Tom, I had completely forgot about the putter issue. Just completely skipped my mind!
In one of these same articles, Travis is listed as a founding member.
Here is that list (copied and pasted from that issue)
The National Golf Links, is appropriate by
reason of the fact that the sixty-seven
founders, each of whom has put in
$1,000, and in whom the ownership of
the property is vested, reside in vari-
ous parts of the country; while as to
the term "Links" it is really about the
Following is the original list of the
founders:
H. M. Atkinson, Daniel Bacon, Robert
Bacon, George W. Baxter, Watson F. Blair,
John M. Bowers, Urban H. Broughton, E.
M. Byers, Daniel Chauncey, Stephen C.
Clark, T. Jefferson Coolidge, Jr., Charles
Deering, James Deering, Findlay S. Doug-
las, F. P. Dunne, Devereux Emmet, Henry
C. Frick, Elbert H. Gary, Hugh J. Grant,
John P. Grier, J. Horace Harding, J. Bor-
den Harriman, H. M. Harriman, Jarvis
Hunt, Leigh Hunt, Robert Bage Kerr, F.
S. Layng, J. Bowers Lee, Robert T. Lin-
coln, Charles B. Macdonald, Clarence H.
Mackay, J. J. Manning, J. H. Moore, W.
H. Moore, John Bowne Mott, DeLancey
Nicoll, Alfred L. Norris, Howard Page, J.
C. Parrish, W. A. Putnam, Norman B.
Ream, Winthrop Rutherford, Arthur Ryer-
son, Roy A. Rainey, H. B. Hollins, Sr., Ed-
ward L. Ryerson, S. L. Schoonmaker,
Quincy A. Shaw, Jr., W. D. Sloane, Charles
D. Stickney, James A. Stillman, James L.
Taylor, R. H. Thomas, W. B. Thomas, T.
Toscani, Walter J. Travis, H. McK.
Twombly, W. K. Vanderbilt, Jr., C. F.
Watson, Robert C. Watson, H. J. Whig-
ham, H. P. Whitney, R. H. Williams, B. F.
Yoakum, Richard Young, Col. R. M.
Thompson.
But this is interesting. (and I know you have seen this)
The issue of the Schenectady Putter was a passionate debate for its time, seemingly no different then a certain golf course in Ardmore, PA.! Still it is interesting because it reflects on something we have discussed nor researched much about on Golf Club Atlas--the relationship of Travis and MacDonald and the process of what led to this division.
From Travis:
Mr. Macdonald had not even been
consulted on the question, other than
in the indirect way he states, and it
was as much a surprise to him as to
anybody else that such precipitate ac-
tion had been taken. It developed
subsequently that this pronouncement
of guilty was ex parte on Captain
Burn's side, being merely a gratuitous
expression of his personal opinion, no
decision whatever having been arrived
at by the Committee as a whole. In-
deed nothing definite was done until
the September meeting of the Royal
and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews,
when the poor Schenectady which had
been prejudged and its fate settled
months before, was ignominiously con-
demned.
It may not be inappropriate to here
explain the relationship which Mr.
Macdonald occupies as a representa-
tive of the U. S. G. A. on the Rules
of Golf Committee. The latter body
is composed entirely of members of
the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of
St. Andrews, appointed by the Club.
In short, it is not at all a representa-
tive organization, drawn from vari-
ous clubs in different sections, such as
the U. S. G. A., for instance, but a
self-appointed oligarchy pure and sim-
ple. Mr. Macdonald was not ap-
pointed by the U. S. G. A. St. An-
drews attends to that; the U. S. G. A.
can only humbly acquiesce when St.
Andrews arrogates to itself the sole
appointive power . . . and no one is
eligible who is not a member of that
club. Mr. Macdonald is not an official
of the U. S. G. A., although represent-
ing it as a member of the Rules of Golf
Committee . . . ridiculously anomal-
ous—and quite un-American.
Surely the U. S. G. A. should at
least be permitted to elect its own dele-
gate! Not that it really matters
much, his influence being so inconse-
quential.—THE EDITOR.]
° ° °
° ° °
Very interesting stuff!