Spirit of the links

f
I
I
f
f
t�
t
48 THE SPIRIT OF THE LINKS
old golfers triumphed as often, or nearly, we can say
for the men who live in our time, that, in the numerical
weight of their conquest at all events, theirs are by far
the greater achievements, and they must have that
credit.
As in all other matters, it happens that estimates
of the merits of things of the past are necessarily
indefinite; they vary from time to time. One
generation will have it this old-time celebrity was
the greatest in his line; while the sons of that genera-
tion make hero-worship of another master, and say
that he was the best. So it is in golf. One time
there will be a feeling that young Tom was incom-
parably the best of the golfers of the early period of
the game. Then by and by a little of this en-
thusiasm will fade, and it will be agreed that there
was no one better than Allan Robertson. Sometimes
a wave of feeling will roll over these discussions in
favour of good old Tom, and of late years poor Bob
Ferguson has been having justice done to the magnifi-
cent skill that he displayed when he was in his prime.
Now, taking a mental vote from all the authorities
one can remember to have spoken or written on these
weighty matters, it seems to result in Allan and
young Tom coming out at the top. Bob Ferguson
is too near our time for his merits to be properly
appraised. Our grandchildren may better be able
to give his due to the man who won three champion-
ships in succession, and tied for a fourth.
But there can be no doubt that Allan was a really
great player in every way. Like Bob Ferguson, and
like Harry Vardon in our own day, the beauty of his
achievement lay largely in the concealment of his
effort, and this is the perfection of style. It has been