Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-12

are deep pits In the ground. which consti-
tute fine traps for erring balls and grand
opportunities for skill with Iron shots out
! Of them. These were the Roman stables
and kitchens. and I applaud the Romans 10
the matter.
Not long since had letter from high
ly placed official at Chinkiang, on the Yang
tse river, In China, and he showed me how
they had just begun to play golf out there
on a new course which was covered WIFE
fcrater-like excrescences These are Cna-
bunkers. No Chinese sentiment is injured
in the matter.
Search the world from top to bottom, and
there is golf everywhere. No doubt sooner
polar regions. It already has been an
nounced that Capt. Robt. Scott of the Dis
covery expedition has tried his irons In high
antarctic SHOWS
The game has been played by Capt. F.
Adair and his camp followers SO near to
sky as 1000 feet above the sea level this
being on one of the passes leading into
Tibet. Likewise the Kobe Club at Japan
has it's links at Rokkosan. $500 feet above
the sea level, and after making long jour-
ney to the foot of a mountain you have to
be carried up all these feet by coolies
This being the golf of the heights above,
it only remains to be said that at present
there is no record of any subterranean play.
The nearest to it is that which periodically
takes place in the Hell" bunkers at st.
Andrews and other places.
The golfers of st. Petersburg come Of
hardy race. They drive out thirteen miles
from the capital over the toughest roads,
in order to play their game. The soil OF
their course is so sandy that they have to
relay their putting greens every year
probably the only place where this has to
be done. Putting greens are often charac-
There is golf at Old Calabar, on the west
coast of Africa, and there the greens"
are made Of fine coal dust. At Pretoria
they consist of diamondiferous gravel; at
MoUfo o,l % thrn xunc
Capt. Seott's South Pole course Cpresum-
ably of whites, and on some courses in
this country of worms.
James Braid lately was commissioned to
lay out a new course on Holy Island, right
up off the top of the coast. He has per-
formed his task, and he has been telling
me that that new course, one Of the widest
and most natural to be found anywhere,
will furnish fine golf that will gladden. the
hearts of the players of the heroic school.
On Holy Island the making of bunkers
Is business of the utmost simplicity. You
just remove the top turf and the wind does
the rest, scooping out the sand and shaping
the bunker in the proper way, proving once
again how golf, Of all games, Is most Kin
to simple nature.
Some months ago was down going over
new course with Charley Hutchings, who
cultivating it. 1t was then in raw
state, and we came to one-shot hole
where there was as healthy looking, hne
and romantic a bunker as ever need guard
a short hole. 1t was of grand size and
contour for bunker that was going to
do nearly all the trapping ION it's own,
and yet it was found there already made.
The winds of heaven had opened the bum
ker on hillside and had blown out the
sand to the proper depth. and then they
could do nothing more. A thrty-seconds'
application of Hutchings' rake and the
bunker was complete. I fancy that in the
amended plan of the course that was adopt
ed shortly afterward this hole was omitted,
which is a pity, as it was really fine short
hole. However, l suppose it will be in the
ladies' course.
There is nothing queer about the course,
but the point of these remarks Is that
somehow nature, and not man. seems al
ways to decide where this game is to be
played, and that accounts for such odd
places being settled for courses. Just
consider the eccertricity of the situation of
the Holy Island golf course as related to me
by Braid.
arates the island from the mainland but
the water is only running through it for four
hours to each tide-two hours before high
tide and two hours after For the remain
der of the time a passage may be made
across on foot on more less dry sand.
But what of the golfer who starts, say.
three hours before high tide and dallles to
try some puts or mashie pitches on the
way, as golfers always do?
The sea comes in and catches him, and
he then is in pickle. He either may
abandon his clubs and swim for it. or pref
erably he may adopt an undignifled but
dry method of salvation. Some distance
from each other there are high poles stuck
in the sands, and the proper thing to do
is to climb up these poles and walt until
the water recedeS.
Bridge is not prohibited, and the golfer
may adopt this any other means of
mitigating the pains and penalties that
attach to his pursuit of the game.