Evening Journal

GOLF ANOTHER COMMON PEOPLE

The golf players have had the public eye the past week, as the long
drivers have been swatting the ball over Chicago Golf Club's velvety links
for the amateur national championship.

Golf 15 years ago was an alien and aristocratic game, played but little outside of the suburbs of the larger
cities. Today it is adding its pretty club houses and rolling turf in many
a modest village.

The advance of golf raises the question whether it will ever become popular
in the sense that base ball is
popular. The fact that the $800 a
year bank clerk usually plays does not
prove that the $3 a day artisan will
sport his mashies and niblicks.

The limitation of golf is largely
caused by the notion that it is a rich
man's game.
When the consumer
learns of the capitalists who will
drive a dozen 75 cent balls into the
bushes one after the other, a 25 cent
bleacher seat at the ball grounds looks
very good to him.

In actual practice, however, the
capitalists are not seen much on the
golf links. It is much easier to make
$10,000 a year than it is to drive a
straight golf ball for 200 yards. At
least many men find it so. The capitalist is more apt to be pushing a
high powered motor car over the high-
ways where no inherent obstacles in
the shape of awkward muscles can
dull his glory.

The players one actually sees on a
golf links are really a simple minded
type of men. They cling to a 75 cent
golf ball as to hard earned and blood-
bought treasure. If the white surface
wears off, they take it home at night
and paint it on the kitchen table.
while the wife is sprinkling the
sheets. They search long and earnestly for the elusive little pill, when
it hides its furtive head in the long
grass.

The great reason why golf clubs
are expensive is not essentially in the
game. A hundred fellows and as
many women can buy land, put up a
simple little club house and main-
tain links almost anywhere, except
near the large cities, for the proceeds
of a $5 or $10 initiation fee and $5 a
year dues. You could not play billiards on the greens, but then you
don't need to.

The high cost is in the habits of
the members. The crack players
want motor mowers, the boys want
shower baths, the butterflies want
dance floors, the high livers want a
restaurant. Before you know it the
dues are $50 per, or double that.

-:o:-