In the Right Direction How a Senior Knows New USGA Executive
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In the Right Direction New USGA Executive After several unsuccessful attempts to play over a pond, a hapless golfer finally took a divot which flew over, leaving the ball behind. His caddie remarked: "That's better, sir. You got a bit of something over!" How A Senior Knows Miss Margaret Curtis, of Boston, who has never made any bones about the fact that she is 74 years old, got to talking about senior golf and senior golfers the other day and suddenly dipped into her handbag and produced the following, which she read with zest and feeling which only one in her seventies could apply to the subject: How do I know my youth has been spent? Because my get-up-and-gohas got up and went. But in spite of all that I am able to grin When I think where my get-up-and-gohas been. Old age is golden, I have heard it said But sometimes I wonder as I go to bed-- My ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup, My eyes on the table until I get up- 'Ere sleep dims my eyes, I say to myself Robert C. Renner, of Pontiac, Mich., "15 there anything else I should lay on the shelf?" I am happy to say as I close the door joined the staff of the United States Golf My friends are the same as in days of yore. Association on September 1. He is serv- When I was young, my slippers were red, ing as a tournament executive, engaged I could kick my heels right over my head. When I got older, my slippers were blue primarily in preparations for the eight But I still could dance the whole night through. national championships and four inter- Now that I'm old, my slippers are black; I walk to the corner and puff my way back. national team events sponsored by the 50 the reason I know that my youth is spent USGA. Is my get-up-and-gohas got up and went. But I really don't mind when I think with a grin Mr. Renner formerly was National Tour- Of all the places my get-up has been. I busy myself with complete repetition; nament Director of the Ladies' Profes- I get up each morning, dust off my wits, sional Golf Association and Assistant Pick up the paper and read the obits. Sports Editor of the Fort Wayne, Ind., If my name is missing, I know I'm not dead, 50 I eat a good breakfast, and go back to bed. News-Sentinel. U5GA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: 5EPTEMBER,1959 Father and Son When Dick Chapman and his son, Dixie, Wanted- appeared for the Amateur Championship in San Francisco last year, there was a Back Issues of Journal good deal of newspaper talk indicating that it was the first time a father and son Does any reader have extra copies of had played in the same Amateur Cham- the USGA Journal for Spring 1948, pionship. July 1949 and August 1949? If so, The statement, of course, is not quite would you be good enough to forward true, although the achievement is no less them to the USGA for transmittal to remarkable for that. Lhe new Library of the Professional Since the Chapmans have entered Golfers' Association of America . .again, it seems timely to put the record straight. Adrian C. McManus, of San Francisco, and his son, Roger, both play- ed in the 1947 Amateur at Pebble Beach. (Roger went to the semi-final round last Oversized Cups year.) Also, Emerson Carey, Jr., of Den- There are a number of ways of getting ver, now Treasurer of the United States the ball into the hole, and an unusual Golf Association, and his son "Duke," one has been introduced by an enterpris- both played in the 1950 Amateur at Min- ing soul in the Pacific Northwest-name- neapolis Golf Club. There may have been ly, the use of holes 4% inches in dia- others, but we have no record of them at meter, or one-half inch wider than the this writing. law allows. Definition 15 of the Rules of Golf pro- How Many Will Join? vides: Is there any relation between club mem- "The 'hole' shall be 4% inches in ber,ships and the population of a given diameter and at least 4 inches deep. area? If a lining be used, it shall be sunk On a nationwide basis the Club Man- at least 1 inch below the putting agers Association of America finds that green surface unless the nature of 8/10 of 1 per cent, or 1 in every 125 peo- the soil makes it impractical to do ple, represents a country club member- so; its outer diameter shall not ex- ship. ceed 4% inches." In arriving at this figure, the almost Scores made on a course with holes universal standard of a family member- which do not conform with Definition 15 ship was used: one membership includes are not acceptable scores and may not be the wife and dependent children. Mother used for handicapping under the USGA and the children are counted individually system or any other system of which we in the population data but are included are aware. with the father in computing member- ships. Thus, assume three country clubs in a Challenge Ladder community of 200,000 people. Assume the To re-vitalize a golf club, abandon the total membership of these three clubs A-B-C-D typing and call golfers with ,Imounts to 1,300 members. A little arith- handicaps 0 through 7 expert amateurs, metic shows there are potentially 1,600 8 through 14 good amateurs, 15 through country club memberships in the com- 21 average amateurs, and 21 up sociable munity. A club has three choices: amateurs. (1) it c~n enlarge and absorb the re- This is the advice of Dr. A. Lee Voll- maining 300 who are ,statistically interest- mer, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who ed in joining a golf club; further advocates a challenge step-ladder (2) it can wait until the other two clubs system, with four miniature step-ladders accept these new members, or on display at the club. Each step of each (3) all three clubs can sit back and ladder will bear a. golfer's name and wait for the inevitable fourth club to be handicap, as Dr. Vollmer suggests, in formed. large enough print to be readable even 2 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1959 to viewers whose eye glasses are in the Amateur Scene car at the time. In the weekly or monthly contests, Colorado is celebrating its "Rush to the four names are picked out of a hat, one Rockies" Centennial during 1959 and the for each .classification, to ,select a group Amateur Championship at the Broadmoor of four to compete against others similarly Golf Club is one of the calendared events. chosen. Women may be included. Handi~ The Broadmoor course ranks as one of caps are used. the most spectacular in the world. Each ladder is kept alive with chal~ Sprawled at the foot of lofty Cheyenne lenges. Any player may challenge the Mountain and within the shadow of Pikes golfer whose name appears above his on Peak, it presents a real challenge. It the steps. If the challenge is not ac- measures 6,975 yards and has a par of 71. cepted and played within fifteen days, The original 18-hole course, built in the higher name automatically is re- 1918, was designed by Donald Ross. How- placed by the one who challenged him ever, Robert Trent Jones was in charge or her. of the reconstruction program which was The challenge ladder is an inexhausti- completed in 1958. Broadmoor now has ble source of properly handicapped an 18-hole course, on which the Amateur players. The handicaps are proper be- will be held, and an additional nine-hole cause of their display in large print. course. The first important match was played New rivalries and friendships will reo on July 4 of that year between Jim suIt. Cliques will be shaken up. New Barnes, Broadmoor's first professional, members will be attracted. New interest and Chick Evans, the Amateur and Open in golf will result. Champion, against Jock Hutchison and Warren Wood. All admission receipts for the match went to the Red Cross. Ball Out of Bounds Broadmoor since has been host to five Penalties for balls out of bounds, lost Trans-Mississippi Amateur Champion- and unplayable will be reduced for a one- ships, the Western Amateur, the Women's year trial starting January 1, 1960. Western Open and two National Collegiate Championships. Each year the Broadmoor The new penalty for a ball out of invitation tournaments for men and bounds will be loss of distance only. women, dating back to 1921, attract Previous penalties were: strong fields. As a result, many entrants 1900-1919 loss of distance in the Amateur are familiar with the site. 1920-1946 stroke and distance The Broadmoor course record. of 63 is (penalty stroke could be held jointly by Sam Snead, Lawson Lit- remitted by local rule) tle and L. B. Maytag, Sr., the latter an 1947-1951 loss of distance amateur and now General Chairman for 1952-1959 stroke and distance the Amateur. Ed Dudley is the summer professional. The year-around professional is Norman Special Privileges for Juniors Larsen. Three Connecticut cities joined the The Broadmoor clubhouse, which ad- many communities which have authorized joins the Broadmoor Hotel, built original- special privileges for junior golfers ly in 1918, was completely renovated in (junior and senior high school age 1957.