A GROWL FROM GOLFLAND

Bores there are of various species, of the platform, of the quill,

Bores obsessed by Christian Science or the Education Bill,

But the most exasperating and intolerable bore

Is the man who talks of nothing but the latest "rubber core."

Place him in the Great Sahara, plant him on an Arctic floe,

Or a desert island, fifteen thousand miles from Westward Ho!

Pick him up a twelvemonth later, and I'll wager that you find

Rubber filling versus gutty still and solely on his mind.

O American invaders, I accept your beef, your boots,

Your historical romances, and your Californian fruits;

But in tones of humble protest I am tempted to exclaim,

"Can't you draw the line at commerce, can't you spare one British game?"

I am but a simple duffer; I am quite prepared to state

That my lowest round on record was a paltry 88;

That my partner in a foursome needs the patience of a Job,

That in moments of excitement I am apt to miss the globe.

With my brassy and my putter I am very far to seek,

Generally slice to cover with my iron and my cleek;

But I boast a single virtue: I can honestly maintain

I've escaped the fatal fever known as Haskell on the brain.


A golf case was recently before the Court of Appeal. Why not a Golf Court on the links?