September ^, 1914 
L A X D AND \Y A T E R 
The military aeroplane will not br 'pen li'£;h iiji aliove us. 
When first these then novel sights were seen upon the little 
shoot, we used to stop and gaze upward at them, debating 
what would happen if with shot guns we treated the queer 
and noisy apparition as a rocketing pheasant We prophesied 
gloomily then that the comings and goings of these strange 
birds would drive all the game from our fields and spinneys. 
Lately even the beaters have only given an u]')ward glance 
as the roar of the engine was heard high in the air : and as 
for the game, no notice whatever has beers taken of aeroplanes 
by birds which would cower and crouch from a hawk ho\'ering 
in the sky. Thus war becomes familiar to us all. 
For the rest, the semi-military formations of a line of 
guns and beaters will serve to keep our minds on the subject 
which must fill them through many difficult and historic 
months. And I doubt not that we shall concert our plans 
and issue orders in that martial parlance which is the tongue 
of the boar. We shall adjure the line to dress by the right, 
and order " left shoulder up," and wheel by sections, and 
talk of the enemies' left, and outflank the covey that has been 
marked into the left-hand corner of the roots close to the 
boundary hedge. All these things may happen — if — — 
GOLFING TOPICS 
Bogey 
Bv F. KINLOCH 
OT verv long ago no Scottisli 
j^wlfer (and by 
that term I mean a golfer who has drunk in 
Nthe mother-milk of his golf in the atmosphere 
of any of the Scottish golfing nursery homes) 
would have deigned to consider what is known 
as a " Bogey " competition as worthy of notice. The name 
was enough. " What's in a name ? " A great deal in this 
particular instance. Truly the godfathers and godmothers 
who gave this form of playing at the game of golf its most 
unattractive and absurd name have a good deal to answer 
for. And vet, in a wav, this name is illustrative of the 
paucity of the English language, or rather of its inability 
to describe nicely and reatly, in terms not directly calculated 
to upset any delicate susceptibilities, a new departure in a 
very ancient game. The French, on the other hand, had no 
difficulty ; they hit the nail right on the head when they called 
it La Xormalle. Like many other French phrases, La Normallc 
cannot be properly translated into bald Erglish. It has 
in its own tongue a pretty sound, it is romantic feminine, 
full of possibilities. But fancy going out to play against 
" the Normal." Here is a cold, hard, nasty thing impossible 
to cope with. Yet is not what was at first known as 
"Colonel Bogev " (the Colonel is now dropped) ahiiost 
worse ? The name savours of frivolity, of sp'>oks, of spiritual 
seances, of childish fables, in fact, of all that a serious-minded 
golfer would divest frcm his favourite game. 
The game, or whatever you like to call it, was invented 
not long after the great golf invasion of England, when golf 
was in a stage of transition ; when it was feared that the 
old traditions were in danger ; when there were no dealings 
with the Jews who played for biscuit boxes and tantalus 
spirit cases in the South, and the Samaritans who played ''or 
the love of the game, plus a half-crown on the match, in the 
North. The origin of the name was probably a pantomime 
song, which was very popular in the early 'nineties. 
" Hush, hush, hush, here comes the Bogey Man," a 
mvthical being who was supposed to be the special enemy 
of children who did not go to bed when they were told. No 
one had seen him, but there was no doubt of his existence. 
The bogey man as a golfer was given the rank of colonel, 
but why, it is not easy to discover. Probably because 
colonels having reached a staid middle age are presumably 
steady golfers. This may be true in theory, but it is open 
to considerable doubt whether actual facts warrant the 
presumption. Anyhow, behold this new pastime (that 
seems to be the best name for it) duly baptised, and launched 
to fight its way all o\er the many odd places where men play 
golf. And a very hr.rd fight the ugly-named creature has 
had ; at the same time, it must be confessed, a much more 
successful one than many of the older school would even now- 
con fess. To some sacred spots it has never and will never 
penetrate. 
I do not think " Bogey " as a term or a game is recog- 
nised at any of the championship or aristocratic courses ; 
certainly St. Andrews, Prestwick, Muirficld, and North 
Berwick, in Scotland, and Hoylake, Sandwich, Westward Ho, 
in England, have never been " Bogey iscd." Nevertheless, 
so insistent is this dumb, shapeless spectre that its followers 
have forced the Rules of Golf Committee to draft rules for 
their guidance. Whether these said rules have grasped the 
true inwardness of what they are meant to direct is rather 
a -doubtful point. After havingVplayed seriously (almost 
CRAFNANT VALLEY FROM IREFRIW GOLF CLUB 
983 
