THERE is scarcely a city of any consequence which has not provided a municipal golf course for the public or given the matter serious consideration.

Wherever these courses have been built the people have shown their appreciation by taxing the course to capacity.

The absolute necessity of a municipal golf course is recognized by cities which are particularly desirous of the patonage of tourists. The majority of those who travel for pleasure play golf and though they may visit a city which does not provide golf for them, they will not tarry there long.

Then arises the question of whether an absolutely free course be built for the residents, or a semi-public course, operated by a city, over which visitors may play upon payment of a fee.

In some sections where the visitations of tourists are frequent, the latter development would seem to have first consideration, but in view of the unmistakably healthy growth of golf, the eventual solution carries with it the answer of "Both."

As it costs no more to construct any course along modern lines, there is no reason why public links should not be quite as up-to-date as any other, yet it must be remembered that those who frequent free courses are not so prone to observe the strict ethics of the game as others, and consequently in planning free courses, dangerous parallell fairways and blind shots of every description should be avoided. Such features should not exist on any course, but particularly on one given over to the public.