GOLF 



2531 



GOLF 



may the ball be placed definitely in position 

 for a stroke, and that is for the first stroke off 

 each starting place, or tee. In these instances a 

 small mound of 

 sand about an 

 inch high may 

 serve as a base 

 upon which to 

 rest the ball. 

 The ball is then 

 struck by a club 

 called the driver; 

 it is sent as " Now for an awful bump ! " 

 nearly as possible in the direction of the first 

 hole, and at the spot where it drops, an- 

 other club, the midiron, cleek, brassie, nib- 

 lick or other of special shape, is called into 

 service to advance it once more towards the 

 cup. These clubs are classified below. Each 

 attempt to hit the ball, whether successful 

 or not, counts as one stroke; the person who 

 puts his ball into the cup with the fewest 

 strokes wins the hole, and the one with the 

 lowest score for the total number of holes wins 

 the game; this method of scoring is called 

 "medal" play. Sometimes, by agreement, a 

 game may be decided upon holes won rather 

 than upon the number of strokes; this is 

 "match play." 



When each of a group of players has "holed 

 out" of the first cup, all move a few feet to 

 the second tee, or second starting place, and 

 proceed to drive in the same manner as from 

 the first tee. Thus the game continues through 

 the nine or the eighteen holes. 



A ball shot into shrubbery or behind trees, 

 from which position it cannot be struck, may 

 be picked up and thrown into the fairway, 

 with a penalty of one stroke; if it lands in a 

 sand pit or in any other position where the use 

 of a club is possible it must not be touched by 

 the hand. If a ball is lost another may be 

 put into play, with a penalty of one stroke; 

 when this is done the new ball is placed on the 

 fairway in the supposed location of the one 

 that was lost. 



Implements of the Game. The all-necessary 

 implement is th ball. It is nearly two inches 

 in diameter, with surface roughened to resist 

 slipping on impact with the club. The cover- 

 ing is gutta-percha, the interior a semi-elastic 

 composition. In some balls the core is hol- 

 lowed and contains a fluid; this adds to their 

 resiliency. 



The golf enthusiast is tempted to fill his 

 golf bag cylindrical in form, about six inches 



in diameter and three feet long with eight 

 or ten clubs, each of which has its pecul- 

 iar uses, but not all of which are essential. 

 Every player 

 should have four 

 clubs, but a few, 

 lacking desire 



excel, use b u t V^^WMK-^KT ' ''- 

 two, a midiron 

 and a putter. 

 The clubs aver- 

 age forty inches 

 in length, varying " He>11 never flnd me ! " 

 somewhat to meet the needs of players; those 

 considered most necessary are the following : 



Driver. This Is one of two clubs having a 

 wooden head, the other being the brassie. The 

 player who follows the best traditions of the game 

 invariably uses the driver on the ball at the tee. 



Midiron. The midiron is so called because It is 

 the club most used in drives in midfield, when the 

 green to be approached is from 100 to 150 yards 

 ahead. The iron head is bent to a slight angle, 

 to elevate the ball only enough to assure good 

 distance in the drive. 



Mashie, or Loiter. Frequently a bunker, sand 

 pit, tree or other hazard lies across the path, and 

 the shot must go above it. A club with an Iron 

 head bent more obliquely than the midiron Is then 

 required ; the mashie raises the ball into the air ; 

 the player sacrifices distance to secure height. 



Putter. This club has a shorter handle than 

 any other, and is used only after the ball has 

 been shot upon the green. The short handle re- 

 quires the player to lean towards the ground, from 

 which position he can the better judge the direc- 

 tion and strength of stroke required to sink the 

 ball into the cup. 



Other clubs are found desirable by almost 

 all classes of players. The two first named 

 below are particularly recommended: 



Brassie. This club is of wood and differs from 

 the driver in that its driving surface is slightly 

 more oblique, to loft the ball, and Its base is 

 brass-covered, that it may slip over the turf with- 

 out friction. It is used in the fairway when con- 

 siderable distance Is desired. 



Niblick. A spoon-shaped club with broad flat 

 side to receive the Impact is a useful tool with 

 which to loft the ball sharply out of a pit or 

 over a close and high obstruction. The pitch of 

 the spoon is more oblique than that of any other 

 club. 



Professional players and. very ambitious 

 amateurs use all of the above clubs and some- 

 times others, of doubtful value to the average 

 player. The cleek, with an iron head set 

 perpendicularly, assures great forward distance, 

 with little rise above the ground. Few players 

 succeed with it, as their shots are likely to 

 fly low and be stopped by the grass. 



