Page:Out-door Games Cricket and Golf (1901).djvu/166

Rh hazard as it is at the sea-side. To the inferior player on inland courses, then, the wind, even if it is as strong, has not the same terrors. It seldom, however, blows as hard inland as at the sea, and nothing like so often. At Westward Ho, Littlestone, and Prestwick the wind, apart from the effect it has on the actual game, is often so high that any outdoor game is a burden. If in the east, it chills you to the bone, makes your eyes water and your hands cold, ruffles your temper and makes you lose balls, while you can hardly make your caddie hear what you say. As far as the game itself is concerned, a high wind unsteadies all but good players, and the painful results are more obvious on the sea-side links.

In the matter of approaching the hole there is also a great difference in the two styles of links, and the good player is considerably handicapped on the inland. To approach well it is essential that the ball be hit nearly straight to the hole. A good player does this, and on the beautiful smooth short grass you find at the sea-side, the ball thus hit goes straight to the hole. But on a clay common, or, indeed, practically speaking, on any inland links, the ball bounds all over the