19th Hole: The Readers Take Over

MR. HORLICK, MEET MR. FAUNCE
Sirs:
I was greatly amused to receive recently this letter (see below) from the secretary of my country club. Obviously it is not at all funny in itself, but it did remind me so very much of J. P. Marquand's Happy Knoll series and especially of his article Breakage at Happy Knoll . If I remember correctly, "spirited youths" at Happy Knoll's coming-out party committed almost identical mayhem to its golf course. I only hope that I won't be dunned for the damage as were Happy Knoll's members.
NAME WITHHELD
Rye, New York

?It's a small, wonderful world. John P. Marquand's father, the late Philip Marquand, was a member of Apawamis at the turn of the century.—ED.

TENNIS EVERYONE?
Sirs:
I have just had the pleasure of looking through the magazine and reading the fine article by Prime Minister Menzies of Australia and the splendid article by Whitney Tower on Tony Trabert, as well as Bill Talbert's article on the Davis Cup (SI, Aug. 29).

To say that I am highly pleased with the whole magazine is putting it very mildly. You have my personal thanks and the thanks of our association for the excellent coverage given to tennis not only in this issue but throughout the year. Considering the fact that tennis is not one of the major spectator sports, I think you have leaned over backward to give us a fine break at all times. Tennis is primarily a participation sport rather than a spectator one and I have been pleased with your relative emphasis on participation sports as compared with the ordinary coverage by newspapers and other sporting magazines. This emphasis is certainly in accord with the recently expressed Eisenhower program and with the views of other leaders who feel that our youth are becoming spectators rather than players.
JAMES H. BISHOP
President
U.S. Lawn Tennis Assn.
New York

WIN OR LOSE
Sirs:
SI, Aug. 29 was an outstanding issue as far as I am concerned and that is saying a lot because all of them seem to be outstanding to me. The pictures, including the cover, certainly gave a graphic portrayal of big-time tennis.

The article by Prime Minister Menzies was fine. He put so clearly what most of us who have been connected with the game feel but are unable to express so well. Tennis is fortunate to have such a good friend.

I liked CONVERSATION PIECE very much too. That feature of SI has long been my favorite anyway. Tony is a fine boy and a fine champion, win or lose.
WILMER ALLISON
Austin, Texas

? Wilmer Allison, now a Texas businessman (radio and TV), was one of the great tennis stars of the 1930s. He won the National Intercollegiate singles championship in 1927; the National mixed doubles (with Edith Cross) in 1930; the Wimbledon doubles (with John Van Ryn) in 1929 and 1930; the National doubles (with Van Ryn) in 1931 and 1935; and the National singles in 1935. A member of the Davis Cup team, he won the doubles in 1932, and was the top-ranking U.S. player in 1934 and 1935.—ED.

JOURNALISM'S LOSS
Sirs:
This issue was a tennis fan's delight. Out of curiosity I counted the number of pages which contained at least some mention of tennis. The total was 22, which must be something of a record for a national magazine not primarily devoted to the game.

The cover was the best photograph I've seen of Tony Trabert, Jimmy Jemail came up with some interesting answers to his tennis question, your "Musings on Menzies" (E & D, Aug. 29) should be read by every official of the USLTA, the color layout on the West Side Tennis Club was superb, Billy Talbert's prediction of the Davis Cup play is still logical despite the loss of the Cup (he could hardly foresee Trabert's hand blisters and Rosewall's marvelous accuracy from the backcourt) and Whitney Tower's CONVERSATION PIECE on Trabert offers fascinating insights into an amateur tennis champion's attitudes.