CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



that wherever links occur in Scotland, there also 

 occurs golf. 



A series of small round holes, of four inches 

 diameter, are cut in the turf, at distances of 

 from one to three or four hundred yards from 

 each other, according to the nature of the ground ; 

 and the rival players, who are provided each with 

 a set of clubs and balls, commence at the first hole, 

 and strike off their balls in the direction of the 

 second. In playing from hole to hole, he who suc- 

 ceeds in holing in fewer strokes than his opponent, 

 wins that hole ; but if both players hole their balls 

 in the same number of strokes, the hole is halved. 

 From the second they drive towards the third 

 hole ; and so on till the round is finished that is 

 to say, till they arrive at the hole from which they 

 started. It may be almost needless to add that 



he who has won the greatest number of holes in 

 the round, wins the round or match. And further, a 

 match may consist of several rounds, so that the 

 winner of the greatest number of rounds is the 

 gainer of the match. Sometimes, too, when players 

 are very equally matched, neither party has, at 

 the close of a day's play, gained an advantage ; 

 every round has been halved, or each party has 

 won an equal number of rounds, hence the match 

 itself is halved, and remains to be played another 

 day. 



If the skill of one player is superior to that 

 of his opponent, the former gives odds to the 

 latter, to equalise their play. Thus, A possesses 

 an advantage over B. They start to play a 

 round, and the round consists of eight holes. 

 If the difference of their skill be not very 



Fig. 13.' Striking off.' 



great, A possibly allows B two strokes on the 

 round, which, for example's sake, affects B's 

 chances thus : B agrees to take his strokes between 

 the first and second, and third and fourth holes, 

 and off they go ; A puts his ball into the second 

 hole in five strokes, and B in the same number. 

 Now, were they playing on even terms, the hole 

 would be halved, but here B's extra stroke does 

 him service ; so, having been allowed one off, he 

 wins the hole. If A had holed his ball in five, 

 and B in six strokes, the hole would have been 

 halved, B's extra stroke allowed, equalising the 

 reckoning. They strike off towards the third hole, 

 which A wins ; so here they are all even. On the 

 next hole, B has his second and last extra stroke, 

 which probably makes him the winner of the 

 hole. For the rest of the round they play on 

 equal terms ; B is one ahead, and, say, five 

 holes yet to play. If he can succeed in halv- 

 ing several holes, and keeping his advantage, 

 he may win the round, but he possibly drives his 

 ball into some hazard such as sand or whin- 

 bushes from which he is only extricated after 

 expending one or more strokes in the operation, 

 and loses at least that hole, if not the match. 



663 



Fig. 14. ' Putting.' 



The game is played by two persons, or by four 

 (two of a side), playing alternately, or it may be 

 played by three or more persons each playing his 

 own ball. The tee, which is a small pinch of 

 sand upon which the ball is placed to present a 

 fair stroke in playing off from each hole, must 

 be not less than four, and not more than six 

 club-lengths from the first hole, and may be 

 either in front of or to the side of it ; and after 

 the balls are struck off, the ball lying farthest 

 from the hole to which the parties are playing, is 

 played first. The balls must not be changed before 

 the hole is played out All loose impediments 

 within twelve inches of the ball may be removed 

 when the ball lies on grass but so as not to move 

 the ball or from the putting-green or table-land 

 on which the hole is placed, which is considered 

 not to exceed twenty yards from the hole. When 

 the ball lies in a bunker, or otherwise on sand, how- 

 ever, it is not permitted to remove or touch the 

 sand or other obstacle with the club before playing. 

 A ball must not be touched or moved except in 

 playing, and there are penalties for touching, 

 or moving, or stopping the course of a ball. 

 But whatever happens to a ball by accident, 



