THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, MAY 8, 1913. THE GAME OF GOLF.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 8 May 1913, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, MAY 8, 1913. THE GAME OF GOLF.

In New Zealand the game of golf is in its infancy. Its votaries consist largely of the leisured classes and wealthy citizens. Few people seem to realise the healthiness and the fascination of the game. In Great Britain, -tne proletariat has taken up golf with enthusiasm, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that its scope will be extended. in New Zealand in the near future. A well-knowiT. authority on the game, writing in an English paper, states that it would bo almost safe to prophesy that in ten years from now every township in the country with a papulation of fifty thousand or more will have its public links. Already the aldermen and councillors in many cities have been, brought to see the advantages and even the necessity of coming into this movement, and the people m busy places in England are beginning to demand their public golf, .lust lately the shipyard j workfers of Sunderland suddenly re- [ quistioned the corporation' to lay out a municipal golf course. These I working man have doubtless been stiiTotf Vy "tfef c.*s<? of their brothers

at Newcastle hard by, where then is an edghteen-hole course on a pub lie caramon almost in the heart o the town, kept up by a dub tx which the subscription is only twelvt shillings and sixpence a year. A" Edinburgh they have three publii coursos, one a splendid, links on th< Braid Hills, and you may soe th< working people hurrying there at I o'clock on a bright summer's morn ing. or oven earlier than that, ar.t thoy hurry tliore again when tht work of the day is done. Few nier of labour toil through all the day light hours. The truth is. adds tht writer, that the people who need r most —the working man, the clerks the shop assistants, and other of impecunious coming to sw that tlie whole scheme of our nationa recreations, games for health, i: wrong and bad. Men who are begin ning to leave their youth behinc them carmot play cricket and foot ball. If they could, such games woulc not be good" for them, and, anyhow there would not be places for then in which tp play. They cannot afford bicycles, and if they could thoi find that the motor cars have spoiler the roads for them now. Plaii walking is a dull, unattractive husi ness. The corporations have givei the.m two more chances —swimming baths and public parks. But th< bulk of the people cannot and do noi want to swim, and they find neithei enjoyment nor health in gazing oi beds of paxisies and on grass whicl they are warned they must not treac upon. So they go to watch criekel and football matches, to watch ant not to play. They have no game foi themselves except skittles at a publi< house and toss in a quiet corner. The golf movement iias therefore sit in Splendid leads nave been given Corporation golf at ISottingham lia.< been in existence for many years The Bulwer links am on a piece ol the old Sherwood forest, the emirs* is nicely kept, the turf is good, ant t)ie corporation only charges the inhabitants who play .six shillings ( yeai', which includes* the use of tin pavilion. Bournemouth sot the |,< ' a Ipad in special municipal course con struction. She borrowed money t< make two fine courses, believing that in their attraction to visitor; they would pay well and her bnln has been thoroughly justified. Othei seaside resorts have followed her ex ample, two of the last to come ii being Southport and Brighton. Th< former has recently spait £ISOO or a now public course—not much foi a- golf course after al.. Brighter hesitated and feared, but at length following upon a Government inquin into the matter, she made nine hole: in Hollingbury Park. The experi ment was so successful that anothei nine were soon tacked on. But these seaside municipal courses are m r:r< for visitors than residents, though of course, open to the latter. Thf most signficant step in the rea movement so far ha.s been made Manchester, and we must remembei that old saying about what Lanca shire and Manchester think to-da; and the other people afterwards The Manchester Corporation openec a public links at Heatom Park mor than a year back, and made matter: as easy as they could for the artisans. No ifewer than 14,752 game) were played on this course bv season ticket holders in the first year an( 12,265 by persons who took ticket? for the day. As many as 362 games were played on one cold day last December, so the game has gripped these people. Liverpool has evidently been attracted by the success of the enterprise of Manchester, and recently opened her first public course on the Bowring Park estate. Various other, big corporations are considering this matter closely and sending emissaries to study th • working of the perfect models at Edinburgh and Glasgow. On the Braid Hills course at Edinburgh r hundred thousand times have' the people played in one year, paying only twopence per round for their gam?, and an equal number have played on the two other public courses belonging to the city. These ire nearly all people who could not ifiord to Jjelong to a golf club with i private course; but they ga»n the r'ull joys and benefits of the game, nid many of them obtain a full suficiency for a total expenditure of a jhilling a week. It is a movement for the uplifting of the people. Golf tones ip the system- and gives the people >f Britain just the exercise that they ieed to build up'the material pliysi-, iue.