Show 0 G RICE WHAT HAT game is ia played more throughout the world than any other This is one of the queries you get from servicemen billeted in Europe and the South Pacific And then they lead you on to a comparison compari compari- son of tennis and golf goll This i includes courses courts and all other ingredients ingredients ingredients in in- that make up an ment I put this debate up to one of our leading tennis statisticians and here are the facts Why compare tennis with golf Why not compare tennis with any other national or International sport You wont won't find any other game even close in an international international international way a Heres something that may shock national national national na na- and international international international sport follow follow- y ers In 1939 just X before beCore the recent world war broke out the Grantland Rice Riceal Riceal al Lawn Tennis association association association as as- had a membership p of 59 nations head headed cd for Cor the Davis cup No other sport has even come close to this mark This entry list embraced every continent and every civilized country country coun cairn try from the U. U S. S to Kenya and China And each of these 59 nations has a tennis governing body Without any argument the most famous international sporting trophy is the Davis cup donated in 1900 by Dwight Davis from St. St Louis No other international cup is in the same class nine Fifty nations what other sport can equal that Or even come close including soccer golf basketball basketball basketball basket basket- ball or track and field Strangely enough the two most famous cups the Davis cup for tennis and the Walker cup for golf gol came from two famous St. St Louis sportsmen Dwight Davis and George Herbert Walker Dwight Davis and Bert Walker both from inland St. St Louis were main factors in putting tennis and golf gol on the international sporting map There may have been two finer sportsmen but I cant can't recall their names Their international appeal reached to more than millions it moved close to the billion mark Tennis Courts Our tennis expert then began to get eloquent As you may know he said there are about golf courses in the country But dont don't forget there are municipal tennis tennis tennis ten ten- nis courts in towns and cities of the U. U S. S There are 2300 municipal courts located in as few as 10 cities and New York isn't one of them There are tennis clubs members members mem mem- bers hers of and others not members And this doesn't include in- in include include in in- clude the enormous number of tennis tennis tennis ten ten- nis courts at private homes Golf claims around players in the U. U S. S We happen to know that tennis can claim around players possibly more After all golf requires from to acres for a course Tennis requires far less The main point is that tennis and golf goIt belong largely to competitors tors not to spectators And that's the way it should be We have had entirely to many spectators in this country and far too few actual players players players play play- ers or competitors This goes especially especially especially espe espe- for football baseball and box box- ing These are largely spectator games But these conditions may also change later on Millions of ol spectators only mean box office re re- re- re They mean noU nothing ng in the way of physical condition Now back to tennis Our expert continues continues Tennis Tennis is the only sport played in countries all over the world under the same rules anc and regulations Tennis is an nn international al matter not a local affair We figure there are something like 40 00 tennis players in the world men and women No other sport can even approach this mark Before Before Before Be Be- fore the war we had something like tennis rackets turned out each year This will be doubled after the war Tennis will be one of our greatest games It takes up far less space and gives far more action than golf To forestall any wild squawks from bowlers softball players anc and basketball players wed we'd like to step aside on this part of the ment The bowlers and the basketball basketball basketball basket basket- ball players claim around The softball players over Well We'll let them fight this out But people dont don't read so much about their stars or their teams The four major reading sports in the United States are baseball football boxing and racing with racing with golf next The Best Golf Sluing Craig Wood reopened a hot argument argument ment a few days back The biggest improvement in golf one of the reasons the leaders give you those record scores is this this they they use the squared squared face ace on the back back- swing and keep the squared face working through the downswing This means less pivot less body turn It means more hand control You should take the club head away squarely from the ball ball balland and keep i it itin in this position so you can bring i iback it itI I I back squarely to the hail ball I |