each player noting the other's score, which is then marked down at the
conclusion of each hole, the totals being added together at the end of
the round, when the card must be signed by the scorer and placed in the
score card box. Failing to sign a card entails disqualification. In
match playing, the scores are reckoned by the terms, "the like," "the
odd," "the two more," "one off two," etc., and the hole is won by the
player who has holed in the fewest strokes. Being the person to lead off
at the tee, is styled having the honour, and is a privilege accorded to
either the player who has the least handicap, or to the winner of the
latest match, or again to the winner of the last hole. In foursomes the
strokes are played alternately by the partners, through the green and
from the tee.
The ground played over is known by the name of the links, or the course,
and covers an area generally from two, to three and a half miles for a
full-sized or man's course, and very often much under this distance for
what is known as the ladies' links, whilst the distances between the
holes vary from fifty yards to 480 yards or more. The game is pursued
over obstacles of all sorts, known as hazards and bunkers, till the
green is reached. This is a beautifully kept piece of grassy lawn, some
twenty yards in extent, either undulating, sloping, or sometimes quite
level, in which the holes are cut. The term stance is applied to the
position of the player's feet, when addressing herself to the ball. The
term grip denotes either that part of the handle of the club covered
with leather, which is held in the hands, or the grasping of the club
itself, and the term lie, applies to the situation of the ball, good or
bad. The further technical terms may be found in the Glossary (p. 382)
or in any instruction book on the game, the most highly recommended of
the latter being _The Badminton Library on Golf_, by Mr. Horace
Hutchinson, _The Game of Golf_, by W. Park, jun., or Sir W. C. Sampson's
_The Art of Golf_. But to the early history of our game.
The exact date of the founding of the Royal and Ancient game of Golf is
still a somewhat disputed point. But we read that in Holland and also in
Belgium, about the year 1353, a very popular pastime was then in vogue,
styled Chole, and as far as can be ascertained from old documents,
pictures, and the familiar and curious Dutch tiles of that period, the
mode of play and the weapons used, although rather crude in many
respects, were not at all unlike those of the present day. Some writers
go so far as to tell us that this game rather resembled hockey, and that
the ball used was about the size of an ordinary cricket ball. Others
who have searched even more deeply amongst the archives of the royal and
ancient game, relate that the aim and object used to be to strike the
ball against stone posts, which appears to have corresponded with the
later practice of holing out. Anyway we have it on good authority that
the game was much played during the sixteenth century in Scotland.
In 1608 the Blackheath Club was formed in England, and in 1735 that of
the Edinburgh Burgess Society in the north, although the game had been
extensively played for some time before this. Closely following the
institution of the Edinburgh Burgess Society Club, came those of The
Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in 1744, St. Andrew's in 1754,
and Mussulburgh in 1774, followed again in the south by Old Manchester
in 1818, and Westward Ho! in 1864, till at the present time there are
links all over Europe, in America, India, Australia, New Zealand, and
even in Egypt. Not content with this, we even have the Royal game on the
West coast of Africa, in that spot of treachery and massacre, Benin. But
of course, to Scotland the gratitude of the world will ever be due for
having really been the home of the game, besides which for grandeur in
natural hazards, and finest of fine turf, the north will ever bear the
palm.
[Illustration: _J. Ross. North Berwick._
_MISS E. C. ORR._
(_Winner of the Championship, 1897._)]
Golf, as far as women are concerned, is indeed both royal and ancient,
for we know that Mary, Queen of Scots, was a great adept and devotee
thereof, but till this century women's doings appear not to have been
much chronicled, although they used to play, and our Scotch sisters have
always been more or less brought up to it. Latterly both the English and
Irish have taken wonderfully to what was at one time styled "That old
man's game," and in so doing have found it not at all a bad pastime,
till now-a-days the lady-golfers make quite a formidable army on the
occasion of the yearly championship, or the other big open meetings.
To arrange for such events, and to give more uniformity in general
matters, the "Ladies' Golf Union" was formed a few years ago. To this
body all troublesome questions are referred by the associated clubs, for
which it acts as legislator in chief. It arranges too the details for
the yearly championship, and has lately started a system for universal
handicapping which is progressing very well. But I shall have occasion
to speak of this useful institution later.
When ladies' courses were first started, they were chiefly conspicuous
for their shortness, and general lack of hazards, it being calculated
that the ordinary wooden putter would be sufficient to see the player
safely over any obstacles encountered during the round. But woman's
ambition was not satisfied, she sighed and fretted for more elbow-room,
longer holes, more difficulties, and last but not least on inland
courses, real sand at the bottom of the bunkers. Till then it had not
entered into the head of man to conceive that any woman was equal to, or
would care for, daily tramps over rough and broken ground, bogs, dykes,
and sand, or that even if she did care, she could ever become proficient
at so sacred a pastime. Was it possible either that a woman's strength
would prove equal to propelling the ball a sufficiently long distance,
to make her in any way a rival to one of the sterner sex? But
nevertheless, even with all these doubts, the men's club were ready to
assist in giving what was asked for, by helping to institute links at
St. Andrew's and Westward Ho! in 1868, Musselburgh and Wimbledon in
1872, Carnoustie in 1873, Pau in 1874, Troon in 1882, Bath in 1883,
Yarmouth in 1885, etc.
Of golf as a game for the health, it must be said that it is suited to
all seasons of the year, and also to the hundred and one changes of
climate which occur in the twelve short months. Through snow we pursue
the game on the frozen and ice covered links, with balls painted red,
again in March gales, we toil round regardless of the flapping skirts
and blow-away hats, but in May days when the weather is lovely, when the
courses and their greens are at their best, then it is that we lay
ourselves out for pure enjoyment, and reap the well-deserved fruits of a
winter of steady practice. So through summer and autumn the game still
retains its fascinations, at least for those who have mastered its inner
mysteries, but for the uninitiated it must indeed be more than a trifle
dull, beside savouring rather of madness to walk miles and miles only to
hit along a little white guttie ball, with instruments of weird and
curious shape.
[Illustration: _Figure 1._
_POSITION FOR DRIVING._]
Although ladies' courses are now vastly superior to what they were a
short while back, there is still room for great improvements in the
matter of scope for brassey and cleek play through the green. The usual
courses consist of a series of holes, generally nine holes--eighteen
being the exception--closely resembling each other, interspersed with
hazards of sorts, but in point of length and play nearly all these holes
are reached by a fair drive, followed by a short iron or approach shot
on the green. This is occasionally varied by a cleek shot from tee to
green, which constitutes the whole and monotonous ring of change that is
to be found, to say nothing of the total banishment of the brassey, one
of the most useful clubs in existence. Excepting, therefore, when women
play over men's courses, or at least over a part of them, they rarely
find themselves called upon to play cleeks, or full iron shots either. A
notable exception to this is the West Lancashire ladies' course, at Hall
Road, near Liverpool. There we find not only eighteen holes most
craftily laid out amidst hazards of all description, which call into
requisition a variety of useful clubs, but the distances between the
greens have been so varied that any monotony is quite impossible. For
whilst at one hole it may require three full shots to reach the green,
very likely the next will be but a cleek shot, and so on. One of the
irresistable influences of the game to a beginner, is undoubtedly that
vexation of spirit caused by some strange mixture of obstinacy and
helplessness, which smarts and rankles bitterly after a morning spent in
trying, to stand in the correct position with your club grasped firmly
in your hands, and after the preliminary waggle, to swing up and down
and hit the ball into space. It looks so easy, ridiculously easy, and as
if it was quite impossible not to hit that little white globe, perched
on its sand tee, but in reality, till the eye and the hand have been
trained to do so, it is one of the most difficult tasks in life, and a
process tending to many abusive speeches! The experience naturally
produces a spirit of dogged determination not to be beaten, wherein lie
the first seeds of interest, and the desire for improvement. The younger
it is possible to begin the game, the better, for at an early age the
muscles are tractable and supple, and the slightest stiffness which
gives a noticable jerkiness to the strokes, is very difficult to
overcome. The strokes should on the contrary be performed, and the arms
and wrists should work, with the smooth evenness of windmill sails. But
speaking of evenness and smoothness of movement, more especially in the
case of a person in the act of driving, brings to mind the late
championship at Gullane, where, for the first time, it became possible
to compare, side by side, the styles of the Scotch and English players.
Between some there was but little difference, excepting that the Scotch
swing was rather short and quick, whilst that of the English was
somewhat longer and slower, but in whatever style our Scotch sisters
played, their whole action was so even and pendulum-like, so entirely
free from any jerk or strain, that it clearly demonstrated their
familiarity with clubs from the days of early childhood.
Of course such familiarity is more than half the battle, making as it
does in after life a vast difference to the skill and style, although in
this as in all else, there are many and notable exceptions amongst those
who have only come across the game when nearing the days of discretion.
The greatest example of this, is our triple champion, Lady Margaret
Hamilton-Russell, née Scott, whose style has been pronounced perfect by
many competent judges.
Great self-control and good nerve, with a large amount of endurance, are
the requisites of golf, for without wishing to say one word to its
detriment, it cannot be denied that it is a game somewhat conducive to
selfishness, and with a distinctly rousing effect upon the temper. To
those who are adepts at other out of door sports and pastimes, golf
presents one great difficulty, namely, that most of the clubs have to be
gripped firmly by the left hand only, the right hand being used quite
lightly in comparison, simply as a general support and guide to
direction.
Having once decided to become a player, the best course by far is to
arrange for daily lessons from some competent and painstaking
professional, for by this means we start from the very beginning by
being placed in the right positions, and moreover, are taught to use the
right club in the right place, which knowledge will prove of invaluable
assistance in future matches and competitions. No beginner should
however forget to obtain a book of the St. Andrews' rules and to study
it well, for one of the first essentials in a game is to know the rules
thoroughly. By thus starting with lessons from a qualified instructor,
you do away with the risk of having to unlearn most of what has been
already grasped, as is so often the case where your mentor has been some
kind and amiable friend. Once having mastered the rudiments and
mysteries of the game, steady daily practice should be indulged in, if
you would hope in time to figure in the front rank of players.
The driver, iron, mashie and putter are the chief clubs to master
thoroughly, for at any time these will suffice on all courses to play a
good round with, whereas if only one club is taken out at a time to
master, the eye and hand are apt to become wearied by continuous
repetition, whilst the varied strokes necessitated by three or four
clubs, prove both instructive as well as absorbing.
In the choice of clubs arises great difficulty. Patents unlimited are to
be had, each claiming special advantages. For instance, W. Park's
putting cleek, or wry-necked putter as it is often called, and Brougham
or Yeoman's aluminium drivers, so utterly indestructible when playing
off roads or other hard lies. Then there are Taylor's or Teen's mashies,
the former rather short in the head and broad on the face, particularly
useful for the high-pitched approach shots, the latter shaped more like
a spoon, having at the back and in the exact centre, a crescent-shaped
and convex piece of extra steel, so as to concentrate the full force and
weight at the point of impact. But the good old-fashioned clubs can hold
many candles to various latter-day inventions. A very useful driver head
of ordinary beech-wood has within the last three or four years come
from the able hands of J. Ray, of Randalstown, Co. Antrim, called a
"Bap." This is in appearance exactly like a large and rather flat penny
bun attached to the shaft, but its driving powers are tremendous owing
to the amount of wood behind the spot from whence the ball is hit, which
naturally induces a long carry and run, especially in a wind, when it
seems to send a capital long, low straight shot.
[Illustration: _Figure 2._
_GRIP OF HANDS FOR DRIVING._]
It is best to choose the first clubs with the assistance of a
professional, or that of an experienced amateur, who will know at once
what weights are most suited to your powers of wrist and arm. Having
done this, and by a study of the rules prepared yourself for
instruction, you will naturally wish to make your first attempt. On
arriving at the first teeing ground and after mounting your ball on its
sand tee, take up your position with the driver, so that the club head
may be within easy reach of the ball, and without the least straining or
stretching forward to reach it.
[Illustration: _Figure 3._
_WRONG GRIP._]
[Illustration: _Figure 4._
_CLUB HEAD WRONG. HANDS WRONG. RESULT OF A GRIP, AS SHOWN IN FIG. 3._]
[Illustration: _Figure 5._
_"TOE" OF DRIVER POINTING DOWNWARDS. HANDS RIGHT._]
The left foot should be slightly in advance of the right, rather turned
in if anything, and both feet some sixteen inches or thereabouts apart,
the ball, club, and hands being as nearly as possible in direct line
with your waist buckle, perhaps slightly inclined to the left. The hands
then require to grip the club as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the left hand
should hold with a grip of iron, the right much more easily, but still
with a tenacious grasp, turned well over so that the back of the hand is
to the front. Care should be taken that the thumb is not as shown in
Figure 3, for such a grip would cause the head of the club, when at
the top of the swing, to be turned broadway as in Figure 4, instead of
pointing toe downwards as in Figure 5. When off your drive entirely, and
when instead of being able to swing your ball nicely and cleanly away,
you can only keep hitting down on the top of it, called smothering, take
a swing with the club, pausing at the top (that is to say when the club
has reached its usual high curve over the right shoulder, and just
before its descent is commenced) to note the angle of the head. This
will generally be found as in figure 4, whilst the position of the hands
will be as in figure 3. Then alter your grip to as near that of figure 2
as possible, when the angle of the club-head at the top of the swing,
will become as in figure 5. But to continue, being in the correct
position for addressing the ball both as regards distance and grip,
after a short preliminary waggle which will give the needed impetus,
raise the club away to the right, not too quickly, with a scythe-like
sweep, till well over the right shoulder, at the same time lifting the
left heel and turning the body slightly on the toes of the left foot.
Figure 6. The action of the swing should be entirely done from the
shoulder, and not with a twist of the whole body as is often seen.
Descending again and driving away the ball, then continue the swing till
it finishes up quite naturally over the left shoulder, called "the
follow through," Figure 7, thus describing an entire circle round the
body, the _whole_ of which must be as evenly performed, without the
least signs of force or disjointedness, as though it was the revolution
of a wheel. Many players stand to drive with the ball in a line with, or
even outside, their left foot, but having the ball nearer the centre of
the body, as described above, is the more usual position, and one to be
recommended.
[Illustration: _Figure 6._
_GRIP WHEN AT THE TOP OF SWING._]
[Illustration: _Garland. Woking._
_Figure 7._
_FINISH OF SWING._
(_Mrs. M. C. Willock._)]
Brassey shots through the green are played in a similar manner to
drives, the only exception being, that instead of a ball teed on the
sand, it has to be taken off the flat, therefore it becomes necessary to
swing the club head into the ball with a smart click, nicking in between
it and the ground, so as to cause the ball to rise away in its flight
quickly and cleanly, avoiding any taking of turf, or sclaffing as it is
styled, and thereby losing half the propelling force. When to reach the
green two or three full shots are required after the drive, the brassey
is generally taken, or for a medium length shot the cleek, the latter
being used with a full swing, till some eighty or a hundred yards from
the hole, when the lofting iron is called into requisition.
With this latter club, as with the cleek, the grip of both hands must be
very firm, for at the moment of striking the ball with the face of the
club, there is the danger of the sole at that very second taking the
turf, when, unless the club is firmly gripped in both hands, it must
naturally turn somewhat, with the result that the shot will be
hopelessly foozled.
[Illustration: _Figure 8._
_SWINGING UPWARDS FOR A THREE-QUARTER IRON SHOT._]
The position of the feet in iron shots differs from that of driving. For
one thing the right foot should be slightly in advance of the left,
whilst the ball is more opposite the former, and in the second place the
knees must be a little bent, the whole body assuming more of a crouching
stance than when driving. The swing, too, with an iron, is somewhat
different, for even in the full shot it is never of such a length as
that taken with a wooden club. It is more of an up-and-down stroke. In
the three-quarter shot, the arms and not the shoulders are responsible
for the swing, the club going as far back as the length of the arm
comfortably permits (figure 8), whereas, in the half shot, the fore arm
and wrist work only, the arm from the shoulder to the elbow being then
nearly close into the side. The approach shot with the mashie is played
when the green is some fifty yards or more distant, the player desiring
either to run the ball up to the hole along the ground, provided the
intervening space is pretty clear of hazards, or to pitch it up, with
that short "choppy" wrist shot, so that the ball falls without run,
nearly dead. Many players place the right thumb down the shaft of the
club in this stroke, claiming that it is easier thus to gauge the
distance and be more accurate as to direction. But whichever way it is
played, remember that it is the wrists and not the arms that work the
club. This shot is played with the face of the club very much laid back
(figure 9), and a peculiar species of cut from right to left
administered to the ball at the moment of impact. A stroke that can with
difficulty be taught, being more the outcome of instinct after
experience, than of instruction. The hard part of approaching lies in
making the ball fall sufficiently dead, and _not_ to strike it so, that
after pitching, it will run nearly as far off the green on the opposite
side.
The mashie is one of the most useful clubs, for besides being your
"right hand" in approach shots, it is simply indispensable when playing
out of a bad lie, or whenever the ball is snugly reposing in some sand
bunker. To extricate oneself from such a lie, it is necessary first and
foremost that both feet should be _firmly_ planted on the ground, for
every atom of strength must be brought to bear on the right spot, at the
right moment. About two inches behind the ball is the place to let your
club-head delve into the sand, and it is upon _this_ spot that the eye
must be fixed, and _not_ upon the ball, as is otherwise the case. The
force of hitting the club-head into the sand, causes it to shoot up,
bearing the ball high into the air, and over the confronting obstacle.
Whilst speaking of bunkers and difficulties, it is as well to have in
mind the St. Andrew's rule, No. 14, which runs as follows: "When a ball
lies in or touches a hazard, the club shall not touch the ground, nor
shall anything be touched or moved before the player strikes at the
ball, except that the player may place his feet firmly on the ground for
the purpose of addressing the ball, under the penalty of the loss of the
hole, but if in the backward or downward swing, any grass, bent, whin,
or other growing substance, on the side of a bunker, a wall, a paling,
or other immoveable obstacle be touched, no penalty shall be incurred."
In medal competitions the penalty for breach of this rule is
disqualification.
If there should be any doubt as to what is considered a hazard, rule No.
15 is very explicit. "A hazard shall be any bunker of whatever
nature--water, sand, loose earth, mole hills, paths, roads, or railways,
whins, bushes, rushes, rabbit scrapes, fences, ditches, or anything
which is not the ordinary green of the course--except sand blown on to
the grass by wind, or sprinkled on grass for the preservation of the
links--or snow, or ice, or bare patches on the course."
[Illustration: _Figure 9._
_SHORT APPROACH SHOT WITH THUMB DOWN THE SHAFT._]
In _match play_, rule 29 states: "A ball must be played wherever it
lies, or the hole be given up--except as otherwise provided for in the
rules." Whereas in _medal play_, rule 8 reads: "A ball may under a
penalty of two strokes be lifted out of a difficulty of any description,
and be teed behind the same." The niblick, in bunkers where the sand is
at all heavy, is rather a better club to use than the mashie, being so
short, thick, and powerful in the head, therefore capable of delivering
a stronger blow into the sand. A most useful club for bad lies through
the green, is the driving mashie, made much after the order of a cleek,
only being shorter in the face and very solid in the sole, it is able to
hit a long, powerful shot under the most trying conditions in the way of
bad lies.