Bernard Darwin · 1910
The Golf Courses of the British Isles
Bernard Darwin, a grandson of Charles Darwin, was the finest golf writer of his era, and for decades the golf correspondent of The Times. In this book he takes the reader on a tour of the courses of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales as they were in 1910: the heathland courses around London, the great links of Kent and Lancashire, St Andrews and the East Lothian coast, Prestwick and Troon, and on into Ireland and Wales.
Darwin is opinionated, funny and generous, and he writes about courses the way other writers write about old friends. Read the chapter on St Andrews for his account of the Old Course, and the chapter on Wales for his confession of love for the small links at Aberdovey.
Many of these courses have been redesigned, extended or lost since 1910, so read the book as history and travel writing rather than a guide.
This text is in the public domain in the United States and is reproduced as first published. It reflects the language and attitudes of its time.
Contents
- 01London Courses (1)
- 02London Courses (2)
- 03Kent and Sussex
- 04The West and South-west
- 05East Anglia
- 06The Courses of Cheshire and Lancashire
- 07Yorkshire and the Midlands
- 08Oxford and Cambridge
- 09A London Course
- 10St. Andrews, Fife and Forfarshire
- 11The Courses of the East Lothian and Edinburgh
- 12West of Scotland: Prestwick and Troon
- 13Ireland
- 14Wales
Essays on this book
- PlacesThe Courses of Bernard Darwin’s 1910 GuideThe 62 courses Darwin features in The Golf Courses of the British Isles, from Sandwich to Lahinch, grouped by region and linked to the chapter where he describes each one.
- PlacesA Quiet Corner on the CoastEvery golfer has one course they love beyond reason. Bernard Darwin’s was a small links on the Welsh coast, and he wrote about it like a man coming home.
- The LibraryA Golfer’s BookshelfFive classic golf books, free to read in full in the GolfProse Library — and where to begin with each.
- PlacesWhere the fairway meets the sea.Wind, sand and short grass by the shore: what makes seaside golf the oldest and still the most beguiling form of the game.
- PlacesSt Andrews Through Darwin’s EyesIn 1910 Bernard Darwin walked the Old Course as an admiring pilgrim, bunker by bunker and plateau by plateau. His account is a portrait of a golfing town, and of a course that never once looked easy.
- The Good LifeThe Magic of Plus FoursCan a pair of trousers make you a better golfer? P.G. Wodehouse thought it worth a story, and the question has never quite gone away. On dressing for the game.
- People & HistoryThe Great Match: Vardon v. ParkSeven thousand spectators, two referees, a pair of signal flags and £100 a side. Harry Vardon’s own account of the challenge match he called the event of his lifetime.
- PlacesGolf Within Reach of LondonHeather, pine and sand south and west of the city, old commons where golfers wore red coats, and the weekend player with a long handicap. Bernard Darwin’s tour of London golf in 1910.
- PlacesThe Links of Ireland in 1910Cunning bunkers at Dollymount, a boat crossing to Portmarnock, champagne air at Portrush and the mountains above Newcastle. Bernard Darwin’s Irish chapter is one of the happiest in his book.
- The Good LifeThe Joys of Winter GolfFrost on the fairways, the light gone by four, and the whole course to yourself. A case for keeping the clubs out of the cupboard when the weather turns.