Golfing News & Blog Articles

I am against an endless succession of greens with rolls, bumps, and dips. I believe each course or each links should have at least four or five greens, well distributed, that are practically flat after the nature of the ground, with less artificial building up. One gets extremely tired of putting on nothing but molded greens with sudden dips and rises to work out. A few of these, when not overdone, are well enough, but there should be variety. C.B. MACDONALD

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Mr. Hilton has referred to the irregular surface of Hoylake as rarely affording an absolutely flat stance, a fact to which he says the attention is drawn more noticeably on returning from golf elsewhere. To be able always to stand true to our ball can have an enormous influence on the truth of the stroke, and this explains much of the difficulty of the greater links and their suitability for the most exacting tests of all. It also possibly explains the failures of players who are undoubtedly fine stroke producers but minimize their chances by spending their days on their own park or otherwise artificial courses. H.N. WETHERED

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Mr. Hilton has referred to the irregular surface of Hoylake as rarely affording an absolutely flat stance, a fact to which he says the attention is drawn more noticeably on returning from golf elsewhere. To be able always to stand true to our ball can have an enormous influence on the truth of the stroke, and this explains much of the difficulty of the greater links and their suitability for the most exacting tests of all. It also possibly explains the failures of players who are undoubtedly fine stroke producers but minimize their chances by spending their days on their own park or otherwise artificial courses. H.N. WETHERED

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Mr. Hilton has referred to the irregular surface of Hoylake as rarely affording an absolutely flat stance, a fact to which he says the attention is drawn more noticeably on returning from golf elsewhere. To be able always to stand true to our ball can have an enormous influence on the truth of the stroke, and this explains much of the difficulty of the greater links and their suitability for the most exacting tests of all. It also possibly explains the failures of players who are undoubtedly fine stroke producers but minimize their chances by spending their days on their own park or otherwise artificial courses. H.N. WETHERED

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One more good quality of the holes at Hoylake deserves a word of mention; it has been called by Mr. Low their “indestructibleness.” By this most useful, if inelegant word, he means that they are good whether played with or against the wind, and that is very high praise, particularly as there are few courses on which a change of wind more completely alters the character of each individual hole. Blessed indeed is the hole which can keep its good character whichever way the wind is blowing. BERNARD DARWIN

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One more good quality of the holes at Hoylake deserves a word of mention; it has been called by Mr. Low their “indestructibleness.” By this most useful, if inelegant word, he means that they are good whether played with or against the wind, and that is very high praise, particularly as there are few courses on which a change of wind more completely alters the character of each individual hole. Blessed indeed is the hole which can keep its good character whichever way the wind is blowing. BERNARD DARWIN

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One more good quality of the holes at Hoylake deserves a word of mention; it has been called by Mr. Low their “indestructibleness.” By this most useful, if inelegant word, he means that they are good whether played with or against the wind, and that is very high praise, particularly as there are few courses on which a change of wind more completely alters the character of each individual hole. Blessed indeed is the hole which can keep its good character whichever way the wind is blowing. BERNARD DARWIN

Avaiable via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People*

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One more good quality of the holes at Hoylake deserves a word of mention; it has been called by Mr. Low their “indestructibleness.” By this most useful, if inelegant word, he means that they are good whether played with or against the wind, and that is very high praise, particularly as there are few courses on which a change of wind more completely alters the character of each individual hole. Blessed indeed is the hole which can keep its good character whichever way the wind is blowing. BERNARD DARWIN

Avaiable via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People*

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One more good quality of the holes at Hoylake deserves a word of mention; it has been called by Mr. Low their “indestructibleness.” By this most useful, if inelegant word, he means that they are good whether played with or against the wind, and that is very high praise, particularly as there are few courses on which a change of wind more completely alters the character of each individual hole. Blessed indeed is the hole which can keep its good character whichever way the wind is blowing. BERNARD DARWIN

Avaiable via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People*

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One more good quality of the holes at Hoylake deserves a word of mention; it has been called by Mr. Low their “indestructibleness.” By this most useful, if inelegant word, he means that they are good whether played with or against the wind, and that is very high praise, particularly as there are few courses on which a change of wind more completely alters the character of each individual hole. Blessed indeed is the hole which can keep its good character whichever way the wind is blowing. BERNARD DARWIN

Avaiable via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People*

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At Hoylake the golfing pilgrim is emphatically on classic ground. As he steps out of the train that has brought him from Liverpool he will gaze with awe-struck eyes upon surroundings in which the irreverent might see nothing out of the ordinary. BERNARD DARWIN

Avaiable via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People*

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*The book has sold out its first printing but the second is underway and should be available in July. Apologies for this, but thanks to all who supported the book in robust numbers!

At Hoylake the golfing pilgrim is emphatically on classic ground. As he steps out of the train that has brought him from Liverpool he will gaze with awe-struck eyes upon surroundings in which the irreverent might see nothing out of the ordinary. BERNARD DARWIN

Avaiable via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People*

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*The book has sold out its first printing but the second is underway and should be available in July. Apologies for this, but thanks to all who supported the book in robust numbers!

We should, however, not forget that some higher Power presides over linksland, and to those inclined to be critical that Power hands down an ultimatum much like this: “There is the green which generation after generation has played. There are its pronounced slopes, its sharp ridges, its blind approach, and its other violations of your so-called sound principles. However lamentable all this may be, there it lies, and shall lie. Play it, or leave it, as you like.” ROBERT HUNTER

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*The book has sold out its first printing but the second is underway and should be available in July. Apologies for this, but thanks to all who supported the book in robust numbers!

Thoroughly to enjoy golf one should understand and appreciate something of the theory and strategy of the course. It was not built hit or miss, but constructed from principles constructed as axioms after years of trial, as suited to each particular problem. GEORGE THOMAS

Avaiable via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People*

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*The book has sold out its first printing but the second is underway and should be available in July. Apologies for this, but thanks to all who supported the book in robust numbers!

Thoroughly to enjoy golf one should understand and appreciate something of the theory and strategy of the course. It was not built hit or miss, but constructed from principles constructed as axioms after years of trial, as suited to each particular problem. GEORGE THOMAS

Avaiable via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People*

Bookshop.org Pre-Order option to support local independent bookstores.

*The book has sold out its first printing but the second is underway and should be available in July. Apologies for this, but thanks to all who supported the book in robust numbers!

It must be remembered that the great majority of golfers are aiming to reduce their previous best performance by five strokes if possible, first, last and all the time, and if any one of them arrives at the home teeing ground with this possibility in reach, he is not caring two hoots whether he is driving off from nearby an ancient oak of majestic size and form or a dead sassafras. If his round ends happily it is one beautiful course. Such is human nature. A.W. TILLINGHAST

Avaiable via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People*

Bookshop.org Pre-Order option to support local independent bookstores.

*The book has sold out its first printing but the second is underway and should be available in July. Apologies for this, but thanks to all who supported the book in robust numbers!