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GOLF.

BY J. McBAIN & W. FERNIE.

LONDON : DEAN & SON, LTD., I6OA, FLEET STREET, E.C. INTRODUCTORY.

OF the origin of golf we have no record. When, where, and by whom it was discovered or invented, is not known. All that is known is that it was a favourite pastime among the people of Scotland four hundred and fifty years ago. Golf indeed seems to have been thus early so much in favour among the people of that part of the British islands, that it was made the subject of "at least three repressive statutes of what constituted the Scottish legislature of the fifteenth century. In the reign of James II. we find parliament enacting that all able bodied persons were to practice shooting with the bow and arrow, " and at ye fut ball ande ye golf be utterly cryt doune and not usit . . . And as tuichande ye futball and ye golf we ordane it to be punyst bo ye baronys unlaw." This enactment was made in 1457, and it appears to have been so little heeded, and bow and arrow practice still so much neglected in favour of "ye fut ball and ye golf," that in another Act of Parliament—1471—the legislators thought it expedient "at ye futball and ye golf be abusit in tyme cumming." That the "abuse" was however of little avail in repressing the 4 GOLF. love of the Scots for their spoils is clear from still further con- demnatory legislation in 159c when it was ordained that "In na place of the Realme be usit fut bawis, gouff, or olhir sic unproffit- able sportis, bot for common glide and defence of the Realme be hantit bowis schuting, and markis yrfore ordinit in ilk parochin." It is generally believed, and there is good ground for the belief, that the game was introduced into Scotland from the Low Countries, but if that is so it is curious that it was not also at the same time introduced into England, between which country and Belgium and Holland there was at that time much more inter- course than between Scotland and that part of the continent. Be that as it may Golf secured a firm footing in the northern part of the island some time about the middle of the fifteenth century, and it has been there practised, in all probability without inter- mission, from those early days till the present time. It is con- sidered the national game of Scotland, and it has certainly some title to be considered so, though it has a rival to that distinction In the winter pastime, Curling. The merits of the game of golf are unquestionable. In the estimation of the enthusiast they are supreme, and it certainly is a matter for surprise that the super- lative qualities of golf were, until quite recently, recognised only by Scotsmen. There has in recent years, however, been a remarkable awakening to the advantages of playing golf. Fifty years ago there were just twenty golf clubs, with a very limited membership, in existence, and only two of them—B1a.ckheath, and INTRODUCTORY. 5

Calcutta—were out of Scotland. Up to ten years ago the number had progressed slowly and steadily up to rather under two hundred. Then set in a revival of the game, which, up to the present time, is nothing short of phenomenal. The figures relative to the matter as taken from the Golfing Annual are the best evidence of what has been taking place during the last decade. In 1887 the number of clubs was 200; in iSSS, 230; in 1889, 277 ; in 1890, 3S7 ; in 189r, 529 ; in 1892, 634 j in 1893, 759 ; in 1894, 999 ; and in 1895, 1,280; and the relative increase for the following year was as great. The aggregate of clubs and links south of the Tsveed now far exceeds that in the home of golf, and the game is spreading rapidly all over the world, especially in America, where clubs are springing up in every county. Indeed, so widespread is the game becoming that it is not improbable that if universal brotherhood ever reigns its regime will date from the golf links There are no two opinions among sensible and unprejudiced people about the value of golf, as an amusement and as a healthy exercise, both mentally and physically. Its irresistible advance in general favour, in the face of persistent abuse and ridicule, and the tens of thousands of persons that have within the last few years enlisted in the ranks of its votaries, are conclusive testimony to its value as an outdoor pastime. It is difficult to decide exactly wherein consists the charm of golf, and its superiority over many other pastimes, but there can be no doubt that the personal 6 GOLF. element has a good deal to do with its attractive qualities. Unlike most other games it is dependent entirely on the skill of the individual playing it. In many other outdoor gomes, as for instance, cricket, football, bowls, &c, the results of the player's skill are greatly affected, or modified, by other players ; but one of the chief features of golf is the circumstance that each performer, exclusively, deals with his own game, and nobody else has any (or at all events, any but an occasional) influence on it. He plays his ball over a course of three or four miles, and no one has anything to do with it but himself. He does not play against the field as in cricket, in football, or in hockey (which game, as to the implements used, it somewhat resembles), other players trying to thwart his purpose, but he plays his garni independently of all others. One of the many advantages of golf, further, is that the full game is played by only two players. Even one player may, and often does, enjoy a round of the links, play- ing without an opponent. In cricket or football the full game cannot be played without a considerable congeries of individuals. You can at all times arrange with your friend to have a day at golf, or go down to the links without him,and have a pretty good prospect of getting a game, but you cannot at all times, when you desire it, arrange on the same satisfactory basis for a game of football or cricket, and it is the independence golf gives in this respect that makes one of the principal charms of the game. As, moreover, a comparatively large expanse of ground, about the extent of a 1

1NTR0SUCT0BV. 7 hundred acre farm, is needed for an ordinary eighteen hole course, and as such an area is rarely to be found within the precincts of a town, the golfer has perforce to betake himself to the country for opportunities of indulging in his favourite pastime. It can also be played the whole year through, in frost and even in snow, and in open weather the game in winter is even more enjoyable than it is in summer, On the other hand, however, golf is more expensive than most other outdoor pastimes, on account of the upkeep of clubs, balls, payment of caddies (who carry the player's clubs for him), probable railway fares, &c. It is all outlay in golf, and no income from gates, and there is often also the payment of heavy entrance fees, and annual subscriptions. So that until municipal corporations take upon themselves the duty of provid- ing golf courses for the common weal, out of the rates, the game is likely to remain outside the scope of the working man's income.

Facilities for Playing Golf.

From what has already been said it will be seen that the difficulty of procuring a golf course is considerably greater than that attending the formation of a suitable cricket or football ground. Four or five acres is sufficient for the playing of cither cricket or football, and a.very much smaller area for playing bowls or for curling. For an eighteen hole course the promoters of a golf links require about a hundred acres, and they have some- times, therefore, to go far afield before they meet with the ground, that is sufficient in extent, as well as suitable in quality. And 8 GOLF. even when it is found, the best ground will sometimes require a heavy expenditure before it becomes subservient to the golfer's purpose, and may prove a serious tax on the resources of the club. Golf, it is true, may be, and very often is, played over a course of nine, or an even less number of holes, and a much smaller extent of ground suffices, but a course of those limits soon gets over- crowded. The orthodox number of holes is eighteen, and these vary in length from ioo yds. to 500 yds., and it is very rare that any two holes arc of the same length. The total length of the round to give full scope for driving should be at least three miles. Three well known links St. Andrews, Prestwick, and Sandwich, all championship courses, are over three and a half miles. The quality of the turf is the all important consideration in the choosing of a golf course. The sea shore where the subsoil is sand, produces the best turf. The grass that in such localities succeeds the rough bent grass, is short, crisp, and tough, and is the ideal turf for a gulf links. It is the only grass that will grow to perfection on a substratum of sand, and it will grow to perfection nowhere else. Nevertheless some excellent links have been laid out far from the sea, and rocky mountain pastures, where also the turf grows stunted, are the next most suitable to seashore links for golf. Meadow land, that which has been for a number of years under pasture, is sometimes good, but the rank growth in summer is often a drawback, though only in the matter of expense, for a liberal use of the lawn mower will remove that FACILITIES FOR PLAYING. <) objection. Such links ought always to have good putting greens, / for the natural turf is almost invariably good enough for putting ; greens, the thickness of the grass being an element of durability. I The great drawback with seaside courses is to make good the tear and wear of putting greens, especially in dry seasons, the turf, \ under those conditions, having but a slight tenure of the ground, i| and being very sensitive to drought, easily destroyed if there i is too much play on it, or if ignorance or carelessness is shown in I; looking after it. .;' It is not thought necessary to minutely describe how golf is • played. Briefly stated, the game consists in playing a gulta : percha ball some five inches in circumference, with implements which are generally considered to be the best adapted for the piir- 4 pose, from a given point called the "Tee," into a hole, about four ii inches in diameter, on each pulling green, till the whole series of i eighteen has been gone over in succession, and when the player ] has an opponent, or is playing for a medal, he tries to get his ball i | into each hole in the smallest possible number of strokes, Some- / times the total number of strokes for the eighteen holes is taken, and sometimes the strokes are taken for each hole separately without reference to the aggregate, and those two different methods of counting constitute a distinction between two different 'j systems of playing golf, which will be a matter for further con- j sideration. Those who wish to get a clearer idea of trie game of \ golf than any amount of vvrilten description can give, should I 16 OOht. take the opportunity of going round the links and watching two experienced players. He will there, without much trouble, get a practical insight into the manner of playing golf, and, if he is a man of observation, he will notice under what circumstances each of the series of golf clubs is used. If he wishes a practical intro- duction to the game, he should get a professional to go round the links with him. However, for the benefit of those who, desirous of obtaining some knowledge of the game, have no opportunity of seeing it played in the first instance, a brief reference to the implements of golf and the object to be attained by them is advisable. There is great variety of clubs and balls in the market, some of them made for use, some of them the result of sadly mis- applied ingenuity, and some ol them, like the Yorkshireman's razors, made to sell. A considerable change has come over the fashion of golf clubs of late years, and quite recent treatises on the game deal with clubs that are now nearly obsolete, and are rarely made, except to the order of one of the old school of golfers. The clubs known as the " Spoons," of which there were four or five modifications, are practically defunct, and it is thought needless to describe them. Their functions have been usurped by the "brassie," and by the "iron" clubs, and the beginner will have advanced a long way before he need consider them or their uses. For the beginner six clubs at the outset are all that he needs, but those are indispensable. The six are the driver, I GOLFING IRONS. It .he brassie, the cleek, the iron, the niblick, and the putter, as | figured in the accompanying plate :— The Driver is for the most part used in striking the ball from the tee. In its present form it is the evolution of generations of j experiment in the direction of fitting it for that purpose. It may, J however, be used at other parts of the links, if the position of the ball and other circumstances warrant. But it is not often used except for the initial stroke. It is to be noted, however, that the driver is not always used for playing from the tee, and if it is not •i necessary or desirable to drive the ball as far as possible, some other less powerful club is used. The Brassie is a very suitable club for playing long strokes through the links, and it comes most into requisition when a long jl stroke has to be taken if the ball is not lying clean enough to be played with the driver, and when it is desired to loft the ball. The club is shod with a brass sole. It has grass cutting qualities, which make it suitable for getting at the ball when the ball is not merely on, but in, the grass. Before the introduction of the t brassie the long spoon, or mid spoon were used, but they had not the cutting edge of the brassie, hence the survival of the latter. •f The Cleek, one of the iron clubs, bears the same relation to i the driver that the next club, the iron, does to the brassie. It is used with a clean lie to carry the ball up to the hole, when the driver or brassie would carry it too far. It is a very useful club i i on all parts of the green, and is even used by some good players to putt with. It is very suitable for putting when the ball lies in any degree " cupped " on a rough putting green.

The Iron has, much to the detriment of the links, taken the place of the short spoon, or baffing spoon, both of which clubs are now really extinct. Like its predecessors it is used for carry- ing the ball on to the green over an intervening hazard, where the length of a brassie shot is unnecessary. It is also used in extricating the ball from certain bad lies. Its face is more laid back than that of the cleek, so that it is admirably adapted for lofting the ball over a hazard.

The Niblick is a short-headed club. The shortening of the head reflects the purpose for which it is used, that being to get the ball out of a cup, or a rut, or a sand bunker. The club is indispensable on a seaside links on account of the sand bunkers, and it would probably not be much required in an inland links. The reason of its being so serviceable in a sand bunker is that the sand does not offer so much resistance to its comparatively small surface as it would to the iron, which is the next best club to use under similar circumstances.

The Putter, which may be of wood or metal, is, as its name implies, used for playing strokes on the putting green to hole the ball, though it is occasionally used for running up the ball to the GOLFING IRONS. 13 hole from some distance outside the putting green. It has a shorter shaft and heavier head than any of the other clubs. There are one or two modifications of the foregoing that are a good deal used. The "mashie" is a compromise between the niblick and the iron, both as to its weight, and as to the extent to which its face is laid back. The " bulger" may be either a driver or a brassie, so that if you want a bulger you ask the maker for a " bulger-driVer,"ora "bulger-brassie." This is one of the most used in the modern improvements of golf clubs, and it is, strange to say, the only one for which a patent has not been taken out. All the difference between the "bulger "and the ordinary club is that the face of the former has a convex-curved face, the curvature running from nose to heel or end to end, whereas the face of the ordinary club is straight or flat. The curve from top to bottom has also been tried, as well as the two combined, but clubs made on those patterns have not met with much favour. In addition to the clubs enumerated, there are many patent clubs, but as they are for the most part more expensive, and of doubtful advantage over the ordinary clubs, there is no need that they should be specifically noticed here. There is great variety, within a very limited scope, of balls, all made of. gutta-percha, in the market The shilling ball of all makers is good, too good to begin with for it is not often that a ball used by a novice, in his first round, is in a fit state to be used in a second round. He can, however, get the ball made up again for fourpence, though a made-up ball T4 GOLF. is always inferior to a new one. The most economical ball for a beginner is undoubtedly the " Eclipse." The gutta-percha in this ball is mixed with a composition that makes it harder and tougher than pure gutta-percha, and thus capable of resisting the mis- directed energy of the novice, and of keeping its shape when any other ball would be a shapeless ruin. The " Eclipse" ball costs a shilling, but made-up guttas may be bought for sixpence. A good set of clubs, and half-a-dozen balls to start with may be bought for about thirty-five shillings.

How Golf Should be Learned. The first thing that strikes the stranger to the links, as he watches two accomplished golfers practising the game, is that it is the simplest thing in the world to strike the ball as he sees them strike it. If he intends to be a golfer, and the desire to emulate what he has just seen is not unlikely to influence him in that " direction, it will be well for him if he does not take to practising the game still having that impression. If he starts it on those terms golf will soon take him down a peg. There is some excuse for the impression too, for it does seem an easy thing to swing the golf club as the professional swings it, pick up the ball as it lies passively on the ground before him, and send it forward 180yds. or 200yds. through the air. The act seems perfectly natural and easy. And it is what it seems, It is second nature to the trained player. We do not know of any physical effort, HOW GOLF SHOULD BE LEARNED. 15 keeping the end in view, that is more graceful and more effective than the perfectly delivered stroke of a golf club in the hands of an expert, when driving a ball from the tee. Such proficiency is, however, not the result of unpremeditated effort, but the result of years of practice. Let not the tyro think then that all he has got to do is to get a club and a ball and go and do likewise. The certainty is that he will do very much otherwise, and if the true golf swing is a graceful action, it would be difficult to picture a more awkward action than the untutored effort of the bumptious novice. The game of golf is an exceedingly fascinating and seductive pastime, and it is very rarely indeed that one taking up the clubs ever lays them down again. But like all games that are worth learning it is not easy to learn. Proficiency in golf is indeed comparative. Its possibilities have never been, and never will be, exhausted, and the man has not yet been born, who has played a perfect game of golf. There are, however, a few golfers of the present day who may be regarded as having made some approach to perfection, and it is those that the debutant ought to take as his model. Let him clearly understand, though, that there is no royal road to the acquirement of golf, and even a local reputation for skill can be gained only by carefully laying a good foundation, and slowly, but surely building his game thereon. He should never attempt to teach himself golf. It has been aptly said that the man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client, It might, i6 GOLF. with at least as much aptness, be said that the man who under- takes to teach himself golf has a fool for his pupil. Such a pupil may make up his mind to be content with a position among the great unknown. It is a hundred to one against his attaining to even club celebrity. The best means of learning the game is to get a series of lessons from a professional, who is at once a good player and a good coach. The best alternative is for the pupil to avail himself of such instructions as the present volume is meant to provide; but in any case he cannot be too strongly warned against being in a hurry. In golf the race is not to the swift. It is better for the beginner to overestimate than to underestimate the difficulties to be overcome, and diffidence in approaching the game will do at least as much for him as confidence. If timidity leads to sins of omission, presumption leads to sins of commission. The personal teaching of golf, as of any other art, is more expen- sive to begin with, than the purchasing of a treatise on the game, that professes to do that service for the beginner, but it is distinctly the most satisfactory in the long run. The student is so apt to misinterpret what he finds in a book, and to find difficulties that no book can anticipate. Nevertheless, it is hoped that from the instructions which follow he may be able to pick up sufficient to put him in the right way, and to enable him to attain to a measure of proficiency in the use of the clubs that is far above the present day average form on the links. The proper swing of the club is the foundation of all golf and

l HOW GOLF SHOULD .BE LEARNED. 17 the learner ought to thoroughly understand it before he begins to practise it. It is by no means a simple motion, it is a very com- plicated motion, and the learner has a dozen different paints, all of them important, to consider in acquiring it. The mistake that is too often made is to put on the pupil the burden of keeping them all in view at the same time, as soon as he gets the club into his hand to strike the ball for the first time. It is not to be wondered at that many a would-be golfer, with this task imposed upon him, should lose sight of, and end by habitually ignoring one or other of those important points, to the perpetual destruc- tion of his chances of ever being able to play a decent game of golf. That sort of teaching, even when it is given by a pro- fessional, is quite thrown away. The game must be approached from a very rudimentary stage, and the principles that regulate the correct swing of the club, thoroughly understood. In swinging the club it is the arms that are chiefly concerned. But at the same time nearly every sinew of the body is more or less concerned in that swing. In learning the game, therefore, other parts of the body, especially the legs and the feet, require to be trained as well as the arms and hands, more particularly because their bearing on the swing is very likely to be overlooked. The legs and feet have an action of their own, that must be in harmony with the action of the other limbs, An analysis of the golf swing shows that its chief characteristic is a rhythmic rocking of the body from one side to the other, and we think it well to J8 GOLF. direct the pupil's attention to this essential in the first place. First Exercise. Let the pupil stand, then, on the golf links with a club, his legs easily and comfortably apart, and with his who'e muscular system relaxed, in military parlance, let him " stand easy," as shown in i'late i. Some of our readers will no doubt recognise this as the position for the commencement of the Second Exercise of physical drill. That, indeed, is precisely what it is, and more- over, the movements that follow are an exact reproduction of the movements of that exercise, all the difference being that the golf club takes the place of the rifle. We cannot, however, proceed on the assumption that eveMy one knows this exercise, and, though it is very simple, we deem it advisable, by aid of the illustrations, to describe it, and to point out its bearing on the golf swing. Having taken up his position as directed, the pupil, holding the club lightly, with the knuckles uppermost, is required to execute an easy combined movement of the arms, the body and the legs, to the right, but without changing his stand on the ground, till lie has arrived at the position shown in Plate 2. The club is held horizontally, and at easy arm's length throughout the movement. As the body and the head turn round, the arms arc carried along and at the same time gradually raised, until at the end of the motion the club shaft is on a level with the eyes, at which point the performer is looking in a direction at right angles to his HOW GOLF SHOULD BE LEARNED. 19 original position, as delineated on Plate 2. Now to accomplish this evolution with ease and grace, the left foot, it will be quite apparent, must be allowed to follow the bent of the body. The primary motion is that of the arms, the body must give way and yield to the action of the arms, and the left foot in turn must give way and follow the movement of the body. The action on the left foot results in the raising, and carrying upward and forward ot the heel, in correspondence with the upward and forward motion of the arms. The movement is then to be reversed, the arms, the body, and the left foot coming back to the original position through the same path. Without stopping at that position the movement is then to be gone through with the same observances in the opposite direction; the right foot responding to the motion of the body in this direction in the same way as the left foot in the opposite motion, the position at the end of the movement to the left being shown in Plate 3. The movement is then again reversed, which brings the full exercise to an end in front. There should be nothing limp about the performance of this exercise. It should be executed without restraint, but at the same time with firmness, and keeping all the limbs under perfect control. This, then, is the first step towards the acquirement of skill and grace in the game of golf, in other words, of a good style, and its whole object ia to accustom the learner to the rocking motion of the body, in conjunction with the arm action, and especially to the absolutely necessary motion of the legs and feet. It is a very 20 GOLT. easy exercise, perhaps just a little too easy for the impatient dtbutant, ambitious of getting at once to the top of the tree. Let him beware, however, lest in his hurry he may never reach the top at all, nor near it. The movement should be done over and over again, and returned to, and persevered with until the pupil can do it, not only easily and gracefully, but naturally and even mechanically, until, indeed, he cannot do it wrong because he cannot help doing it right. The exercise should at first be done with sufficient deliberation to insure attention being paid to all the points of the movement, and to keeping the rising and forward motion of the arms and feet in unison. Note also—a very important point in analysing the golf swing—that the motion to the left is an exact facsimile of the motion to the right, and that the full movement can be cut into two perfect halves. It is, advisable that the learner should, throughout his noviciate, if indeed, he should not through all his subsequent career as a golfer, return to this, and one or two of the following exercises. Such a course will help to keep him in form, and will often explain why he has got out of form, and enable him to get back into it again. Even the accomplished golfer might find it to his advantage to adopt, and occasionally practise them, with the same object that the accomplished pianist practises his scales to the end of his days, Second Exercise. We now proceed to the second exercise, which at once brings II. HOW GOLF SHOULD BE LEARNED. 21 the student a step nearer to Golf, and introduces him to one of the great principles of the game—"keep your eyes on the ball." The essential feature of the evolution is represented in Plate 4. The position to begin the exercise is exactly as shown in Plate 1, and the subsequent motions are pretty much a repetition of that exercise. The principal difference is that which the actual or imaginative introduction of the ball gives rise to. The performer is supposed to have a ball in the position it would occupy if he were driving it from the tee, and, during the first half of the exercise, he is expected to keep his eyes fixed on the ball, or the spot on which it is supposed to lie. On account, too, of the cir- cumstance that the head must be kept fairly steady while the eye is on the ball, the motion is not quite so unrestrained as was that of the first exercise. All the motions ought still, however to be spontaneous, and free from formality or stiffness. Keeping his eye on the ball, therefore, the learner has to go through the first half of the first exercise, and as a sort of approach to the real swing he may bring his arms down with rather more energy than he used in raising them. When the arms return to the original position, and are being carried beyond it, and the ball has, in imagination, been driven away from the tee, it is of course unnecessary to keep the eyes longer fixed, and the head is accor- dingly free to let itself go, in some measure, in the direction of the ball, and the eyes should follow its flight. The whole action is a good imitation of the golf swing, and the student is to be care- 22 GOLF. ful not to put more restraint on his motions than is necessary, for all suspicion of want of freedom must be excluded from the golf swing. Plate 5 shows the conclusion of this exercise, and the student will note that it is an exact reproduction of plate 3, the eyes having been allowed to follow the ball.

Principles of Playing. These preparatory exercises, if they have been faithfully followed should prove a very sufficient introduction to the golf swing, a matter about which much has been written, and to the acquirement of which much ineffectual endeavour has been spent. The preliminary advances for the swing of the club, when the pupil is going to address the ball, arc on the lines of the position already given. The stand should be perfectly easy. The feet should be just sufficiently apart to insure steadiness. The width the lower limbs are apart being a mere question of balance, the straddle should not be wider than is necessary to insure stability. Much discussion has taken place, and very rigid rules have been laid down, as to the position of the right foot relative to the position of the left foot. But our opinion is that no rule is necessary. A good deal of lattitude may be taken. It may be forward of, or behind, the line of the left foot, so long as it is not felt to be a restraint on the swing. If the right foot is too much in advance, or too much to the rear, the position will tend to dis- turb the player's equilibrium, and if he loses his balance to any HOW GOLF SHOULD BE LfeARNED. 23 degree, provided he is not putting too much force into the swing, he may be sure that his feet are not in the right relative position. He has now to consider his grasp of the clab, and here again a good deal of latitude is practised. Generally speaking, the club should be grasped with the fingers and thumbs as much as possible round the shaft grip, the left hand at the top of the club, and the right hand below, but free of, the left hand. The knuckles should be as near as possible opposite each other, which will insure the hands being neither too far under, nor too far over the grip, The student is now ready to go on with the swing. We should not advise him to use a ball just yet. Let him practise the swing till it becomes to some extent natural to him, and then he can practise on the ball. The full preliminary position for the swing is shown in Plate 5, and the two important points in it are shown in Plates 6 and 7. From these illustra- tions it will be noticed that the club is brought back in the first part of the swing till it is horizontal at the back of the neck. Notice that when the club is in this position the nose of the club is pointing to the ground. This is the result of the gradual turn- ing of the club on its own axis, in its course round the shoulders, and it is highly essential that this axial motion should be carefnlly noted, as it is one of the essentials of the correct swing. In going through this motion the eye must be kept on the spot where the ball is supposed to be, and the lelt foot must be allowed to rise with the motion of the body to the right. The club is then to be 24 GOLF. brought down through the path it went up, past its original posi- tion, and on over the left shoulder to the end of the swing, exactly in the same way as it was carried over the right shoulder at the beginning of the swing. After the novice has accustomed himself to the combining of all these motions into the swing, he may try his hand at striking the ball, though he ought not to allow his impatience to become a golfer to hurry him over the rudiments. The position of the ball is another matter, about which there is divided opinion, The ball should of course be placed in that position from which it can be most effectively picked up by the club, and this position is very slightly in advance of where the club-head reaches the lowest point in the swing, that is, where it begins to rise. The spot it should be on, therefore, is a little bit inside a line with the left heel. And now here conies in the golden rule for beginning golf. It is a universal failing with the novice that he tries to hit the ball too hard, and he cannot be too emphatically warned against trying to strike the ball with all his strength. This is a temptation from which the most experienced golfers are not free, and it has been the cause of losing many a match and many a championship. The beginner must restrain his energy. Let him begin to hit the ball with little more than the weight of the club. It is of far more consequence that he should hit the ball well than that he should hit it hard. Don't jfitvss, therefore, is the golden rule of golf. Use your strength very sparingly, devoting all your attention to perfecting

Jiiii \

HOW GOLF SHOULD BE LEARNED. 2J yourself in the swing, and in striking the ball correctly. We need not point out that it requires a great deal of practice to gain confidence in striking the ball, and all attempts to drive the ball far must be subordinated to striking it correctly. It is the second part of the motto of the game, " Far and Sure," that should first claim the attention of the debutant, the " far " will come in good time. One of the old shibboleths of the game used to be " Slow back," that is to carry the club slow back over the right shoulder preparatory to the downward swing. The pupil may disregard that maxim,.and may allow himself every latitude in the rapidity with which he draws back the club, provided always that he is careful not to jerk it back. The swing back may be safely left to the muscles engaged in the movement, which are very much inferior in strength to those that are engaged in the forward move- ment. In playing what is known in golf as "The Short Game," which includes approaching the green and putting, and in which the iron clubs and the putter are used, a different swing comes into play. It is extremely difficult to make the principles of this swing clear on paper, and in this case the intervention of the pro- fressional is advisable, or the pupil with good powers of observa- tion may pick it up by watching an expert. In this swing the * club is not swung round the shoulder, but the head is kept more in a line with the flight of the ball. It is a much shorter swing, and more constrained than the free swina at the tee. There are 26 GOLF. two kinds of approach strokes, the low approach and the lofting approach, and of the two the latter is by far the most important. The curve described by the club-head in the drive is, as near as possible, a circle. The curve described by the club-head, in play- ing the lofting approach, is more of the nature of an elliptical curve, and the club-head is carried upwards without the sweep of the full circle, but the knack oE lofting the ball is difficult to acquire, and it can be best learned from an expert. The low approach consists more in running the ball up to the hole, and the curve described in playing this stroke is more open than the circle, This stroke should also be learned by practical demon- stration. We now come to putting, which is the concluding stagi of playing a hole. There is, perhaps, more difference of opinion as to method in this part of the game than as to any other part. Our view is that putting is merely a short approach, and that the putter should be used accordingly. The stand should be only slightly modified, and the club should be held as for a low approach, the length of the swing being determined by the length of the putt. A very good rule for the position of the player, in relation to the ball, is for the toe of the right foot to point slightly outside the ball, and the toe of the left foot to point very nearly on the hole. This is a good rule, and one of the most important rules in putting is, that having adopted a good style of putting, to stick to it, and not to try any other. 1

HOW GOLF SHOULD BE LEARNED. 27 The beginning must not run away with the idea that having "7 learned to strike the ball he has learned the whole art of golf. He has yet much to learn when he goes out to the links. The variety of strokes he will be called upon to play is infinite, and great judgment must be exercised in deciding how each is to be played. The beginner is also recommended to learn the rules as they are to found farther on, and to play in strict accordance with them. Very many members of golf clubs degrade the game by plnying it in a slipshod manner, and as if there were no rules. When the golfer comes to play in first-rate matches, or tourna- ments, he will find that the rules are strictly enforced, and if he lias not made himself master of them he may have to pay very dearly for his ignorance. Let him not forget, further, that he has duties towards his partner, as well as himself. He should study to give his partner every fair-play, and a knowledge of the rules will greatly help him in the performance of his duty towards his partner, as well as his partner's duty towards him. It is essential both for the sake of his game and for the sake of his reputation lor courtesy on the links, that he should, under all circumstances, endeavour to keep his temper. Nothing will destroy his chances of winning a match as losing his temper, and nothing is more likely to make him a disagreeable partner. There are oppor- tunities for doing mean things on the links, but we may hope that no one who may take this treatise as their introduction to the game of golf, would ever dream of doing behind his partners back 28 GOLF. what, he would be ashamed to do before his face, for the sake of winning a match, or a prize, however valuable.

Match Play and Medal Play. There are, as before stated, two recognised ways ot playing golf, the way that is known as match play, and the way that is known as medal play, and it is desirable, on behalf of the quite uninitiated, to explain the difference between the two. So far as actual golf is concerned, the methods are exactly the same, the object being, in each case, to get the ball into the hole with the least possible number of strokes. It is the methods of reckoning that are different. In medal play the golfer plays to go round the links in the least aggregate number of strokes for the eighteen holes, to establish a record if he can. This is the most con- venient system upon which to conduct club competitions, &c, hence the name. It is the method also by which the Open Championship is decided. Each competitor plays to hand in a lower score than any of the others, and the lowest scorer wins, as in match play the players always go round in couples, and each keeps the other's, score. Match play, on the other hand, which is the real game of golf, is reckoned by holes, and the player plays to beat his opponent and him only He has no immediate con- cern with any of the other competitors, if he is playing in a tournament, such as the Amateur Championship contest, which is decided by match play. Match play may be said to be a series of in.

I MATCH AND MEDAL PLAY. 2<) ! eighteen matches in the round of the links. It is therefore the | number of holes, not the number of strokes, that decides the i match, and speaking approximately, the player who wins the 1 greatest number of holes wins the match. If both players hole i their balls in the same number of strokes the hole is said to ( halved, and counts to neither. If, accordingly, to take an ' example, before the match concludes one player wins seven . holes, and his opponent three holes, and five are halved, the i former wins the match by 4 up and 3 to play. It is obvious ' that if the remaining three holes were played and won by the I loser, his opponent would still win by one hole. If a player 1 is 3 up and 3 to play, he is said to be " dormy three," which • means that he cannot be beaten, though his opponent by f winning all three may half the match. On the other hand should they halve the next hole the first mentioned player wins by 3 up and 2 to play, and should he win the hole he wins the match by 4 up and 2 to play. It is obvious that in a game of this kind the aggregate score of the round is of no account, and it not unfrequently happens that the player who has made the smallest aggregate, loses. Those who do not know the game of golf are puzzled to understand how this can be. The reason is best made clear by an example. Let us suppose that in a match the players are all square and 3 to play, and that they have each taken 66 strokes to the 15 holes played. Now let us further suppose that to the sixteenth. 30 GOLF. hole one player takes seven strokes, and the other wins the hole in four, which makes the score of the latter 70, and the score of the former 73. But now let us further suppose that he who has taken the larger number of strokes up to this point, wins the next two holes, each in four, while his opponent has taken five, it is clear that he wins the match by a hole, but has, at the same time taken one stroke to the round more than his opponent.

Ha n dicapping. Golf is a game that offers every facility for handicapping. The most usual method of giving odds is to give so many strokes both in match play and medal play. In medal play the number is deducted from the total number taken to the eighteen holes. The handicap limit of many clubs-is iS, and it probably should not exceed that number, though the limit in many clubs is 24. It has been found convenient to^give odds against a player, and in handicap competitions we sometimes find a player put behind scratch, that is, has so many strokes added to the number he takes to go round the links. The handicapping is usually managed by a special committee of the club, and the odds allowed to each player is based on his scores in playing for the medals of the club. There ought to be a rule in all clubs, that every player in a club competition should hand in his card under pain of having his handicap reduced, There is sometimes an il HANDICAPPING. 31 inducement to withhold the score, and there should be a penalty against doing so. There are various methods of handicapping in match play. The most usual is to give so many strokes in the round of eighteen holes. A stroke a hole means one stroke at eaeh hole. Half a stroke a hole means a stroke at each alternate hole. A third means a stroke at every third hole. The odds may of course be any other number of strokes, and the two players may arrange between themselves where the strokes are to be taken, but apart from any private arrangement, most clubs have a scheme whereby the strokes arc to be taken at certain holes, this being necessitated by the fact that no two links are alike in the distribution of long and short holes, and by the desirability of making a fair distribution of the strokes among the i _ long and short holes. It is obvious that a stroke at a short hole is likely to be of more use than a stroke at a long hole. It the end of this sccLion will be found the St. Andrew's scheme of handicapping from i up to 18 of odds on the St. Andrew's Links. By studying this, along with the length of the holes on that links, a very good model to go upon in drawing up a scheme for any links is obtained. "Bisque" is a term applied to strokes given in a match with peculiar conditions. Strokes given otherwise are to be taken at certain holes, according to the club scheme, or according to a scheme agreed to before the match starts. The bisque is, how- ever a stroke, or strokes, taken at any hole the rcgeivef chooses to 32 GOLF. use them. Four bisques are, therefore, of more value than four strokes. Probably four bisques are equivalent to a third, as they are always effective in winning or halving a hole, while the fixed strokes may not be so. Another form of handicapping has lately come into favour in dealing with club tournaments by holes and this is, to give the handicap men so many holes up. The number of holes given is based on the number of strokes the player receives, and the general rule is to give, as near as possible, two thirds as many holes up as the player has strokes, so that if his handicap is nine strokes he receives a start of six holes. Still another system of handicapping finds favour among good players. In what are known as three ball matches, that is, where three balls are being played by three persons, one of the players undertakes to "play the best of the balls" of the other two players. Thus the opponents of the former have two chances of winning the hole, for the challenger must reckon the number of strokes he takes to each hole, against that one of his opponents, who takes the least number of strokes. A match of this kind is only possible when the player who plays the best of the balls, can give each of his opponents about a third, playing them singly. Occasionally a good player will play the best of three or four balls. Besides the above recognised methods of handicapping there are various other methods of handicapping, all more qr III. ^ HANDICAPl'ING. .- 33 less of a fanciful character, which will readily occur to any one who cares to consider this branch of the subject, but they do not call for comment here. Even such hybrids as club and ball v. bow and arrow have been tried. Table showing at which holes strokes are to be taken on St. Andrew's Links in the Queen Victoria Jubilee Vase Tournament :—

1 8 2 5 II 3 2 8 14 4 3 7 II 15 5 2 5 8 12 16 6 2 S 8 11 14 17 7 2 S 8 11 13 16 18 8 2 4 6 8 11 13 15 17 9 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 10 I 3 S 7 9 10 11 13 iS 17 11 I 3 4 6 7 9 10 12 14 15 17 12 I 3 4 6 7 9 10 12 13 15 16 18 13 I 2 4 6 8 9 11 12 14 iS 16 17 18 14 I 2 3 5 6 8 9 10 11 13 14 16 17 18 15 I 2 3 S 6 7 8 9 10 II 13 14 16 17 18 16 I 2 3 S 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 16 17 17 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 34 GOLF. The undcrnotcd table has been designed by the authors to facilitate the arranging of match tournaments when byes are necessary, that is, when the number of couples is in excess of 4, 8, 16, 32, &c, in which case it is always advisable to reduce them to one or other of these numbers in the first round. The rule is, that starting from these numbers, two matches must be played for each couple in excess of 4, 8, 16, 32, &c. couples. The undernoted table gives the number of matches up to 32 couples, and the rule can be easily applied for numbers beyond that. An odd player always counts as a couple :—

UPLES MATCHES TO COUPLES MATCHES TO

fERED. BE PLAYED. ENTERED. BE PLAYED.

5 3 19 6 6 4 20 8 7 6 21 10 8 8 22 ia 9 2 23 14 10 4 24 16

11 6 25 18 la 8 26 20 >3 19 27 ?? HANDICAPPING. 35

COUPLES MATCHES TO COUPLES MATCHES TO

ENTERED. BE PLAVED, ENTERED. BE PLAYED

14 12 23 24 15 29 26 16 16 3° 28 17 2 3i 3° IS 4 32 33

Winners of the Champion Belt. i860 W. Park, Musselburgh - • - 174 - at Prestwick.

1S61 Tom Morris, Prestwick - • - 1G3 - „ „

1862 Tom Morris, Prestwick - • - 163 - „ „

1863 W. Park, Mussclburgh - . - 16S - „ „

1864 Tom Morris, Prestwick - • - 167 - „ „

1865 A. Strath, St. Andrew's - • - 162 - „ „

1S66 W. Park, Musselburgh - • - 169 - „ „

1867 Tom Morris, St. Andrew's 3& GOLF.

Winners of the Champion Belt - Continued.

|868 Tom Morris, Jun., St. Andrew's 154 - at Prestwick.

1869 Tom Morris, Jun., St. Andrew's 157 - „ „

•1870 Tom Morris, Jun., St. Andrew's 149 - „ „

Winners of the Champion Cup. 187a Tom Morris, Jun, St. Andrew's 166 - at Prestwick.

1873 Tom Kidd, St. Andrew's - - - 179 - at St. Andrew's-

1874 Mungo Park, Mussclburgh - - 159 - at Musselburgh.

1875 \V. Park, Musseburgh 166 - at Prestwick.

1876 Rob Martin, St Andrews - - - 176 - at St. Andrew's'

1S77 Jamie Anderson, St. Andrew's - 160 - at Musselburgh.

1878 Jamie Anderson, St, Andrew's - 157 - at Prestwick.

1R70 Jamie Anderson, St. Andrew's - 170 - at St. Andrew's.

jSSo Boh Fcrgusson, Mussclburgh - 162 - at Musselburgh.

•This being the third successive victory of Tom Morris, Jun., the belt became his property, and the belt remained in abeyance for a year, The jnesent cup was given in 1872. WINNERS Of THfe CHAMtlONSHtt". 37

1881 Bob Fergusson, Musselburgh - 170 - at Prestwick.

1882 Bob Fergusson, Musselburgh - 171 - at St. Andrew's,

•1883 Willie Fernie, Dumfries ---159 -at Musselburgh1

1884 Jack Simpson, Carnoustie - - 160 - at Prestwick.

1885 Bob Martin, St. Andrew's - - - 171 - at St. Andrew's.

1886 Davie Brown, Musselburgh - - 157 - at Musselburgh.

1887 Willie Park, Jun., Musselburgh 16 j - at Prestwick.

1888 Jack Burns, Warrick - - - - - 171 - at St. Andrew's.

(-1889 Willie Park, Jun., Musselburgh 161 • at Musselburgh.

1890 Mr John Ball, Jun., Royal Liverp'l 164 - at Prestwick.

1891 Hugh Kirkaldy, St. Andrew's - 166 - at St. Andrew's.

J1892 Mr. H. H. Hilton, Royal Liverp'l 305 - at Muirfield.

1893 W. Auchterlonie, St. Andrew's - 32a - at Prestwick.

1S94 J. II. Taylor, Winchester - - - 326 - at Sandwich.

1895 J. H. Taylor, Winchester - - - 32a •• at St. Andrew's.

H1896 Harry Vardon, Scarborough - - 316 - at Muirfield.

*After a tie with Bob Fergusson, Masselburg. f After a tie with Kirkaldy, St. Andrews. ^Competition extended to seventy-two holes. |j After a tie with J. H. Taylor, Winchester. GOLF.

Winners of the Amateur Championship.

1886—Mr. Horace G. Hutchinson, Royal North Devon, beat Mr. Henry A. I/imb, Royal Wimbledon, by 7 up and 6 to play, at St. Andrew's.

1837 —Mr. Horace G. Hutchinson, Royal North Devon, beat Mr. John Ball, jun., Royal Liverpool, by one hole, at Hoylake.

1888—Mr. John Ball, jun., Royal Liverpool, beat Mr. J. E. Laidlay, Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, by 5 up and 4 to play, at Prestwick.

1889—Mr. J. E. Laidlay, Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, beat Mr. Leslie M. Balfour, Royal and Ancient, by 2 up and 1 to play, at St. Andrews.

1890—Mr. John Ball, jun., Royal Liverpool, beat Mr. J. E. Laidlay, Royal Liverpool, by 4 up and 3 to play, at Hoylake.

1891—Mr. J. E. Laidlay, Honourable Company of Edin- burgh Golfers, beat Mr. H. H. Hilton, Royal Liverpool, WINNERS OF THE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP, 39 by one hole, after a tie at the twentieth hole, at St. Andrew's.

1892—Mr. John Ball, jun., Royal Liverpool, beat Mr. H. T-I. Hilton, Royal Liverpool, by 3 up and 1 to play, at Sandwich. -

I893—Mr. P. C. Anderson, St. Andrew's University, beat Mr. J. E. Laidlay, Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, by 1 hole, at Prestwick.

1894—Mr. John Ball, jun., Royal Liverpool, beat Mr. S. Mure-Fergusson, Royal and Ancient, by 1 hole, at Hoy- lake.

1895—Mr. Leslie Balfout Melville, Royal and Ancient, beat Mr. John Ball, jun., by 1 hole, after a tie at the nineteenth hole, at St. Andrew's.

•189c—Lieut. F. G. Tait, Black Watch, beat Mr. H. H. Hilton, Royal Liverpool, by 8 up and 7 to play, at Sand- wich.

*In accordance wih a resolution of the Championship Com- mittee, this was a 36 hole match, 40 GOLF,

Rules for the Game of Golf.

i. The game of golf is played by two or more sides, each playing its own ball, A side may consist of one or more persons.

3. The game consists in each side playing a ball from a tee into a hole by successive strokes, and the hole is won by the side holing its ball in the fewest strokes, except as otherwise provided for in the rules. If two sides hole out in the same number of strokes, the hole is halved.

3. The teeing ground shall be indicated by two marks placed in a line at right angles to the course, and the player shall not tee in front of, nor on either side of these marks, nor more than two club lengths behind them. A ball played from outside the limits of the teeing ground, as thus defined, may be recalled by the opposite side.

The hole shall be 4J inches in diameter, and at least 4 inches deep.

4. The ball must be fairly struck at, and not pushed, scraped, or spooned, under penalty of the loss of the hole. Any move ment of the club which is intended to strike the ball is a stroke.

5. The game commences by each side playing a ball from the first teeing ground. In a match with two or more on a side, RULES FOtl THE GAMlE OF GOl.fr. 4t the partners shall strike off alternately from the tees, and shall strike alternately during the play of the hole.

The players who are to strike against each other shall be named at starting, and shall continue in the same order during the match.

The player who shall play first on each side shall be named by his own side.

In case of failure to agree, it shall be settled by lot or toss which side shall have the option of leading.

6. If a player shall play when his partner should have done so, his side shall lose the hole, except in the case of the tee shot, when the stroke may be recalled at the option of the opponents.

7. The side winning a hole shall lead in starting for the next hole, and may recall the opponent's stroke should he play out of order. This privilege is called the " honour." On starting for a new match, the winner of the long match in the previous round is entitled to the " honour." Should the first match have been halved, the winner o( the last hole gained is entitled to the " honour."

8. One round of the links—generally 18 holes—is a match, unless otherwise agreed upon. The match is won by the side which gets more holes ahead than there remain holes to be 42 GOI.F. played, or by the side winning the last hule when the match was all even at the second last hole. If both -sides have won the same number, it is a halved match.

9. After the balls are struck from the tee, the ball furthest from the hole to which the parties are playing shall be played first, oxix'pl as otherwise provided for in the rules. Should the wrong .side play first, the opponent may recall the stroke before his side JKM pl.iyed.

10. Unless with the opponent's consent, a ball struck from the lee shall not be changed, touched, or moved, before the hole is played out, under the penalty of one stroke, except as otherwise provided for in the rules.

11. In playing through the green, all loose impediments within a club length of a ball which is not lying in ot touching a hazard, may be removed, but loose impediments, which arc more than a club length from the ball shall not be removed under the penalty of one stroke.

13. Before striking at the ball, the player shall not move, bend, or break anything fixed or growing near the ball, except in the act of placing his feet on the ground for the purpose of addressing the ball, and in soling his club to address the ball, under the penalty of the loss of the hole, except as provided for in rule 18. RULES FOR THE GAME OF GOLF. 43 1$. A bnll stuck fast in wet ground may be taken out and replaced loosely in the hole which it has made.

14. When a bill 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 in the downward swing, any grass, bent, whin, or other growing substance, or the side of a bunker, a wall, paling, or other immovable obstacle be touched, no penalty shall be incurred.

15. 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.

16. A player or a player's caddie shall not press down or remove any irregularities of surface near the ball, except at the teeing ground, under the penalty of the loss of the hole.

17. If any vessel, wheel-barrow, tool, roller, grass-cutter, box, or other similar obstruction h:is been placed upon the course, such obstruction may be removed. A ball lying on or touching such obstruction, or on clothes, or nets, or on ground under repair or temporarily covered up or opened, may, may be lifted and dropped at the nearest point of the course, but a ball lifted in a hazard shall be dropped in the hazard. A ball lying in a golf hole or flag hole, may be lifted and dropped not more than a club length behind such hole.

18. When a ball is completely covered with fog, bent, whins, &c, only so much thereof shall be set aside as that the player shall have a view of his ball before he plays, whether in a line with the hole or otherwise.

19. When a ball is to be dropped, the player shall drop it. He shall front the hole, stand erect behind the hazard, keep the spot from which the ball was lifted (or in the case of running water, the spot at which it entered) in a line between him and the hole, and drop the ball behind him from his head, standing as far behind the hazard as lie may please,

20. When the balls in play lie within six inches of each other —measured from their nearest points—the ball nearer the hole shall be lifted until the other is played, and shall then be replaced as nearly as possible in its original position. Should the ball further from the hole be accidentally moved in so doing, it shall he replaced. Should the lie of the lifted ball be altered by the opponent in playing, it may be placed in a lie near to, and as nearly as possible similar to, that from which it was lifted. RULES FOR THE GAME OF fiOI.F, 45 21. If the ball lie or be lost in water, the player may drop a ball, under the penalty of one stroke.

22. Whatever happens by accident to a ball in motion, such as its being deflected or stopped by any agency outside the match, or by the fore-caddie, is a " rub of the green," and the ball shall be played from where it lies. Should a ball lodge in anything moving, such ball, or if it cannot be recovered, another ball shall be dropped as nc.irly as possible at the spot where the object was when the ball lodged in it. But if a ball at rest be displaced by any agency outside the match, the player shall drop it or another ball as nearly as possible at the spot where it lay. On the Putting Green the ball may be replaced by hand.

23. If the player's bnll strike, or be accidentally moved by an opponent or an opponent's caddie or clubs, the opponent loses the hole.

24. If the player's ball strike, or be stopped by himself or his partner, or either of their caddies or clubs, or if, while in the act of playing, the player strikes the ball twice, his side loses the hole.

25. If the player when not making a stroke, or his partner or either of their caddies touch their side's ball, except at the tee, so 46 GOLF. as to move it, or by touching anything cause it to move, the penalty is one stroke.

26. A ball is considered to have been moved if it leave its original position in the least degree and stop in another; but if a player touch his ball and thereby cause it to oscillate, without causing it to leave its original position, it is not moved in the sense of Rule 25.

27. A player's side loses a stroke if he play the opponent's ball, unless (1) the opponent then play the player's ball, whereby the penalty is cancelled and the hole must be played out with the balls thus exchanged, or (2) the mistake occur through wrong information given by the opponent, in which case the mistake, if discovered before the opponent has played, must be rectified by placing a ball as nearly as possible where the opponent's ball lay.

If it be discovered before either side has struck off at the tee that one side has played out the previous hole with the ball of a party not engaged in the match, that side loses that hole.

28. If a ball be lost, the player's side loses the hole. A ball shall be held as lost if it be not found within five minutes after the search is begun.

29. A ball must be placed wherever it lies, or the hole be given up, except as otherwise provided for in the Rules, RULES FOR THE GAME OF GOLF. 47 The terra "Putting Green" shall mean the ground within 20 yards of the hole, excepting hazards.

31. All loose impediments may be removed from the Putting Green, except the opponent's ball when at a greater distance from the player's than six inches.

32. In a match cf three or more sides, a ball in any degree lying between the player and the hole must be lifted, or, if on the Putting Green, holed out.

33. When the ball is on the Putting Green, no mark shall be placed, nor line drawn as a guide. The line to the hole may be pointed out, but the person doing so may not touch the ground with the hand or club.

The player may have his own or his partner's caddie to stand at the hole, but none of the players or their caddies may move so as to shield the ball from, or expose it to, the wind. The penalty for any breach of this rule is the loss of the hole.

34. The player or his caddie may remove (but not press down) sand, earth, worm casts or snow lying around the hole or on the line of his put. This shall be done by brushing lightly with the hand only across the put and not along it. Dang may- be removed to a side by an iron club, but the club must not be lajd with more than its own weight upon the ground. The 48 GOLF. putting line must not be touched by club, hand, or foot, except as above authorised, or immediately in front of the ball in the act of addressing it, under the penalty of the loss of the hole.

35. Either side is entitled to have the flag-stick removed when approaching the hole. If the ball rest against the flag-stick when in the hole, the player shall be entitled to remove the stick, and if the ball fall in, it shall be considered as holed out in the previous stroke.

36. A player shall not play until the opponent's ball shall have ceased to roll, under the penalty of one stroke. Should the player's ball knock in the opponent's ball, the latter shall be counted as holed out in the previous stroke. If in playing, the player's ball displace the opponent's ball, the opponent shall have the option of replacing it.

37. A player shall not ask for advice, nor be knowingly advised about the game by word, look, or gesture, from any one except his own caddie, or his partner or partner's caddie, under the penalty of the loss of the hole.

38. If a ball split into separate pieces, another ball may be put down where the largest portion lies, or if two pieces are apparently of equal size, it may be put where either piece lies, at the option of the player. If a ball crack or become unplayable, II. RTTI.KK FOB THE IHMJ" i>l" cni.F. * ,|f)

the player may change it, on iiuiinatinjj to his opponent his inlcu- | tion to do so.

39. A penalty stroke shall not be counted the stroke of a player, and shall not affect the rotation of play,

40. Should any dispute arise on any point, the players have the right of determining the party or parlies to whom the dispute shall be referred, but should they not agree, cither pary may refer it to the Green Committee of the (liven where the dispute occurs, and their decision shall be final. Should the dispute not W covered by the Rules of (lolf, the arbiters must decide it by equity.

Special Rules for Medal Play,

1. In Club competitions, the competitor doing the stipulated course in fewest strokes shall be the winner.

2. If the lowest score be made by two or more competitors, the ties shall be decided by another round, to be played cither on the same or on any other day, as the Captain, or, in his absence, the Secretary shall direct.

3. New holes shall be made for the Medal Round, and D SO GOLF. thereafter no member shall play any stroke on a Putting Green before competing.

4. The scores shall be kept by a special marker, or by the competitors noting each other's scores. The scores marked shall be checked at the finish of each hole. On completion of the course, the score of the player shall be signed by the person keep- ing the score and handed to the Secretary,

5. If a ball be lost, the player shall return as nearly as possible to the spot where the ball was struck, tee another ball, and lose a stroke. If the lost ball be found before he has struck the other ball, the first shall continue in play.

6. If the player's ball strike himself, or his clubs, or caddie, or if, in the act of playing, the player strike the ball twice, the penalty shall be one stroke.

7. If a competitor's ball strike the other player, or his clubs, or caddie, it is a " rub of the green," and the ball shall be played from where it lies.

8. A ball may, under a penalty of two strokes, be lifted out of a difficulty of any description, and be teed behind same RULES FOR THE GAME OF GOLF. 51 g. All balls shall be holed out, and when play is on the Putting Green, the flag shall be removed, and the competitor whose ball is neaiest the hole shall have the option of holing out first, or of lifting his ball, if it be in such a position that it might, if left, give an advantage to the other competitor. Throughout the green a competitor can have the other competitor's ball lifted, if he find that it interferes with his stroke.

10. A competitor may not play with a professional, and he may not receive advice from any one but his caddie. A forecaddie may be employed.

11. Competitors may not discontinue play because of bad weather.

12. The penalty for a breach of any rule shall be disquali fication.

13. Any dispute regarding the play shall be determined by the Green Committee. ,

14. The ordinary Rules of Golf, so far as they are not at variance with these special rules, shall apply to medal play. 5*

Etiquette of Qolf

TMr rot.i.nwtxr. CUSTOMS IIRLOM; TO THE rI.F AND SHOULD HK OIISERVEU UY ALL GOLKERS. t. Ko player, caddie, ur onlooker should move or talk during a »ttokc.

». No phycr should play from the tec until the party in fmnl have pl.iyctl their sci-utiil strokes and arc out of range, nor |>l«y lo ihc l'uiiinn (Jrcen till the i«rty in front have holed mil ami tn>m>l aw.iy.

t The player who leads from the tec should he allowed in |«;.iy IH-IVIH- his opponent tecs his lull,

I ri-iyirn wlm have Imled out should not try their puts over a^,»m when other plijris ,ue following ihum.

5 Pl.iyrr* Ui'ikinR for a lo^t kill must allow any other match mining »s*• !•• |ns< them.

r. A |um* pLiyint; three ur mure balls must allow a two ball HViS> h !•» p.*

j. A pany pl4>i»R a shorter round must allow a two ball null h |'!••)'ing the whole round lo pass them. VI. RUt.F.S OF ST. ANDREW'S LINKS. 53 8. A player should not put at the hole when the flag is in it-

9. The reckoning of the strokes is kept by the terms " the odd," "two more," "three more," &c, and "one of three," "one of two," "the like." The reckoning of the holes is kept by the terras— so many " holes up "—or " all even "—and—so many " to play."

10. Turf cut or displaced by a stroke in playing should at once be replaced.

Local Rules for St. Andrew's Links. 1. When the Green Committee consider it necessary, a Telegraph Board shall be used to give the numbers for starting.

2. Ii the ball lie in any position in the Sivilcan Burn, whether in water or not, the player may drop it, or if it cannot be recovered, another ball may be dropped on Lhe line where it entered the burn, on the opposite side to the hole to that to which he is playing, under the penalty of one stroke.

3. Should a ball be driven into the water of the Eden at the high hole, or into the sea at the first hole, the ball or, if it cannot be recovered, another ball shall be teed a club length in front of either river or sea near the spot where it entered, under tin.1 penalty of one stroke. 54 GOLF. 4. A ball in the enclosure (between the road and dyke holes) called the Station-Master's garden shall be a lost ball.

5. If a ball lie within two yards of a fixed seat, it may be lifted and dropped two yards to the side of the scat farthest from the hole.

6. Any dispute respecting the play shall be determined by the Green Committee.

7. Competitions for the Spring and Autumn Medals of the Club (with the exception of the George Glennie Medal) shall be decided by playing one round of the Links, and the Competitor doing it in fewest strokes shall be the winner.

8. The order of starting for the Spring and Autumn Medals will be balloted for on the previous evening, and intending Com- petitors must give in their names to the Secretary not later than Five o'clock on the previous evening. Any competitor not at the Teeing Ground when his number is called shall be disqualified, unless it be proved to the satisfaction of the Green Committee or Secretary that he has a valid excuse, such as serious temporary illness, a train late or such like, in which case he may be allowed to compete, and, if allowed, shall be placed at the bottom of the list. The absent competitor's partner may start in his proper turn, provided he get another player to play with him. r

GLOSSARY. SS o. Competitors for Medals or prizes are not allowed to delay starting on account of bad weather, but must strike off immediately after the preceding party has crossed the burn, and, after they have started, are not allowed co take shelter, but must complete their round in the order of their start. In cases of stoppage by accident, or severe temporary illness, the Green Committee may allow a Competitor to resume play.

10. All private matches must be delayed till the last Medal Competitors have holed out at the first hole.

Glossary.

Addressing the ball—Putting oneself in position to strike the ball.

Approach—When the player is near enough to the green to drive his ball on to it with the stroke, he is said to play the approach stroke.

Baff—To strike the ground before striking the ball.

Bisque,—A handicap of one or more strokes, which the receiver may use at any part of the game he pleases. 5*5 Brassie—A wooden dub with a brass sole.

Break dub— An object lying near the ball that might break the club in striking at the ball.

Bulger—A driver or brassie with a convex face.

Bunker—A sand hole.

Caddie—The person who carries the players clubs.

Club—The implement with which thu ball is struck.

Course—That portion of the links within which all balls when played ought always to be found.

Cup—A small hole in the course. A ball is said to be cupped when it lies in such a hole.

Dead—A ball is said to " lie dead " when it is so near the hole as to make the putt a certainty.

Dormy—A player is said to be dormy in the match when he is GLOSSARY. 57 as many holes ahead as there remain holes to play. Thus if he is three up and three to play, he is said to be " dormy three." In the Amateur Championship Tournament no player can be dormy, because play must be continued till one or other of the players is beaten

Draw—To pull or hook the ball to the left. The ballot for partners and order of play.

Face—The slope of a steep bunker between the player and the hole. That part of the club which strikes the ball.

Fore—A warning cry to anyone in the line of the stroke.

Foursome—A match in which two play as partners on each side.

II Gobble;—A putt that, had the ball not gone into the hole, it would have gone out of easy holing distance.

Golf-ball—The ball with which the game is played.

Grassed—Said of a club whose face is slightly " spooned " or sloped back from the bottom to the top of the face. S» GLOSSARY.

Green—The links as a hole. The putting-green. Half-one-—Half a stroke a hole, i.e., a handicap of one stroke at every alternate hole.

Halved—Said of a hole, and of the match, when neither side wins.

Hanging—-A "hanging" ball is one that lies on a slope fating the hole.

Hazard ~A general term for bunker, long grass, road water, whin (gorse), molehill, or other bad ground.

Head—The lower part of the club.

Heel—The back part of the dub nearest the shaft. To hit wilh this part and so send the ball to the right.

Hole—The hole in the putting-green into which the ball is to be played. We have the expression " to hole the ball." The part of the links between each hole is known as " the hole," so that golfera constantly talk of how they played " the hole."

Honour—-The right to play off first from the tee. GOLF. 59 Hook—To pull the ball to the left.

| Iron—A club with an iron head, more or less laid back to loft the ball.

Jerk—A stroke usually used to jerk the ball out of a. cup. The club is made to strike down into the ground.

Lie—The situation of the ball on the links after it has been played.

« Like—A player is said to play the " like " when he has played the same number of strokes as his opponent. The balls are then said to be " like as they He."

Links—The open downs on which golf is played.

Loft—To elevate the ball with the iron.

Long-Odd—When a player has to play a stroke more than his opponent, whose ball is much nearer the hole in the like,

Made—A player, or his ball is said to be " made " when his ball is sufficiently near the hole to be played on to the putting green. 6o

M.i!»hie—An ir<

M.1U h- The shk-s playing against each other. The game they arc playing

Mi^ ihc Globe—T«» completely nn\s ihc ball.

Nc»k 'I'hv dunk of the head by means of which it is tied to the shall,

Nililit'k A i lub with a contracted, but heavy iron head, for use in lu/.iuls,

ose- i liv point 01' the club head.

d—^)HH a player plays unc stroke move Uian his opponent he plays " the udd."

Odds—The miiuln-r of strokes or holes given in handicap.

One off l\Vi>, une nil thive, iVi1.—If your opponent has played r-jw or ihrcr, iV>'. niori* strokes than you have his next stroke will be one oil two, one off three, &c. W^T^^^W*

VII. GOLF. 6l Play-club—The driver, the club nin.st usually taken when play- ing from the tee, and through the gieen when the lie is good, and a full shot can be taken.

Press—To use undue strength in driving the ball.

Putter—The club specially adapted for use on the putting- green.

Putt—The game on the putting-green.

Rind—The cloth wound round the grip under the leather to thicken it.

Rub on the green—An}' agency that accidentally stops or moves the ball, to which no penalty attaches, and which must be submitted to.

Set—A full complement of clubs.

Slice—To put "spin" on the ball by drawing back the club in the act of striking, and thus causing it to fly to the right.

Spring—The degree of suppleness in the club shaft. 6* GLOSS AUT. Square—The match is "all square" when neither party is any holes ahead.

Stance—The [wsiiion of the player's feet when he is address- ing the ball.

Steal-To hole an unlikely put, the ball just reaching the hole.

Stymie—When your opponent1* ball lies in a direct line between your ball and the hole on the putting-green, you are said to be stymied.

Stroke—The act of swinging the club in striking the ball. "Shot" is often used instead.

Swing—The sweep of the club when driving.

Tee—The small pat of sana on which the ball is placed for the first .stroke to each hole.

Third—A handicap of a stroke at every third hole.

Top—To hit the ball on its upper hemisphere. GLOSSARY. 63 Two more, three more, &c.—When your opponent has played four strokes to your two, &c, he has played two more.

Upright— A club is said to be upright when its head is not at a very obtuse angle with the shaft.

Whipping—The twine that unites the head of the club to the shaft. ..t CONTENTS.

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