or five years he will find an- bronze medals for the tournament win- other Byron Nelson or a second Ben Hogan ners. who has taken advantage of this fine sys- tem to secure his training. The advisory committee assisting in con- ducting the golf tournament program is composed of: Herb Graff is. Editor, GOLF- DOM and GOLFING; John L. Griffith, Nationwide Interest in Golf Publisher. ATHLETIC JOURNAL; Eldon Program for Schools I. Jenne, Director, Health, Physical Educa- tion and Recreation, Portland, Oregon Pub- More than 100 schools and colleges have lic Schools; Ted Payseur, Director of Ath- registered for the intramural golf program letics, Northwestern University and Chair- being sponsored by the National Golf man of the Golf Committee for the Nation- Foundation and the Athletic Journal for al Collegiate Athletic Assn.; and Robert J. the nation's schools in 1948. Strauss. Supervisor of Gotf. Public Recre- The favorable early response indicates ation Commission, Cincinnati, Ohio. the program will be one of major interest For information write the ATHLETIC in intramural sports in high school and JOURNAL. 6858 Glenwood Ave., Chicago college physical education. From a paro- 26, Illinois. .