Those greens, which showed signs oi w^it Beginner's Ace and might not go through the day until Have you ever swung a left-handed they could be watered, were given a club and felt how awkward it is—assum­ quick syringing, which is nothing more ing, of course, that you are right-handed? than very light fast sprinkling to let Now multiply that awkwardness by two them go a few hours longer. and you have some conception of how a "When this was done, play was mo­ beginner feels when she finds herself on mentarily stopped and for 30 minutes af­ a public links for the first time with an ter that time everybody teeing off on the ancient set of left-handed clubs. hole was advised of that fact. The amount That was the plight of Miss Sofie of water was almost negligible and with­ Turko, of Yonkers, N.Y., when she re­ in 20 minutes after putting in on there cently stepped onto the first tee at the was no evidence of any surface moisture Dunwoodie course, in Yonkers, with on any green. three friends. "On Thursday, five greens were so Laughing off her embarrassment at the syringed as a whole and two greens were antics of a beginner, she ploughed her partially syringed. The whole operation way round to the seventh tee, a hole of as to any one green did not take over 150 yards. three to four minutes. There, disdaining a wood, she pulled "On Friday somewhat the same condi­ out a mashie—no new-fangled numbers tions prevailed and four greens were for her—and without further ado holed syringed in whole and one of them par­ out in one. tially syringed. Whether Miss Turko will ever brave "Other than above, there was no water­ the links again or whether she will be ing of greens during play and I do not content to rest on her laurels is in the believe it can be said that the greens lap of the gods. were watered at regular and frequent intervals. In my opinion, the syringing of Watering of "Open" Greens the greens could not affect play measura­ Reports on the 1958 Open Champion­ bly." ship from various sources gave readers to understand that greens at the Southern More and More Golf Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Okla., were A 5.7 per cent increase in rounds of watered at regular and frequent intervals. golf played is expected this year, accord­ In explaining exactly what was done, ing to the latest report from the National John M. Winters, Jr., President of the Golf Foundation. Southern Hills Country Club, states: This would bring the total rounds "Because of the extreme heat and high played on both private and public courses wind on Thursday, the first day, of the in 1958 to 75 million, as compared with Open, several of the greens showed defi­ 71 million in 1957 and 67^ million in nite signs of wilt around 1 to 1:30 p.m. 1956. USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: AUGUST, 195S 1 Caddie Unemployment equalled Mr. Millar's feat with a stroke- for-age 75. Tax Litigation Two other members went further The Southern California Golf Associa- afield to achieve the distinction. Willard tion recently issued the following report Salisbury was 67 when he scored 67 on on caddie unemployment tax litigation: the O'Donnell Course, Palm Springs, Cal., "The big news of the past month was ~nd W.P. Reid returned a 73 at age 73 the decision of the California Supreme over the same course. Court, which, by a unanimous opinion of all seven Judges, reversed the decision Aces High at Salem of the Los Angeles County Superior There was plenty to celebrate .at Salem Court (which had been affirmed by the Country Club, Peabody, Mass., recently District Court of Appeal) and held that when three of its members registered assessment of unemployment insurance aces on the same day. taxes against eight 'guinea pig' golf clubs With the customary prerogative of in Southern California was improper and ladies, Mrs. Ralston Pickering holed out that caddies are not employees of the first at the l36-yard third with a No.5 clubs under the unemployment insurance wood. law. As a result of this decision more Second came Paul Cameron, who holed than $100,000 in such taxes, paid under out at the l56-yard twelfth with a No.6. protest, is expected to be refunded to Lastly, Ralston Pickering, still chuck- Virginia, Inglewood, Brentwood, Hill- ling over his wife's ace, watched as one crest, Los Angeles, Wilshire, Bel-Air and of his fellow players, Lionel MacDuff, Riviera. sank his tee shot at the twelfth with a "This decision supplements the legis- No.7. lation enacted last year to correct the uncertain language of the unemployment No Tortoises Here insurance law which resulted in the as- Who says it takes three and a half sessments with new wording which clear- hours to play a single, faur hours for a ly exempted caddies from unemployment four-ball? insurance. This legislation stopped the In the final of the District of Columbia's assessments still being levied by the De- Junior championship at the Columbia partment of Employment. Now the Su- Country Club, Chevy Chase, Md., Ronnie preme Court, in effect, orders repayment Righter, of the Prince Georges Country of taxes paid under protest. This gives Club, defeated Dave Voris, of the Manor a sweeping victory vindicating the posi- Country Club, 1 up in 2 hours and 10 tion taken by the SCGA for the past minutes. several years." The second flight finalists, following behind, were equally speedy, completing He Scored His Age the 15 necessary holes in an hour and It is some time since we published an a half. article "Can You Score Your Age?" in the September 1956 issue, listing the When He Was Good ... many names and unique stories which The most spectacular round in the 1958 had come to our notice in this direction. series of USGA championships probably Now we hear that W.R. "Dusty" Millar was played in the Amateur Public Links recently marked fifty years' membership event at the Silver Lake Golf Club, in of the Los Angeles Country Club, Los Orland Park, Ill. Angeles, Cal., by shooting his age with Even though the returns for the year a 75 on the South course. are not all in, we submit the case of Bo There would appear to be something of Faulkenberry, 32, who sells advertising a Shangri-La about the Los Angeles Coun- space for the Daily Oklahoman and Times try Club, five other members having in Oklahoma City, Okla. After a 76 in achieved similar feats. Fred Barrows the first qualifying round, he scored in was 77 when he shot a 73 on the South the second 47-31-78. course; James Byrnes came through with This got him in by a stroke, and he a 70 at age 71 and the late J.J. Quin went to the quarter-finals. 2 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: AUGUST, 1958 r This was the scene sixty years ago at the Fairfield County Golf Club, Greenwich, Conn., instituted in 1897. Today, known as the Greenwich Country Club, it is enter- taining the tenth USGA Girls' Junior Championship. From Long Skirts to Shorts Committee of the Club, while he \'Jas temporarily in this country. It is a far cry from the days of long The Cup features several interesting skirts and straw hats, pictured above, to names among its many winners, includ- the shorts and tanned limbs which players ing Findlay Douglas, but perhaps the in the USGA Girls' Junior Championship most remarkable feat was that of Sam are displaying at the Greenwich Country Graham, who won the trophy ior the Club, Greenwich, Conn., this month. second time just 50 years after his first The Greenwich Country Club was in- victory. augurated in 1897 as the Fairfield County Golf Club under a seven-man committee composed of Messrs. Julian W. Curtiss, Irish View of British Badge John H. Boswell, James McCutcheon, Ed- Subsequent to the withdrawal of Miss ward K. Willard, James Pott, Jr., Edwin Philomena Garvey, of Dublin, Eire, from B. Curtiss and George P. Sheldon. One the British Isles Curtis Cup Team on the of the older clubs in the country, it had grounds that she felt unable to wear the a membership of 163 in its second year, Union Jack on her Team blazer, Miss one of whom was Findlay S. Douglas, the Daisy Ferguson, the Team's non-playing 1898 Amateur Champion and later USGA Captain and President of the Irish Ladies' President. Golf Union, issued the following state- Its initial enthusiasm was indicative of ment: the spirit which has been handed down "The Executive Council of the Ladies' from generation to generation. Golf Union has decided that the Teams One of the Club's proudest possessions representing the British Isles, including is the Victoria Diamond Jubilee Chal- the Curtis Cup Team, shall wear the lenge Cup, a silver mug with four bone Union Jack as their Badge. The Badge handles which has been in continuous previously worn embodied the emblems competition since 1897 and ranks as one of the four countries. of the longest standing golf trophies in "Like the Walker Cup and Ryder Cup existence in the United States. It was Matches, the rules for the Curtis Cup, donated by an Englishman, F.E. Vivian French and Belgian Matches include Eire Bond, a member of the first Executive players on the Ladies' Golf Union British USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: AUGUST, 1958 Isles Team.