This week's blog carries a brief personal tribute to the brilliance of books; makes reference to a recent, unexpected, acquisition of golfing literature; and provides extracts from 'A History of the Royal Ashdown Golf Club', allowing us to travel back in time and get a glimpse of issues vexing it's members in the early 20th century.
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
I’ve always loved books.
An avid reader as a kid, I devoured the classics: Famous Five; Secret Seven; King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table; Robin Hood; The Phantom Toll Booth; The Hobbit; The Bible; The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Lord of the Rings; Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy…
My first saturday job…Library assistant.
My first full time job…Bibliotech assistant.
Yes, I’ve got a Kindle, I’m not a complete luddite. The whole literary world is but a couple of clicks away.
But I loves a book, I can’t lie to you.
And, it's possible that I love encountering a stash of second-hand books even more.
So last month, a mooch around an antique shop in Lewes resulted in the unexpected, unattractively smuggish, and yet joyous purchase of a number of golf titles I’d never previously heard of:
‘An Errant Golfer’; ‘Golf’s No Mystery’; ‘A Fairway to Better Golf’; 'Charles Whitcombe on Golf'; ‘Collecting Old Golfing Clubs’; ‘A Wee Nip at the 19th Hole’; ‘Candid Caddies’; ‘Down to Scratch’…
And it didn’t stop there…
I also stumbled across a treasure trove of sporting programmes, memorabilia and magazines requiring my attention.
A dozen additional purchases ensued, many of them inspired by family and friends. (Some of whom will be future recipients of these spontaneously selected publications…).
I've no doubt that part of the motivation for adding to my own personal golf library was the thought that there may well be some material suitable for sharing via golf101.co.uk.
This was borne out immediately when, having arrived home with an armful of books, I began browsing through the first tome that came to hand: 'A History of Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club'.
The book was produced and published by the Golf Club itself to celebrate it's Centenary year in 1988.
It is an engaging and evocative composition of photo's, anecdotes and records from the club archives.
Ironically, for a course that has no bunkers, the Club's motto is ‘Per tot discrimina rerum’ - meaning 'through so many hazards'.
The nature of the challenge is well described by famed golf writer Bernard Darwin. Writing in 1934 he enthused:
"It is not quite like any other course of my acquaintance, and I never knew anyone who played on it and was not fond of it. Many a stranger has fondly imagined his iron shot from the valley to be perfect, only to discover on arriving out of breath at the top of the slope that it is very imperfect indeed. Ashdown is a heathery course and a hilly course. It is natural because bunkers are not allowed to be cut, but there is no lack of incident, as the undulations of the ground guard many of the greens in a far better and more interesting way than cut and dried bunkers do. Then Nature has been kind in providing pits and streams, which make excellent and alarming hazards, and then again there is the heather. It is only at the end of a round that we realise with a pleasurable shock that there is not a hideous rampart or so much as a pot bunker".
I suppose that if you've never played Royal Ashdown Forest, Darwin's description of the course will be lost on you. But if you do get the chance to visit I'd heartily recommend taking up the opportunity. The course is one of the finest in the South East and I've enjoyed fantastic hospitality whenever I've played in matches there.
But whether familiar with the Club or not, there was one section of the Centenary publication that I thought would be of universal interest and amusement. The reproduction of extracts from the Club members 'Suggestion Book' (commenced in 1891).
Here are my particular favourites:
October 1893
Would it not be an improvement to provide a curling pond when stress of weather prevents golf being played?
5 members
October 1896
That the Club employ someone having legible handwriting and an elementary knowledge of arithmetic to send up the reports of competitions. Of late these have been a masterpiece of profound inaccuracy.
A.T. Scott
January 1898
I came in today and found nothing hot left. You can’t expect a hypochondriac to eat a cold lunch and play golf on it.
H.M. Braybrooke
August 1900
That golf balls be on sale at the Club on the Sabbath.
7 members
May 1901
That the 6th and 9th bunkers be filled with proper sand (sea) instead of ‘concrete’ as at present.
20 members
March 1905
Might a few (feather) pipe cleaners be dispensed about the Smoking Room?
W.R.Lee
Secretary: Not considered desirable
Suggestor: Why not?
August 1910
I beg to suggest that a pencil, which can be used for writing, might be attached to the Notice Board in order that members may enter their names on the starting list. In order to save any heavy expense I shall be pleased to present the first pencil.
C. A. Ashton
Secretary: We shall be pleased to receive the same.
January 1924
That Club competitions would be more amusing if the Handicap Committee functioned occasionally.
W. O. Lusco
October 1933
I would like to suggest that Bye Law No. 6 be strictly enforced, particularly at weekends. Today there was a dog in the dining room at lunch time.
George Carbutt
June 1934
That the Suggestion Book be attended to and the suggestions answered.
L.E.Milburn
Secretary: This suggestion is considered frivolous.
So there you go, a bit of an insight into 'golflife' over 100 years ago. And isn't that part of the genius of books - acting as hand held portals to other times and places.
Author Carl Sagon is quoted as saying: '
"One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1000 years. To read is to voyage through time."
I can't but agree.
As for my other purchases, will they ever come down from the shelf they now occupy?
Surely none of us actually read all the books we own.
But I'm not going to sweat it if I don't get started on 'An Errant Golfer' anytime soon.
There is also pleasure in owning books yet unread. Author and actor John Waters puts it like this:
"Collect books, even if you don’t plan on reading them right away. “Nothing is more important than an unread library".
Waxing on about books - a bit profound for a golf blog?
Worry not dear reader.
Next week I'll be back to more conventional and light hearted content...
...maybe 'Candid Caddies' will provide the inspiration...
