The St. Johns herald., 1895-01-10
THE CAME OF COLE.
A Favorite old Pastirne of tho
 Scot7h People.
It Is Now Very Po7aiar with Americans Who Fave the Time and Means to Play It-KoVy the Game Is
 Played.


 Golf is fast becoming popular. Among society people it has got to be quite the thing This favorite Scotch game can be traced so far back that the exact date Of It's origin is lost. While it's adoption in this country has been slow, it is now firmly rooted, says the Cincin- nati Enquircr. and this season promises to be it's greatest. h their search for some. Ling new the society folk have seized upon it, and many are learning the Ganc.
 Golf is not limited to any particular class Of individuals Ladies and chil- dren can play the game aswell as men, and in nearly oll the golf clubs which have recently been organized the wom- en show as keen an interest as the men themselves. Its derotees claim there is no game under the oun like golf, and as Q thoroughly health-giving exercise it possesses all of the necessary quail ties.
 The first regular club organized in this country was the St. Andrews Golf club, whose grounds are now situated at Gray Oaks, a short distance above Yonl1ers. but within the corporation limits. This club was organized in 1888, and for the first few years the members played on various fields around Yonk- er3. This year. however, new grounds have been secured at Gray Oaks, where the game can be played on more sys- tematic basis A farm of about 250 acres has been secured, and the old fashioned farmhouse has been con- verted into a comfortable and cozy clubhouse.
 The grounds, or links, cover Q 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 greens. These putting greens are well-leveleI plots of ground from forty-five to sixty feet square, and the object is to drive the ball into the holes with the lowest number of strokes The circuit leads over hills, sometimes across streams ditches, rail road tracks, as the case may be, and the skill of the player is shown ia lofting his ball over these difficult places or hazards, as they are called, to position where he can get good stroke to send it down to the next hole
 Each time the ball is ''holed" it is taken out and placed on what Is termed the ''teeing" ground, a 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 it in a more favorable position. It will be seen that such a state of affairs may count seriously against player, since it 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 t'le ball in the air to clear an obstruction and others.
 When these various features are un- derstood, together with the fact that before finishing a 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 can rest as much as they please in going the rounds of the links.