Fifty Years of GolfHutchinson, Horace G. (Horace Gordon)
History
Fifty Years of Golf
Hutchinson, Horace G. (Horace Gordon)
Golf
Willy Park was a shrewd Scot. He was not going to have any of this
nonsense when "the man who could putt" set out to prove, for money, that
he was a match for anyone, even for Harry Vardon at his best. The match
opened, therefore, at its very second shot, on the note of comedy. Park
had gone a little further off the tee than Harry Vardon, toward the
bunker guarding Point Garry Hill. That meant that Harry Vardon had to
play first, and after his play of the second shot the gallery made a
start to dash in, in their accustomed manner, quite regardless of the
other partner to the match. Park proceeded to teach them their lesson at
the outset. He did not hurry, like a guilty thing, to play his shot, as
most of the others who played with Vardon used to do: instead, he left
his ball altogether, with "Fiery," his faithful caddie, standing guard
over it. The people crowded forward as far as Fiery, but they were not
at all likely to go beyond him, most faithful henchman, and rather
truculent watch-dog, with round Scotch bonnet and streamers floating
behind, the clubs loose held, out of the bag, beneath his arm--I rather
think he would have called it his "oxter"--because he had for years
carried clubs before bags came into use, and the fine smoothness and
polish of the club handles was apt to be spoilt by dragging them in and
out of the bag. I never heard nor cared what other name he had than
Fiery, of which the propriety was written in flaming colours on his
face. So he stood, facing and keeping back the crowd from the ball--a
subject not unworthy of an historical picture and by no means to be
disregarded as a point in the golfing story of the last fifty years,
because he was a type, and nearly the last, of the old Scottish caddies,
and because this match was among the last of those of the old style.
Park's school was really a generation behind that to which belonged the
modern triumvirate.
So Park walked on, having left his ball; he walked on to the foot of
Point Garry Hill; then he ascended it, with great leisure, quite
regardless that the people raged together, and he looked at the flag,
which he did not in the least desire to see. All he did desire was to
teach the gallery their lesson, that he, Park, meant to count for
something in this match, that Harry Vardon was not the only player; and
when he had thus taught the lesson, which it were better that the people
should learn first than last, he came back leisurely to his ball again
and played it.
They took their lesson well--a Scottish crowd is not slow at the up-take
and has its sense of humour. Moreover, Park was their man, being a Scot.
They liked to see him taking himself seriously, and they did not crowd
on him inconveniently again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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