GOLF Australia and New Zealand, many clubs may be found flourishing ; and, oddly enough, at Pair in the Pyrenees, a golf elub has long existed. An export of clubs and balls to all these golfing depend- encies has long formed, and still forms, an important item of the manufacture. _ _ We must not quit the subject without making note of one pleasing innovation. Some six or eight years ago, the ladies took to the game, and since have diligently prosecuted it in large numbers, some attaining no mean proficiency. They have hitherto confined themselves to the “ short game,” as it is termed, or putting; and where a separate piece of ground has been assigned them, as at St Andrews, North Berwick, and elsewhere, the “ Ladies’ Links" form a pretty and charming adjunct to the main green. We append the more important r11les of the game, as played by “ The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews," which, though it has uolclaim to give law to other clubs, may be accepted as, on the whole, the best authority on the subject :— I. Jllode and Order of Pla._1/ing the G’a.me.—The game of golf is played by two persons, or by fo11r (two of a side), playing alternately. It may also be played by three or more persons, each playing his own ball. The game commences by each party playing offa ball from a place called the tee, near the first hole. In a match of four, those who are opposed to each other, and to play off, shall be named at starting, and shall continue so during the match. The person entitled to play off first shall be named by the parties themselves: and although the courtesy of starting is generally granted to old eaptains of the club, or members, it may be settled by lot or toss of a coin. The hole is won by the party holing at fewest strokes, and the reckoning of the game is made by the terms odds and like, one mere, two more, &c. The party gaining the l1ole is to lead, unless his opponent has won the previous match, in which case the latter leads off, and is entitled to claim his privilege, and to recall his opponent's stroke should he play out of order. One round of the links, or 18 holes, is reckoned a match, unless otherwise stipulated. If, in a double match, one person shall play twice in succession, he loses the hole. II. Place of Tceiny/.—'I‘he ball must be teed not nearer the hole than eight, nor further than twelve club lengths, except where special ground has been marked by the conservator of the links, which shall be considered the “ teeing ground,” and the balls shall be teed within and not in advance of such marks. After the balls are struck off, the ball farthest from the hole to which the parties are playing must be played first. Vhen two parties meet on the putting green, the party first there may claim the privilege of holing out, and any party coming up must wait till the other party has played out the hole, and on no account play their balls up lest they should annoy the parties who are putting. N 0 player may play his teed ball till the party in front have played their second strokes. III. Changing the Balls.—'l‘he balls struck off from the tee must not be changed, touched, or moved before the hole is played out (except in striking, and the cases provided for "by Rules VlII., XVIll., and .'IX.); and ifthe parties are at a loss to know the one ball from the other, neither shall be lifted till both parties agree. IV. Lz'ftz'ng of Brcalc-C'lubs, &c.—All loose impediments within a club length of the ball may be removed on or oll the course, when the ball lies on grass (see Rules VI. and XII.) Vhen a ball lies in a bunker, sand, or any other hazard, there shall be no impression made, nor sand or other obstacle removed by the club, or otherwise, either on or off the green, before striking at the ball. Vllhen a ball lies within a club length of a washing-tub, the tub may be removed, and when on clothes the ball may be lifted and dropped behind them. V. Entitled to see the Ball.—Vhen a ball is completely eovered with fog, bent, whins, &c., so much thereof shall be set aside as that the player shall merely have a view of his ball before he plays, whether in a line with the hole or otherwise. A ball stuck fast in wet ground or sand may be taken out and replaced loosely in the hole it has made. VI. Clearing the Putting Green .——-All loose impediments, of whatever kind, may be lifted on the putting green or table-land on which the hole is placed (excepting as declared in Rule IV.), which is considered not to exceed twenty yards from the hole. Nothing can be lifted either on the course or putting green, if it is to move the ball out of its position. VII. Lzfting Balls. —Vhen, on any part of the course, or off it, or 111 a bunker, the balls lie within six inches of each other, the ball nearest the hole must be lifted till the other is played, and then placed as nearly as possible in its original position—the six inches to be measured from the surface of the balls. In a three-ball match, the ball 111 any degree interposing between the player and the hole on the putting green, must be played out. VIII. Ballin lVale7', or in the Burn, and Place qf I2c—teez'ng.— _If the ball is in water, the player may take it out, change the ball if he pleases, tee 1t, and play from behind the hazard, losing a stroke. If the ball lies in any position in the burn across the first 767 hole, the player may take it out, tee it on the line where it entered the burn, on the opposite side from the hole to which he is playing, and lose a stroke; or he may play it where it lies, without a penalty. However, should a ball be driven into the Eden at the high hole, or the sea at the first hole, the ball must be placed a club-length in front of either sea or river, the player or party losing a stroke. In playing for a medal, a ball driven into the Eden may be treated as a lost ball. IX. Rubs of the G7'eea.——Vhatevcr happens to a ball by accident, such as striking any person, or being touched with the foot by a third party, or by the fore cady, must be reckoned a rub of the green, and submitted to. If, however, the player’s ball strike his opponent, or his opponent’s cady or cl11bs, the opponent loses the hole ; or if he strikes himself or his partner, or their cadies or clubs, or if he strikes the ball a second time while in the act of playing, the player loses the hole. If the player touch the ball with his foot, or any part of his body, or with anything except his club, or if he with his elub displace the ball in preparing to strike, he loses a stroke ; and if one party strikes his opponent’s ball with his club, foot, or otherwise, that party loses the hole. But if he plays it inadvertently, thinking it his own, and the opponent also plays the wrong ball, it is then too late to claim the penalty, and the hole must be played out with the balls thus changed. If, however, the mistake occurs from wrong information given by one party to the other, the penalty cannot be claimed ; and the mistake, if discovered before the other party has played, must be rectified by replacing the ball as nearly as possible where it lay. If the player's ball be played away by mistake, or lifted by a third party, then the player must drop a ball as near the spot as possible, without any penalty. Vhatever happens to a ball on a medal day, such as a player striking his eady, or himself, or his clubs, or moving the ball with his foot or club, or his cady doing so, or the player‘st1-iking it twice before it stops motion, the player in such cases shall lose one stroke only as the penalty. X. Ball Lost.——If a ball is lost, the player (or his partner, in a double match) returns to the spot, as near as possible, where the ball was struck, tees another ball, and loses both the distance and a stroke. If the original ball is found before the party has struck the other ball, the first shall eontinuc the one to be played. ' XI. Club Brcakz'ng.—I f, in striking, the club breaks, it is never- theless counted to be a stroke, if the part of the club remaining in the player’s hand either strike the ground or pass the ball. XII. Holing out the L’all.—In holing, no inark shall be placed, or line drawn, to direct the ball to the hole; the ball must be played fairly and honestly for the hole, and not on your opponents ball not being in the way to the hole; nor, although lying in the way to the hole, is the player entitled to play with any strength upon it that might injure his opponent's position, or greater than is necessary honestly to send your own ball the distance of the hole. Either party may smooth sand lying around the hole, but this 1st be done lightly and without pressure, or beating down witl he feet, club. or otherwise. If, in holing out, the ball rests upon the flag-stick in the hole, the player shall be entitled to have the stick removed, and if the ball falls in, it shall be considered as holed out; but either party is entitled to have the flag-stick removed when approaching the hole. XIII. Unplaying Balls.—In Jllatch playing every ball must be played, wherever it lies, or the hole be given up, excepting when it lies on clothes, in water, or in the bed of the burn (see Rules IV. and VIII. ), or in any of the holes, or short holes, _made for golfing, in which latter case it may be lifted, dropped behind the hazard, and played without losing a stroke. In Jllcclal playing a ball may. under a penalty of two strokes, be lifted out of a difficulty of any description, and teed behind the hazard, and if in any of the golfing holes, it may be lifted, dropped, and played, without a penalty. In all cases where a. ball is to be dropped, the party doing so shall front the hole to which he is playing, standing close on the hazard, and drop the ball behind him from his head. _ XV. Aslcing Advz'ce.—A player must not ask advice about the game, by word, look, or gesture, from any one except his own cady, his partner's eady, or his partner. XVIII. Balls -S'pl2'ttL'1zg.—lf a ball shall split into two or more pieces, a fresh ball shall be put down where the largest portion of the ball lies ; and if a ball is cracked the player may change it on intimating his intention of doing so to his opponent. XIX. Breach of I.’ules.—Vhere no penalty for the infringement of a rule is specially mentioned, the loss of the hole shall be under- stood to be the penalty. Golf which, as we have seen, has a history of some interest, has also a literature (copious in verse and prose), and a somewhat amusing aneedotage. In Golf, a Royal and Ancient Game, a work issued in 1875 by Mr Robert Clark of Edinburgh, a well-known and accomplished adept, a very earefnl collection will be found of every- thing connected with the game which in this form deserves pre- servation. Through the ready kindness of the author this ad- mirable compendium has been available, and free use has been made
of it, in the preparation of this article. (P. P. A.)