MIDNIGHT GOLF.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 1 June 1914, Page 2

MIDNIGHT GOLF.

A novel golf experiment was iaad<s at Bushey, Hertfordshire (says the Daily Mail). Wioth four electric motor-car headlights providing the illumination, Mr Wilfred G. Aston'and Edward Ray, the ex-open champion, set out at 20 minutes past 8 to play a four-ball match against Mr D. Stanley tfroy and J. B. Batley, the local professional. It was a quarter of an hour before r.jdnight when they finished the round. Not a, ball was lost, and Batley, whose side won by 4 up and 3 to play, acco-n----plished a score of 77. Mr jfroy and Ray were 81 each. On the tee each player had two lamps focussed on the .ball, and ihe ftlifr two illuminatpi^ the fairway, which could be plainly ««-n for 150 >fuels and more. In no sense, was it a matter of hitting blindly into the darkness; all the hazarls that had to be carried could be observed, and it was possible to follow the flight of the ball to practically the end of its journey. A short hole could be played in much the same circumstances as in daylight, for every feature of it showed up under the influence of the four powerful lamps. The golf was not quite so good as had been expected (a private bet had been' made that Mr Froy, Ray, and Batley would each do 76 or better), but the novelty of the situation doubtless accounted for much. Batley holed long putts with a regularity which suggested that for the delicate business of the putting green there is no time like night. Ray considered that the only serious difficulty was that it was not always possible to tell how a ball was lying in the grass. Still, there is no reason now why anybody should deny himself a nocturnal knock-round. It is engagingly weird, with the spice of adventure entering infx) the whole of the proceedings.