h in the past have been considered perfect are spoken of
contemptuously as fit only for handicap men who want their golf made
easy. If they attach any importance to my opinion, then let them be
assured that we still have many links which come near to being perfect,
and that, notwithstanding the advent of the rubber-cored ball, there is
no reason to complain about them or agitate for great alterations. We
have them in England, Scotland, and Ireland--perhaps more in Scotland
than elsewhere, but that is chiefly due to accidental circumstances.

I am constantly asked, when the discussions to which I have referred are
taking place, which in my opinion is the best course in the world. Many
considerations enter into such a reckoning; but, after making it
carefully, and with full knowledge of the fact that my answer is at
variance with many of the best authorities on the game, I say Sandwich.
Then let me tell you why I consider the links of the Royal St. George's
Club to be the best that are to be found anywhere. There is, in the
first place, not a single tee shot in the round where good play must not
be shown by the golfer if he wants to achieve success. There is scarcely
a hole at which a player who only half hits his ball from the tee does
not find himself in grave difficulties, demanding an unusually brilliant
recovery and sterling play until he has holed out, if he is to have any
chance of getting on level terms with his opponent again, assuming that
the latter is playing the proper game. The bunkers are so placed that a
good shot has to be made every time to carry them. On the other hand,
you are always satisfied that virtue is properly rewarded at Sandwich,
and that if your tee shot is hit truly and well you are certain to be
nicely situated for your second. Elementary considerations as these may
appear to be, there are many courses having the reputation of being
first-class where this reward is not always so sure as it is at
Sandwich. The greens on that course are in all cases well protected,
and they abound in character and variety. Some critics say that the
carries over the first bunkers from the tees are too long; but I do not
agree with them. Without being a particularly long driver, anybody who
hits his ball truly can carry any bunker at Sandwich that ought to be
carried from the tee. Then at the Championships in 1904 everybody was
declaring, with much knowledge that had come after the event, that the
course was on