Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-15
GOLF GOSSIP

pleasant to see ourselves as others
see us. but here are some impressions
from the special correspondent Of the
Times, London, that afford enjoyable
reading:
Its name is not, as the innocent
stranger is apt to think, the BROOK
line Country Club. 1t is at Brookline,
but its initials are T. G. c. and they
stand for The Country Club, because
ID is the Oldest country club in Amer
lea, dating back to the prehistoric
darkness OF 1882. T. c. c. is very
proud both of itself and its golf
course. and 1t has every right to be
so, for both are charming. 4.rg.. ,rs..
The first sight Of the golf course,
says the special correspondent Of the
Times. sets the stranger struggling
10 suppress a blank look OF disap.
pointment on hts too speaking conn-
tenance. The long. low, rambling
wooden building of the club standing
+en a little knoll, the grandstand with
the race track in front OF it--looking
row a little forlorr and derelict- the
ring Of encircIing woods just begin.
ming to show traces Of autumn, all OF
these things are vastly well, but can
that really be the first hole, AMI that
other the home hole of one of Amer.
ica's championship courses? NJ
Thus thinks the stranger in his
Taste as he sees two perfectly Tat
holes going straight across the polo
ground with just a strip Of rough
grass and no other hazard apparently
within human reach. II has to be con-
ceded at once that, though as q fact
each OF these holes possesses very
difficult second shot,, there Is some
thing depressing about them; from
purely golfing standpoint it would be
better IL an architect could be let
loose with iconoclastic shovel upon
the polo grounds, but it really mat
vers very little, because the other 16
holes are just as different from those
two as any one thing can be different
from any other.
From the moment Of leaving the
POLO ground behind him the golfer
pInnges straightway into romantic
Highland scenery of rocks and woods.
The course unfolds itself before his
ewes with q series of green pillows
stretching away into the distance
with every now and again a ninth
great wave that swells more males
fically than the rest it is not In any
Iopprobrfous sense, q hilly course:
there IS none = OF those nt0leFable
hangings up one steep hill, any top
pings down another, but the Whole
course has the grand manner OF undu-
iatiRg.
Another great feature of the course
is the prevaience OF the woodland
Glade and the extreme difficulty OF I'll
recting the ball down it with snffi-
Client accuracy, TO English reaqers
could explain this course 40 less
than no time by saying that II Is Ike
Wimbledon or Coombe han or st
Georges hin with Just this alteration
That there Is no heather and that the
son Is OF richer, more meadowy and
less sandy type The woods are won
derfuIly pretty have seen few
more charming inland courses, and 9
novel touch of picturesqueness is add.
ed by the rocks that come jutting out
mere Anu lnSlCs AhCy oNN ~ -
ficulties as we'll as the beauties OF the
course, for a ball that bounds upon 9
rock travels far and fast. and upon
most uncertain wings. Moreover. 4
the driving along narrow valley
sounds ominonsly In the ears whal
can be said OF driving down a rocky
defile? There is hooking and slicine
| in the mere thought Of it.
A third feature Of Brookline g
must can 1t that for short) Is the
character of the putting green's, They
are beautifully smooth and tr1ie and
in places extremely fast. The waves
and slopes are not prirna facie ex
cessiye: they are by no means so pro
lnounced as some OF those now being
artificially built at home by the
think misguided genius OF one dis
tinsuished architect but they are
markell enough to become perfectly
appalling If the ground be hard and
keen. The moving machine might
wen be tempered for the trembling
eolfer, so that on particularly curly
greens just a little more grass should
be left. -. e.