The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-06-06
TIE GAME OF GOLF.
A Favorite Old Pastime Of the
ScotSh People.
It Is Now Very Popular with Americans
Who Fave the Time and Means to
Play It-IZow the Game Is
Played.
Golf is fast becominr popular. Amons

! tfolf Is fast becoming popular. Among
society people il has got to be quite the
thing This favoritc Scotch game can
be traced SO far back that the exact
date Of Its origin is lost. While its
adoption in this country has been slow.
it IS now firmly roote J, says the Cincin-
natl EHquirCr, and this season promises
to be its greatest. In their search for
some ling new the society folk have
scizel upon it, and many are learning
the rar1c.
Golf Is not limited to any particular
class OF inliviluals. Ladies and chill
dren can pl2y the game asvcll as nc7,
and in nearly I'll the golf clubs which
have recently been organized the woln-
en- show as keen an interest IS the mon
themselves. Its dcvotces claim there
is no game under the aun Ike golf, and
rs thoroughly hcolth-Civi1g exercise
it possesses all of the necessary quail
tics.
The first regular club organized in
this country was the st. Andrew Golf
club, whose grounds arc now situated
at Gray Oaks. a short diItance above
Yonl1crs. but within the corpcration
limits. This club was organized in 1SSS,
and fer the fret few years the members
played On various fields around Yonl-
cr5. This year. however, new grounds
have been secured ct Cray Calls, where
the rclnc can be played On more sys-
te1natic basis y f2rIn Of about 250
acres has been secured. and the old
fashioned farmhouse has been con-
vcrtcI into n comfortable and cozy
clubhouse.
I'll, grounds, or links. cover q space
of G5) )ut two nils, and there arc il.
th.5 circuit nine holes. The holes are
about four AMI onc-fourth inches in di-
anotcr, and are placed in what arc
ccllcl puttinT rrccns. These putting
greens are w1ll-l,vcle l plJt5 OF Crounl
fron forty--ivs to si-:ty fcct square,
a1l the object is to drivo the ball into
tlc holes with the f1vcSt n1lIer Of
str Kos. The circuit leads over hills,
s3l times across streams, ditchcs. rail
ro1l tracks. as the case nay bc, and
til, skill of the player IS shown in
lOi.iag his bail over these di-icult
places or hazards, as they are called, to
position where he can get q good
stroke t. sc1I it down to tic next hole
Each time TIC bill Is "holc.l,' it is
taken out and placed on what Is termed
the ''tcc.ng' grounl, o short distance
from the h lies. The player, in start
ing his ball again in ploy, may, if he
de Tres, take little soft earth, and,
m-L;ing a mound about half an inch to
an inch il height, place his ball on top
of this, which is the tee" anl then
drive it as far as he can toward the
next hole.
While in play the ball must not
be touchcl CT moved from the spot
where it falls. GhoulI the ball land
on one Of the hazards, as in the bottom
CT ditch or close to 4 railroad track
or stonc wall, it may require several
strokes to place it in q mere favorable
position. twill be seen that such a
state of affairs may count seriously
AGAINST player, since it is desirable to
make as lew strikes as possible.
The balls are male of gutta percha,
very harl, and about one and onc-half
inches in diameter. They are struck
with clubs, with long, slcndcr shafts,
at one end Of which are projecting !
heads Of hardwood, backed with lead
or 1nclleable iron. There are several
Iil-iSiSL SL-C o-ISi u Liz ShN4S,
adapted to the varieties of play, as
long drives, raioing the ball in the air
To clear an obstruction and othcra.
When thcae various features are un-
dcr5tood, together with the fact that |
bofcrc ffzS;hing a game the player
walks fdlly two miles and sometimes
moro, and that, too, over hills and |
many rough places, there is no question
about the exercise aEf-rlcd by golf. |
Thon, as there is no time limit, the |
players ccn rest as much as they I
please in going the rounds of the links.