THE SPIRIT OF THE LINKS THE SPIRIT OF THE LINKS BY HENRY LEACH GREAT GOLF, WHAT POWERFUL CHARM IS IN THY NAME! WHAT CUNNING WITCHCRAFT IS THY FASCINATING GAME! _Blackheath Golfing Lays_, 1867 METHUEN & CO. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. LONDON _First Published in 1907_ CONTENTS PAGE SPRING 1 MEN AND THINGS 37 THE QUEER SIDE 75 THE WANDERING PLAYER 118 THE SUNNY SEASON 163 THE PROFESSOR ON THE LINKS 194 THE FABRIC OF THE GAME 219 WINTER 251 THE SPIRIT OF THE LINKS SPRING I To discover the secret of its wonderful charm is not the least of the problems of golf. It is a game that encourages the reflective and philosophical mind to close investigation, and so it is not enough for the worthy player that he should take the things that he sees and feels for granted, with no questions concerning the mystic influences that seem constantly to brood over the links, and the people who are of them. Each day as we go forward to the game, and in particular if it marks the beginning of a special period of play, we feel these influences strong, and it may happen that for a moment we wonder again as to their cause and their origin.