The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-07-29
THEY PLAY GOLF
A Favorite Old Pastime of the
Scotch People.
1t Is Now Very Popular with American,
Who Hare the Time and Means TO
Play It-How the Game Is
Played.

I Golf is fast becoming popular. Among
society people it has got TO be quite the
I thing. This favorite Scotch game can
1 be traced so far back that the exact
/ date OF its origin is lost. While its
I adoption in this country has been slow,
+ it is now firmly rooted, says the Cincin-
. natl Enquirer, and this season promises
I to be its greatest. In their search for
( something new the society folk have
seized upon it, and many are learning
the game.
Golf is not limited to any particular
class of individuals. Ladies and chill
dren can play the game aswen as men,
and in nearly all the golf clubs which
have recently been organized the wom-
en- show as keen an interest as the men
themselves. It's devotees claim there
is no game under the sun like golf. and
as thoroughly health-giving exercise
i possesses all of the necessary quail
ties
The first regular club organized in
this country was the st. Andrews Golf
club, whose grounds are low situated
at Gray Oaks, a short distance above
! Nonkers, but within the corporation
limits. This club was organized in 1855,
and for the first few years the members
played on various fields around Yonk-
ers. This year. however, new grounds
have been secured at Gray Oaks, where
the game can be played on mere sys-
tematic basis. A farm OF about $50
acres has been secured, and the old
fashioned farmhouse has been con-
verified into a comfortable and coy
clubhouse.
The grounds, or links. cover a space
of about two miles, and there are in
this circuit nine holes. The holes are
about four and one-fourth inches in di
ameter, and are placed in what are
called putting green's. These putting
greens are well-leveled plots of ground
from forty-fve to sixty feet square,
and the object is TO drive the ball into
the holes with the fewest number of
strokes. The circuit leads over hills,
sometimes across streams, bitches, rail-
road tracks, as the case may be, and
the skill of the player Is shown in
lofting his ball over these difficult
places or hazards, as they are called. to
q position where he can get good
stroke TO send it down to the next hole.
Each time the ball IS ''holed' il is
taken out and placed on what Is termed
the ''teeing" ground, short distance
from the holes. The player, in start
ing his ball again in play, may, if he
desires, take a little soft earth, and,
making mound about half an inch to-
an inch in height. place his ball on top
of this. which Is the tee" and then
drive it as far as he can toward the
next hole.
While in play the ball must not
be touched or moved from the spot
where it falls. Should the ball land
on one of the hazards, as in the bottom
of ditch or close TO a railroad track
or a stone wall. it may require several
strokes to place ii in more favorable
position. 1t viii be seen that such
state of affairs may count seriously
against player. since il Is desirable To
make as few strikes as possible.
The balls are made of gutta percha,
very hard. and about one and one-half
inches in diameter. They are struck
with clubs, with long, slender shafts,
at one end of which are projecting
heads of hardwood, backed with lead
or malleable iron. There are several
different shapes of the striking ends,
adapted TO the varieties of play, as
long drives. raising the ball in the air
TO clear an obstruction and others.
When these various features are IN
derstood, together with the fact that
before finishing game the player
walks fully two miles and sometimes
more, and that, too. over hills and
many rough places, there Is no question
about the exercise afforded by golf
Then. as there is no time limit, the
players eau rest as much as they
please in going the rounds of the links