RETIRED GOLF 151 



" Oh, he beats me easily. At least, last time 

 we played he gave me a half and won, six up; 

 but then I must admit I had the most infernal 

 luck and got into every single bunker on the 

 course. I began right enough; did the first 

 hole in nine, the second in eleven, and the third 

 in eight. After that I seemed to go all to 

 pieces." ' 



" Suppose we play even ?" 



" Righto ! After all, so long as we have a 

 decent game, it doesn't much matter who 

 wins." 



And at golf, fortunately, a decent game can 

 always be obtained. It is, indeed, one of the 

 chief charms of this attractive pastime that, 

 by means of a system of tactful handicapping, 

 players of every degree and class may be evenly 

 matched against one another in a fashion that 

 can seldom be accomplished at other games. 

 A single bad lawn- tennis player will ruin a 

 whole set; at croquet or billiards the man who 

 is matched against a champion spends most 

 of his time idly watching his opponent playing, 

 and only issues at rare intervals from a retire- 

 ment into which he is almost immediately 

 driven back. At golf, on the other hand, the 

 receipt of a few strokes enables an indifferent 

 performer to hold his own against a superior 

 adversary, and there are other methods by 



