Golfing Reminiscences

\ / v\; REMINISCENCES GOLF AND GOLFERS BY H. THOMAS PETER MEMHEIl OF THE INNEM.liVEN AND OTHER GOLF CI.UIIB EDINBURGH: JAMES THIN REMINISCENCES OF Golf and Golfers. T would be idle at this time of day-;—and in f view of what Mr Lang and other recent writers have unearthed with regard to the history of golf-—to linger upon that subject here; but it may, perhaps, be permitted to a veteran to draw attention to the marvellous rapidity with which the game itself is spreading far and wide. Wot only lias it crossed the Border and flourished tlu'.re—it has done the same by oceans. Wher- ever, in short, Briton can sot his foot, there he shortly swings his club, For it is a game for both youth and age, and in my opinion, for both 2 REMINISCENCES OF GOW AND GOLFERS. sexes. A golfer can, so to speak, make his own pace: and many a one fax down the vale of years has had his latter days solaced by a round, Why, within my own memory, the late General Low of Clatto (of the St Andrews Club) used to ride his pony between strokes—a privilege, of course, willingly granted to age ; and I have known .very effective players minus leg or ami, I take it, however, that a player is at his best between twenty and thirty-five, both for power and nerve. My first acquaintance with the game began in 1837, when a boy at the Madras School, St Andrews: and it was one of my favourite pas- times till I left home for the States some ton years ago. But though St Andrews was my alma mater, Innerleven was what I may terra my home-green. I have, of course, played over REMINISCENCES OP GOLF AND GOLFERS. 3 ihahy others; Balcomie near Crail, Elie, Wemyss, Jhmbamie—all in Fife; Musselburgh, Leith, Bruntsfield, Gullane, Perth, Monifieth — all ^Scotch links of note in their day. -*: As to Hoylake—now one of the leading Eng- lish links—I may mention that many years ago, and long before golf was even thought of there, •I'skdUed with a friend over what was then the Race Course. So suitable for another purpose '.did the ground appear to me, that I ventured to predict that it would not be long before, golf would be played over that very course. That I was correct the " Royal Liverpool" wifcnessefch. But though golf has become so ubiquitous, I hope I am safe in assuming that St Andrews is still, so to speak, the headquarters of the game. The two meetings of the Royal and Ancient used to be the pre-eminent attractions of the 4 REMINISCENCES OF GOLF AND GOLFERS. \ year, and drew men from all quarters of the; kingdom : and I trust this may still be so. [i I There are many still living who must havefi longer recollections of the venerable city than II can pretend to ; hut in the fifty years dxxring which I have known it, many changes for the better have taken place. It might be out of place here to note the various municipal im- provements, railway extensions, and such material evidences of the increasing prosperity of tlie town itself: but one change may, perhaps, not be without interest to some readers. At one! time the Eoyal and Ancient were entirely i separate from the Union Parlour, The two became incorporated early in the " fifties," on the motion of the late Mr Grant of Kilgrastou, as " The Union Club." Before this took place some were members of the Golf Club, and not HEMINISOENCES OF GOLF AND GOLFERS. 5 of the Parlour, and vice vcrsd, whilst some were members of both—which, of course, caused con- fusion.. The change has, without doubt, aided in advancing the prosperity of the Club. (I may mention that in old days, the meetings used to be held in a small room in a house, which formerly stood at the corner of Golf Place and the Scores.) Mr Stuart Grace was for long the Hon. Secretary, and performed the duties of the office, which were no sinecure, in a way most agreeable to every one, though many a trial his temper must have had. I am glad to think he now enjoys his otium, cum, dignitatc. In my early days, fifteen or twenty couples were considered a large number of starters for the principal medals1" at the October Meeting. At the same meeting of this year (1890) seventy- five couples started—a noteworthy increase. C REMINISCENCES OF GOLF AND GOLFERS. There were few club and ball makers in St Andrews when I first went there (1837). The only club maker was Hugh Philp. It is ques- tionable if any other—whether before or since his time—has shaped and set a club better than lie did. Hugh was a dry-haired man; rather gruff to strangers, but quite the reverse to those who knew him; with a fund of dry, caustic humour, but withal a'kind heart. If a man after a match went to him complaining of a club, Hugh would merely say, " You'll ha'e lost your mautoh: " and conversely with the jubilant. The ball maker was Allan Robertson: the present venerable Tom Morris, his man. Of ton have I seen them pounding away at the stuffing of the feather balls, which were the only ones we at that time had. The price of a new " Allan " was half-a-crown, I think. REMINISCENCES OF C4OLF AND GOLFERS. 7 Very fine balls were also made at Mussel- burgli by Old Gourlay and Tom Alexander, who charged four and five shillings for their very best—a large sum as compared with the " guttas " of more recent times. These prices made it a good trade for lads to look for Lost balls. " The Burn " and holes where whin and beut abounded, were favourite hunting-grounds. A. found ball in good condition could be bought from these urchins for a shilling or eighteen- peuce. Golf was rendered expensive in those clays, not by the clubs, which were cheaper then than now, but by the balls. Their prime cost was high, and their durability not great. On a wet day, for example, a ball soon became soaked, soft, and flabby; so that a new one had to be used •at every hole in a match of any importance. 8 ItEMINISCKNCES OF GOLF AND GOLFERS. Or, on the other hand, a " top " by an iron in a bunker might cut it through. This I have frequently seen occur. The making of first-class feather balls was almost a science. For the benefit of the uniniti- ated, I shall endeavour to explain the,operation. The leather was of untanned bull's hide. Two round pieces fox the ends, and a stripe for the middle were cut to suit the weight wanted. These were properly shaped, after being suffi- ciently softened, and firmly sewed together—a small hole being of: course left, through which the feathers might be afterwards inserted. But, before stuffing, it was through this little hole that the leather itself had to be turned outside in, so that the seams should be insider—an operation not without difficulty. The skin was then placed in a cup-shaped stand (the worker HEMINISCENCES OF GOLF AND GOKFEKS. 9 having the feathers in an apron in front of him), and the actual stuffing done with a crutch- handled steel rod, which the malcer placed under Ids arm. And very hard work, I may add, it was. Thereafter the aperture was closed, and firmly sewed up : and this outside seam was the only one visible. When I say this, I of course refer to balls when new. Veterans allowed the effects of service in open seams, with feathers outlooking ; and on a wet day the water could bo seen driven off in showers from a circle of protruding feathers, as from a spray-producer. A ball perhaps started a " twenty-eight," and ended a forty pounder. The introduction of gutta-percha balls effected a complete revolution. Their cost was small, their durability great. I believe I may with justice claim the credit of having first brought them to 10 BEMINISCENCES 01? GOLF AND GOLFERS. the notice of the golfing world, and tliis at the Spring Meeting of the Innerlevon Club in 1848, The previous month, when on my way home from a two years' stay in France (where, by the way, golf was then unknown), I chanced/to see in the window of a shop down a stair in St David Street, Edinburgh, a placard bearing the words—"New golf balls for sale." I found them different from anything. I had seen before; and was told by the shopman they were " guttie-perkies." " Guttie-perlde ! What's that ? " I asked: for I had never heard of it. "It's a kin' o' gum like indiarubber." . " What kind of balls does it make ?" " I ken naething aboot that—best try yin yoursel1 !" I bought ouc for a shilling. It was not REMINISCENCES OF GOLF AND GOLFEKS. 11 painted, but covered with a sort of " sine," which, after some practice witli my brother James, who was a good golfer, I saw reason to scrape off. I then determined to try it upon the Inner - leven Links, against Mr David Wallace, a golfer with whom 1 often played, and who always beat me. I noticed that after I had " teed," he looked at my ball with great curiosity : so I told him.its history and the result of my experi- ments : and away we went.

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