SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



THE WESTERN LINKS 



The most easterly of the western golf links 

 is the nine-hole course of the St. Quintin's 

 Club, close to Wormwood Scrubbs. The 

 club was instituted in 1894. 



The Acton Golf Club, instituted in 1896, 

 has an eighteen-hole course of 5,870 yds. 

 (nearly 3^ miles), laid out by Park, in 

 1907. The holes range in length from 

 115 to 465 yds. The ground is old pas- 

 ture land, and the hazards are ditches, 

 ponds, and various artificial bunkers. The 

 putting greens are very large and good. 

 The club-house is an old-fashioned mansion 

 on the village green of East Acton. Bogey 

 is 78, but owing to the recent opening of 

 the enlarged course no green records are as 

 yet forthcoming. The club prizes comprise 

 monthly medals, several challenge cups, and 

 annual prizes offered by the president, Lord 

 George Hamilton, and the captain. The 

 course is at its best during spring, summer, 

 and autumn, but play is practicable through- 

 out the year. 



There are two golf clubs at Ealing the 

 Ealing Golf Club, instituted in 1898, situated 

 at North Ealing in the Brent valley, near Peri- 

 vale ; and the Hanger Hill Golf Club, insti- 

 tuted in 1900, the links of which are on the 

 southern slope of the high ground above the 

 town. 



The eighteen-hole course of the Ealing 

 Club is a little over 3 miles round, the holes 

 ranging from no to 525 yds., and is laid 

 over old pasture land on clay, with subsoil of 

 gravel and brick earth. With the exception 

 of some artificial sand bunkers the hazards are 

 chiefly natural, consisting of the River Brent, 

 ditches, and pits. Play is possible all the 

 year, March to October being the best season. 

 Bogey is 80, the amateur record being Mr. H. 

 H. Hilton's 73, and the professional record 69 

 by G. Charles. The prizes are the Roth- 

 schild Cup, the Record Cup, Bogey and Medal 

 Finals, and numerous annual prizes. The 

 commodious club-house is at 14 and 15, Kent 

 Gardens, close to the first tee and last green. 



The course of the Hanger Hill Club also 

 consists of eighteen holes, varying from 105 

 to 500 yds. The club-house is a fine old 

 mansion situated on Hanger Hill. 



The West Middlesex Golf Club, which 

 shares with that of Staines the honour of being 

 the oldest in Middlesex, was instituted in 

 1890. The course of eighteen holes, varying 

 from 127 to 535 yds., is laid out on land 

 near Hanwell belonging to Lord Jersey, on 

 both sides of the main road from London to 

 Uxbridge, about 8 miles from the Marble 



281 



Arch. The hazards are gravel pits, ditches, 

 ponds, and the railway, and the going is firm and 

 dry. The record score in a club competition 

 is 74 by Mr. C. T. Bazell. The profes- 

 sional record by C. R. Smith is 68, and the 

 par 70. 



The West Drayton Golf Club was founded 

 in 1895 by a few gentlemen living in the 

 neighbourhood, prominent amongst whom was 

 Mr. Ernest Humber. The course of eighteen 

 holes, which is bounded on two sides, and at 

 one point crossed, by the River Colne, was 

 originally laid out by the advice of Mr. Fair- 

 lie, but was altered and considerably extended 

 in 1905 under the supervision of J. H. Taylor. 

 It has a total length of rather over 3 miles, 

 the longest hole being 521 and the shortest 

 125 yds., and traverses pasture land on gravel 

 subsoil. The hazards are the river, ditches, 

 and artificial bunkers. Play is possible all the 

 year round, but is best during the spring, early 

 summer, and autumn. The club house is the 

 old Mill House. Bogey is 80. The amateur 

 record is 72, held by Mr. H. W. Beveridge, 

 and the professional record is Robert Thom- 

 son's 66. The prizes are the Fairlie Chal- 

 lenge Medal, the Grimsdale Cup, and the 

 Gairdner Cleek Competition. 6 



The Hillingdon Golf Club, instituted in 

 1 892 by the original trustees Messrs. C. M. 

 Newton, G. T. Worsley, and C. E. Stevens 

 has a nine-hole course, which was re- 

 arranged in its present form by J. H. Taylor, 

 in the park of Hillingdon House at Uxbridge. 

 The holes vary from 150 to 400 yds. The 

 course lies over pasture land overlying gravel, 

 gravelly loam, and clay, and the hazards are 

 ditches, a stream, and artificial bunkers. Play 

 is possible all the year, but is best during the 

 winter months. Bogey is 39, and the pro- 

 fessional record 34. The prizes are a scratch 

 medal and cups, given by Mr. A. N. Gilbey. 



THE SOUTHERN LINKS 



The Strawberry Hill Golf Club, which 

 was instituted in 1901, has a course of nine 

 holes, varying from 150 to 448 yds., situated 

 about midway between Twickenham and 

 Teddington. Within two miles of this is the 

 eighteen-hole course of the Home Park Golf 



* At a professional match on 5 May 1905, over 

 the West Drayton course, the following records 

 were made : J. H. Taylor 75, H. Vardon 76, 

 J. Braid 77, W. Thomson 78. In the afternoon, 

 in a four-ball foursome, Vardon and Taylor beat 

 Braid and White by 4 up and 3 to play. In- 

 dividual scores: Taylor 73, Vardon 75, Braid 75, 

 White 8 1 ; Tie Golfing Year Book, 1905, p. 476. 



