Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-01-16
GAME OF GOLF.

mated, for patronage for a long while.
Within the last decade, however its
popularity has become more universal
and widespread, and at the present
time is growing in America, 1t is a
game that is eminently suited to the
plodding, persevering Scotch nature,
being quiet and steady, and anything
but fast game, but none the less
engrossing.
The fury with which 1t has developed
in America within the last two years
is rather inconsistent with the nature
of tho game, but there is no doubt
that ii has come to stay, for it is a
game in which the limit OF proficiency
is hard to reach, and yet its possibil-
titles seem within the scope of the
veriest duffer. To talk of golf to
person who is not golfer is not en-
couraging for purposes of conversion.
but once put club in his hands, and
let him hit the ball fair stroke-noth
ing more is required-he is deyotee
of the game from that time forward.
1t is played on course varying in
length from one TO four miles. and
the object of the game is TO drive the
golf ball from the starting point-called
the teeing- -ground-to each hole in the
fewest possible number Of strokes, and
the player who holes out in the least
number OF strokes wins the game.
There are n number OF these holes,
generally 8 or Is, located along the
course, and every hole has teeings
ground, from to 400 yards distant
from it. player starts from the first
teeing ground and drives the ball to-
wards the first hole, which, for example,
I,n l, taEo o,,t. aaf thaaa
be played again from where 1T falls,
and so Oh, until it drops in the hole at
we'll directed stroke on the putting
green, which is the name given to the
turf for distance of 10 or 20 yards
around the hole. The next hole is
then played in the same way from the
next teeing- ground, and SO on, until
the whole course is traversed, when
the player having the greatest num-
Der of holes to bis credit wins the
game.
An expert will play hole of 300 yards,
through all the obstacles, or hazards,
as they are called, in three or four
strokes; whereas for novice the score
in unlimited and may run from 10 up.
1t can easily be seen that patience. per
severance and practice may well be said
to be the three ops" Of golf Another
trick of the game seems to be that
when a certain degree of proficiency
and form is acquired 1t is never for
gotten, and golfer may lay aside his
clubs for year or two and then re-
sumo them without having to start all
over again. Good form Is one of the
essentials OF the game, and person
may play golf for years but can never
become golfer until he plays in good
form. At st. Andrews Scotland,
when new player steps upon the links
the first thing noticed is his form, not
how far he can drive, but the form in
wlich he plays.
The rule that provides that the ball
shall be played from where it falls has
made 1t necessary for clubs of different
shapes to be used. to suit the different
lies of the ball; and on golf course
clubs Of many shapes will be seen.
For the novice, however, two or three
are sufficient until good knowledge
of the game is acquired, when the
necessity for more may become evident
with increase of skill. The great fas-
cination of the game lies in driving the
ball from the tee, or starting point,
and the sensation of eXhilaration on
making a good drive has been lIkened
to that ct fox hunter in jumping a
fence, or ball player in knocking
home run.
The greatest skill, of the game, how
ever, is exercised after driving off, for
if good driver be a weak putter he
will almost always lose to stronger
putter, even though the latter's driving
may be a failure. The golfer is CON
ceded many privileges, which in any
4 I'D. LII
| after game is once started traditional
golf etiquette provides that the player
shall be in every way protected from
Interruptions of any sort, and particu-
larly from being annoyed or harassed
while PLAYING shot. ANY one who
violates these proprieties by talking to
a player OF in any way disturbing his
game, is considered to be deserving of
rebuff. for a golfer is supposed to have
no eyes or cars for anything but his
| game.
The difficulties in well-laid out
course consist in the so-called hazards
| A hazard may be any sort of an obsta-
Gle to the proper flight of the ball, and
tho best players will avoid all the
| hazards in course successfully. On the
best courses tho hazards are 30 placed
that badly aimed stroke, or miscal-
culation of distance, will result in
trouble for the player, and each hole
| generally has one or more hazards
ready to engulf the ball Of the unskil.
| full aspirant for low score. An ideal
| hazard is one that will cost good
| player one stroke to eXtricate his ball
from its difficulties.
The Scotch name of links, meaning
a golf course, seems to have Travelled
with the game wherever it has gone.
although originally the name meant
any stretch of low land lying along
some body of wafer; as land of this
character was about all that could be
used for the game in Scotland, and
most of the golf courses were situated
on the links, or shore, the designation
became identified with the game, so
that now even an upland course is
known as a gofing links, although
such an application of the name is not
strictly proper one.
The great home of golf ia at st. An
drows, in Scotland, and the pioneer
club of the game in this country has
taken the name of tho st. Andrews
Golf Club. This club was started
seven or eight years ago at Yonkers, N.
", and has just raised the sum of
Sl00, 600 to be spent in laying out a
now course. which will doubtless equal
any in the country. Up to the present
time, according to the authority Of
Mr.. Lee, there are no less than 75
clubs in this country where golf is
played, and the number bids fair to
increase. Philadelphia has several ex-
cellent courses, the most prominent one
being at the Philadelphia Country
Club, where a great deal of money has
been spent in constructing artificial
hazards and in leseling the nutting