GOLF

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 130, 10 September 1910, Page 3

GOLF

"MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN MODERN LIFE.*'

Alfred Gibson, the well-known English writer, thus gives his impressions of golf in the London Evening News: The old grey city of St. Andrews, more famous for learning than any other city of its size in the world, was recently given over to a carnival of golf. Over 200 experts in the game, gathered together from all parts of the British Isles, from France, India and Amerrea, engaged in fierce rivalry for the Open Championship. St. Andrews, with its oVI-worhl appearance, with its Greek scholars, with its many colleges-,- knows its golfers well. Here were borni youn." Tom and old Tom Morris—-surely' the most celebratul of all golfing celebrities. In the mind of many of its inhabitants golf takes higher rank than mere learning. Was it not a St. Andrew's caddie who, watching a famous scholar playing wretched golf, remarked. "It's a' vera well to teach Greek, but it needs-a 'heid' to play gowf."

As f wandered over the famous links the other day, it occurred to me as a strange thing that hundreds of men' should come together in this manner to play one of the oddest games the wit of men ever invented. Here are stretches of links—hundreds of acres and great lumps of gorse. In sime by sandhills, sand pits (called bunkers), ;md greatc lumps of gorse. In some four miles of this primitive land facing the North Sea are scattered, at irregular! intervals, eighteen small holes, each about four inches in diameter.- Into these holes a number of men—solemn, sad and dumb—are ursine a small white ball by means of various sticks and iron* crowned by curiously curved heads. " ' i

And this is the wonderful, the magical, the universal game of golf! Newspapers arc full of it: books are written aibout it. thousands of men are employed by it. and millions of pounds are spent annually on it. Golf is the biggest and most important factor in modern life. Tt has added years to the life of the middle-aged man: and. incidentally, has benefited the insurance oflk-os to an extent undreamed of by most people. How small, how insignificant, how futile a tiling this game looks; and yet how fraught with weighty consequences! I have seen golf played under many conditions. T have sron it. for instance, played by moonlight, and in the snow; but T have never before seen it played in a thunder-storm, with the links under water. But your golfer is nothing if not a. philosopher. I happened to be following champion James Braid when the lightning suddenly played about us; when the thunder clashed overhead, and the rain fell like a waterspout. THE CHAMPION.

James Braid is a tall, gaunt, wiry figiine, with the heavy and solemn aspect of a Scotch Elder of the Kirk. In loss thiin five minutes we were allj drenched to the skin. Braid glanced at I the lightning! out of the corner of his eve; but continued to give his whole attention to the game . At last, however, the floods refused to run through the porous turf any more; and great sheets of water were collected all over the course. Even the holes were submerged: and their vicinity could only be determined iby the flag on the top of a five-fool iron. ' It was then that Braid paused for a moment to consider. He was just half-way round; and these conditions were enough to ruin his chances. He looked to the referee; and, he. poor man, with no one to consult,! said, "Play on." As Braid played his shot, the lightning flashed from his bright iron dVb; and as his hall descended the thunder emphasised its contact with the ground. Ajax defying the lightning was nothing to Jimmy Braid playing golf in a thunderstorm with cataracts of water about him. The funniest part came when we arrived at what was alleged to be the greens. Here were inches of solid j water to push the ball" through. Eor| the first time on record. Braid smiled] as he chose a heavv mnsliie instead of a putter. With this big-faced club he! lifted the ball over yards of water tillj ; t sank in the hole. "Sometimes the "balli loafed: -ometimes it went to the hot-; •■vm, and had to be fished out. Strange] -. o sav. Braid played almost as well under thesr- awful conditions as he had done before the storm broke. It was a triumph of mind over matter. Just as we were thoroughly warming to the fun of the thins an official appeared and spoiled everything- hv the information I that owing to the deluge the day's play !had been cancelled. Braid did not mind, iHe finished his round in 70—a score that 1 had not. been 'beaten by anv of the 1 "cracks" who had plarod under the best i conditions in the morning.