THE LIGHTER SIDE OF GOLF.*
IN this fascinating little volume, Mr. Bernard Darwin deals with the philosophy of golf rather than the technicalities of the game. To those who have not learnt to appreciate Mr. Darwin in the Times, the book will come as a special treat, for it is a collection of the essays he has written for that paper during the last few years.
The author has a delightfully easy style, a keen sense of humour, and a supreme knowledge of golf and golfers. The chapter on " the happy golfer " describes the eccentricities of a gentleman called Jones, who is capable of playing faultless golf, but is so prone to the common fluff that among his intimates that particular shot is always named after him. " It is no uncommon event for him to hit a magnificent drive to within a mashie shot of the green, and then play two or three short sharp Joneses ' before he reaches it. When he does reach it, he will probably hole a very long putt, and so add one more to his irritating qualities by getting a half after all."
History relates that once for a single supreme round he did himself full justice with all his clubs at once—and then relapsed placidly into his old condition. Exasperating to his opponents, Jones remains " the happy golfer " ; " he does not know whence the inspiration came, nor why it went away again, and—confound the fellow !---he does not care."
• The Friendi Round. By Domani Darwin. London: DIM and Boon. 15s. net.]
To golfers, we commend the chapters entitled " In the Garden " and " Awful Warnings." If they follow Mr. Darwin's excellent advice about iron shots, and try to cultivate the temperament of Jones, they will derive very much more value out of this little book than out of any of those more serious and bulky volumes, complete with compli- cated diagrams, with which we have been deluged of late.
The description of the cross-winds is particularly happy : " There is nothing honest and straightforward about them, and there is a good deal of the bully and the snob. Thus they oppress most cruelly the poor player who has not strength or skill enough to resist them, but, when they meet a really fine player, they become his allies." And, to unscrupulous players like ourselves, the chapter on " Innocent Propaganda " will make a special appeal. .
" You're not hitting them quite so far as you used to,' says the villain, with an impish air of sympathy, to his opponent, who is driving well. Well, it's funny you should say that,' replies the victim, ' I thought, if anything, I was getting a little further,' and proceeds to tie himself into vehement and complicated knots. It is a recorded fact,' says the author, that an amateur, whose fame is monumental, was once rendered impotent for a whole round by being asked to demonstrate his rather peculiar method of gripping the club.' "
This morning the present reviewer asked his opponent whether he looked at the ball or the hole when putting, and won by 6 and 5. Our only grievance is that the book is too short. Mr. Darwin has no grievances at all, except against the man who gave up golf for gardening. " Here is a man," he exclaims, " who lives within half an hour of a champion- ship course, and deliberately elects to dig up cabbages. May his garden rot, and may old ladies beat him at Badminton!"
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