Travis was one tough "literary" competitor!

[TEPaul]

Ed Homsey:

You're the archivist for The Travis Society and we're delighted to have you on here. As the Travis archivist you must be pretty familiar with most everything Travis wrote, particularly in American Golfer.

I sure am interested in the plethora of "pen names" used in that magazine and so can you tell me if you think Travis wrote under the pen name "Americus?" I do know he wrote under "19th Hole".

From the style of one section in December 1910 signed by "Americus" it sure sounds like and looks like it had to be Travis. But the real reason I ask is, WOW, that particular section is some kind of tough on Horace Hutchinson and what he said about American courses in 1910 after his three week visit over here.

Travis ("Americus") basically went after him and what he said with both barrels. I don't recall ever seeing anything that tough in a golf magazine. It was as tough as most anything that's appeared on this website.

Another question I have for you is, as far as you know did Hutchinson ever provide any "Foreign Correspondence" Section copy for American Golfer? After that 1910 thing by "Americus" I can't imagine he ever would have. If not who do you think provided copy for the "Foreign Correspondence" section? Could it have been Darwin?

[Ed Homsey]

Should I call you TE?

I won't lay claim to being familiar with everything that Travis wrote.  As you know, he published in many publications in addition to The American Golfer.  I am still working my way through the Travis literature, trying to digest it and organize into a useful form.  It's been an interesting and informative endeavor, and certainly keeps me out of trouble.

I just reviewed the December 1910 article you refer to.  It's an interesting question you raise.  The "Americus" critique of Hutchinson's article, "An English View of American Golf" is certainly "tough" one as you indicate.  It is followed by a note from the Editor (Travis), as I'm sure you noticed.  That could lead one to assume that Travis is commenting on an article written by someone else.  But, could it be that he wanted to disguise the fact that he, indeed, is Americus.  His editorial comment picks up on the arguments of Americus, though he notes "one point which seems to have escaped the notice of Americus".  Is this some sort of ruse on the part of Travis?  Who knows.  I will be on the lookout for other columns by Americus, to see if they follow a similar pattern. 

No one, to my knowledge, has been able to break the code of pseudonyms used in The American Golfer.  I have no idea whether Hutchinson was the foreign correspondent.  A mystery that will remain unsolved, I suspect.

Thanks for your query.  In thumbing through the Dec 1910 issue, I came across something I hadn't seen before:  a picture of the silver trophy given Travis by the Chicago Golf Club, commemorating the record round Travis had there (can't make out the year).

Ed   

[Ed Homsey]

Not that this is particularly relevant to anything other than the comment, in my previous post, about the trophy Travis received from the Chicago Golf Club.  His record was set on July 31,1909.  Travis described the round as follows:  "Every putt was holed.  The golf was the most perfect I ever played.  There were two minor slips only, the tee-shots on the second and eighteenth holes being a couple of yards off the course (Amer. Golfer, Sept 1910).

ed