TRIAL BY ORDEAL

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 150, 22 December 1922, Page 22

TRIAL BY ORDEAL

NERVE-RACKING EXPERIENCES.

The ordeal of the- Princ-a in Wales in playing himself into the office of captain of tha Royal ancl Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrsw3 has, called forth a great deal of comment in English newspapers. A writer .in the "Manchester Guardian" points out th&t the Prince wa3 but carrying on the traditional , association of the Royal House witJi "that peculiar exercise of the Soots." In spite of an Act of Parliament (1491) condemning "sik unproStabill spbrtis' 1- as golf, that athletic monarch James IV. wss a' keen patron of .the game, the accounts of the Lord Treasurer of Scotland pointing pretty clearly to the fact that at least on one occasion he exercised his skill with ''golf' clubbea and balles" at St. Andrews. Jame3 IV. seems to ' have followed in his father's footsteps. ■ And, if we can- trust the evidence 1 brought b's^ fore. Queen Elizabeth's Commission &t Westminster, .the hapless ■ Mary Stuart outraged public opinion and proclaimed her own indifference to Darnley's murder a few days after that tragedy by passing to Seyton and- indulging in a round of golf "richt opinlie." The golfing instinct seems to have been implanted deep in the Stuart family (adda the . correspondent). It has been questioned whether James VI. (First of ' England) had any personal connection with the game. But the expend).turo noted in the manuscript of the Lord Treasurer's accounts (1600-fJI) for "twa golf clubbis" and 40s for golf balls seems to leave' little room for doubt. ' According to a well-known tradition, Charles I.: was playing oh the jnks at Leith when/ the news of the,. Irish Rebellion reached Edinburgh and rudely interrupted his game. During his residence in the North the Duke of York (later Jams 3 II.) was wont to resort to the Leith course for eji occasional round. Hact he only been left to exert- his talents in this sphere the end of the unfortunate sovereign might have been a less inglorious one. Selecting as his partner one John tiitercon, a Scotch shoemaker, the Duke accepted the challenge of two English, members of his suite to a golf match and carried off the honours of the day. The old house in .the Canongate, Edinburgh, known as "Golfer's Land," was built by the shoemaker with his share of the prize, and testifies to the high value of the stake. The Prince's ordeal was later referred to by another writer in the same journal, who said that even professionals have cenfessed to a.shakineso at the beginning of-, an important match. At the same time there are many golfers who regard the critical putt as a much more severe test, especially in a foursome where a partner's half-crown may depend on it., What about cricket? The first appear-.-ance on a really big ground and the long walk from the pavilion, to' the wicket have been tho undoing of many a young batsman. But is_ this more nerve-rack-ing -than tho wait by the pavilion railo for the ballooning hit which Eeems to be hours on its way? The kick-off in either code. of bootball is not specially nerve-rending; perhaps tho worst moment is that of the goalkeeper in As-' sociation who.has to decide whether to run out. or to stay in; oc of the fullback in Rugby who must "go down at the feet" o£ a pack of forwards with, the oa!i.

Lawn tennis is more kindly in this respect than other games, but all rowing men know tho dreadful period of waiting before it is time to launch the boat for a big race. In boxing Siki provided sufficient evidence of the feelings of a comparatively new man facing a champion. Hunting men, with plenty of confidence once they are away,, have confessed some qualms in the long wait at the cover-side; and the deer-stalker io not often master of himself when, for the first time, the rifle is pushed into his hand and he is bidden to-shect.