Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-27
ON ST. ANDREWS LINKS
ace OF The Star.

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Special Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON. August 20. 1905.
Writing in the Westminster Gazette. Hor-
ace Hutchinson says concerning the dispute
about the bunkers which the green commit
tee has been adding to the golf course at st.
Andrews. Scotland:
The clue by which one may find an intel
ligible path through the maze of confused
and contradictory discussion consists In rec
ognition OF the fact that the critics APP
proach the question from two distinct points
OF view. The criticism can be divided sharp
ly. There is, in the first place, the criticism
of those who come up to st. Andrews with
out any intimate previous knowledge of 1t,
and so crticise il and it's bunkers with
minds untrammeled by all tradition They
consider whether this bunker or that i'm
proves or does not improve the course, ac-
cording to their judgment The other school
is composed of those who knew the st. An
drew's in the past. when the whins fringcd
the course straightly either side, and
who recognize that the many sided bunkers
which have been created are intended to
take the place, SO far as may be. OF these
whins that were ubiquitous. 1t Is evident
that the two points of view are widely diff
ferent. / do not think / can bring this into
stronger evidence than by taking in
stance Mr.. Hilton'S criticism with all of his
Dtlef cIltlClSDS believe am IN 1ull agree
menO on the bunkers that so often catch
tee shot going to the long hole going out.
He says that these bunkers are I'm the mid
die of the course. So they are, IL by the
middle of the course are to understand
of necessity the straight line for the hole.
Such an assumption as that, however, is too
large. The straight line to the hole is by
no means always the path of correctness or
safety: there are holes and they are often
good ones. OF the contour of what are
known dog leg holes-round the corner.
Regarding these particular bunkers or the
way to the long hole going out. the whins
used 10 come right up to their right hand
edge Il am speaking of quarter of CEN
fury ago-before that they used to occupy
all the lower ground below the level of the
Elyslan Fields. that. far from being in
the center OF the course. they were then on
the very outside right-hand limit OF the
course. The proper line for the tee shot
was well TO the left of them. II man went
any considerable distance to the right his
chances of ever retrieving his ball were
very slight. The instance of these bunkers
Is a very typical one If any bunkers have
been cut TO their right as | think one or
two have been cut their intention is to
punish sliced ball The man who gets
into one of these bunkers is very apt TO
deem himself hardly used; but he ought,
considering the object OF the bunkers TO
deem himself. rather, extremely fortunate
If he does not get into bunker going on
this line, for the bunkers are intended to
take the place of whins which were
everywhere. whereas the bunkers are only
here and there. That, In part. Is the weak
ness of the new dispensation compared
with the oid-that man may slice. and SO
often may lie among the bunkers. 1t is inn
possible to make the bunkers as ubiquitous
the old whins. To do so would be to con-
vert that side of the course into Sahara,
and into a growing Sahara. for the sand