GOLFING TOM MORRIS. FROM A DHAWINC1 UY THOMAB HOOQE, C8Q., OT ANOAIWt. GOLFING A HANDIIOOK TO THE ROYAL AND ANCIENT GAME WITH LIST OF CLUBS, RULES, 4a AI.SD GOLFING SKETCHES AND POEMS BJJ Uminli) gjl. ^Uxnubcr, mxh others W. & R CHAMBERS EDINBUKttll AND LONDON 1887 Edinburgh: Printed by W. & K. Chamber.. IN bringing boforo tho public a now work on Golf, con- tinuing fresh and reliable data concerning tlio ancient game, tlio Publishers do KO in tho belief that tho want of suoh a manual has long been foil. Mr Robert Clark's magnificent work, to which wo are indebted for much vtduablo information, embraces nearly everything that can bo said in a work mainly relating to tho history of tho game, while tlio mass of old loro which ho has gathered together is of the greatest interest and value. Such a work, however, from its high and ever-increasing price as a litorary curiosity, and from its having boon so long out of print, lies now only within tho reach of tho very few. Several other works on the Ancient Gnmo have from tinio to time appeared, most of which are now out of print. Among theso wo may mention Mr Robb's Historical Gossip about Golf and Golfers; Mr C. Macarthur's Golfer's Annual, 18G'J-71, and Mr ramie's Golfer's Manual, 1857. A seloetioii of Blackkuath Golfing Lays, by Thomas March, Esq., poet laureate of the Blackheath Golf Club, was published privately in 1873, many of which poems aro of a highly humorous i I'UIXACK. nature, at will Iw Been from thas election embodied iu thw work. Tha article i«n 7*A« Qatm of Gulf \vm (ii ! published in 1803, and luw Wn completely remodelled and brought up to date W the writer of it. In publishing the rulw* «<• (Golf, we Iww decided thai thorn adopted by the Unytd ami Aaciont Golf Club of St Andrews aro mont taitubla. At thn atune tlina wa would tako this npjMirtunity t»f (.vmnioiittng farountitly <m another exoollent Mt of raloe compiled by Captain Eaton C of tho Koyal lale of Wight Qolf Club. aptain Eaton's rulo*, which nro suikil to any green, have been compiled nt tint expense of much time and labour, and are now adopted by many rlubs in th« auuth of Knglnnd, Wo aro indobteil to Mr Forgan's QoAfrft Hamtlnntk fur tlu> t'xcollwit glossary attached to the rn!>- . Tho Publishers will bo glad i» receive hints or sng- gosUons likely to bo useful in future iwuiw, which may oeour to them inturusUid in thu lioya.1 aud Ancient Game of (!<ilf, , 18JJ7. Tin: GAME OF BOLT 7 THE H1MR HOLES IIP TIIH LINKS OK HT ANDREWS "7 SOME CKI.KIMIATr.il (ini.FKIttt 33 CADDIE WltiLIE 36 HOW I WON MV I'UM'IT. •!() THIS (itll.FKl! AT HOME. , 81 THE STORY OF A XXB-GLUB (18 Till'. TALK OF A OUT 71 IMPORTANT MATCHES I'l.AYKI) IN LSHO 70 RULBfl i'Olt T1IK QAMB Of OOI.K... 82 GL0B8AUY Olf TK(!irNIOAL TKUMS KMl'I.OYKn IN 'J'HK OAME OF <l()Mf 91 LIST OV OI.UBS 97 1NDKX.. 131 MEMORANDA OF MATOHK8 PI.AYISli, JtTO 135 THE GAME OF GOLF. ROBERT CHAMBERS, SAORANOS. OLF, or GOFF, was for many years a pastime peculiar to Scotland. It is supposed to have been derived from Germany, tho term golf being from tho German word kolbe, or tho Dutch half, a club. Strutt, in his Sports and PasHmet of this People of England, observes that ' there aro many games played with tho ball that require tho assistance of a club or bat, and probably the most anciont among thorn is tho pastime now distinguished by tho name of go ff. In tho northern part of tho kingdom, goff is much practised. It answers to a rustic pastimo of tho Romans, which they played with a ball of leather stuffed with feathers. During tho reign of Edward III., tho Latin name cambuca was applied to this pastimo, and it derived tho denomination, no doubt, from the crookod club or bat with which it was played.' However unoertain tho period during which golf was introduced into Scotland, it may bo fairly presumed that it was practised by all classes to a considerable extent in the reign of King James I. Charles I. was much 8 001.F1N0. attached to the game, and on his vi-i! to Scotland in 1611, was engaged in it on Leith Links* when Intimation was given him of the rebellion in Inland, where- upon ho threw down his club, and returned in groat agitation to Holyrood House The Duke of York, after- wards Jamos II., also delighted in the game ; and in our own day, some of our royal princes occasionally practise it. Until late years, golf was entirely conflnod to Scut- land, where it etill maintains its celebrity as a national recreation; but latterly it has been eatahlmht'tl in many places south of the Tweed, as well aa in svi>rnl of thn British colonies. Broad plateaus of short grass— in Scotland termed Lirilcs, and in England, Commont or Beath*—aro in- dispensable for the pursuit of this recreation, and it may bo stated, ns a rule, that wherever link* occur in Scotland, there- also occurs golf. A sandy soil is bent adapted for the gamo, hence on tho east coiwt of Scot- land, whore extensive undulating Htruk'hes of graas- grown commons exist, it m practised to a greater extent than elsowhoro. St Andrews and Levt'ti in Fife, IV.i wick in Ayrshire, Mussalburgh in Mid-Lothian; North Berwick, (Uillanu, and LuflbsBS in East-Lothian; Car- noustiu and Montroso in Forfarshire; and in England, Hoylnko near Liverpool, ami Westward Ho in Devon- shire, are examples of admirably united link«, na on each the ground is diversified by knolls, Bftiid-pittt, or other apparent impediments (termed is golfing phraseology h.ar.ards), tho avoiding of which ia ono of tho most important objects of tho gamo. In a golfing course, a series of email round holes, about four inches in diameter, and half-a-do*en inchoa in depth, THE GAME OF GOLF. '.) are out in tlio turf, at distances of from one to four or live hundred yards from each other, according to the nature of the ground. If the links happen to ho broad and expansive, the holes are placed SO AS to make the gulling course, a somewhat circular one; if they are long and narrow, the holes are placed as much zigzag a.s possible. But, whether the direction taken bo from the starting-hole once round a course somewhat circular, or from the starting-hole to the ond and back again zig- zag, the term invariably applied to each series of holes played is a round. The rival players are either two in number, which is the simplest arrangement, or four (two against two), tho former being called a single match, and Iho latter a double or foursome match, the ball in four- some matches being struck alternately by each player. The materials employed consist of ono or more small hard balls, of gutta-percha, and clubs of forms suited to tho nature of tho ground; the object of every player, whether in a single or double match, being to drive the bull in a .series of strokes from ono holo info another in as few as possible. Commencing at a spot a fow yards in front of tho homo holo—tho tcting-gvmuid—each player drives oil his ball iu tlio direction of tho first hole, which ho does his best to accomplish in lower strokes than his antagonist. If the players be pretty equal in skill tho chances aro that they both arrive at the holo and put their balls in in an equal number of strokes, in which case tho hole is said to bo halved, and scores to neither; but if ono, by superior play, holes his ball in fewer strokes than the other, ho gains that hole, and so takes precedence (the honour) in striking off towards the next. In this manner they proceed from tho first towards the second 10 n xu holp, and m on till lh« rnli round in finwh«J, ih<« round Iwing gained by thn| >lnyor wh>< ha* achieve*! tti** grrntt-r number of holes, Somptitno athe interest of a match in maintained till lln» wry liuit, l>v a itlrcesaion of ovonly played holrs, or hy rach having gnincd an wjiwl munht-r during the round; nor i« it of very unfroquont occurrence to nee twind «ft«>r round hnlvnl, and tli<- contesting parties lrnve off all KM on th* dajf* play. All cviui on the day'a piny may nl*11 bo doclund wlior»« each party has won tho tamo nuin)»<r >>f ronniJii an his antagonist, or antagoniiiU, A match may ol»o oonaul <-f a certain number of hnlrn mdapondantly t»f round*, when it of course nemiea Ui Iho wijonar of lh» Kf>"9t«'^ nuitilur of holes. In iiti|K«rtant matchu th« latter in tho iiHtmt method adopted for dociiling tho rrlativo nkill of rival plnycr.i; and in contest* between profwwiwwl playitn*, tho nintcli umndly con»isl* <>f « nrbuo number of holes to bo contested nn more links than one. The numbor of strokes takon between e«<-h holn depends on tho skill of (ho player, tho distance t«i l«» travorsnd, and the satim—hanurdotu ur othnrni >• ni the intorvaning ground.