F&F in the early 20th Century

[David Stamm]

Last night while reading HWW's Story of Amercian Golf, I came across a passage that escaped me the first time I read the book about F&F conditions. The first time I had read it, it was before I became a member of this site, so obviously it did not strike me then as it does now.

Wind was talking about Harold Hilton's visit to the U.S. in 1911 and his efforts to win the Amateur at Apawamis. I found this passage very interesting:

"Every loyal American prayed for a week of sunshine to sere the turf and harden the ground. On a wet, slow course, they confided to one another, Hilton would be a much tougher man to beat."


What is Wind indicating here? Was F&F not the norm in the UK? I had always thought that those type of conditions Wind described suited the British players. Wouldn't those said conditions have played right into the hands of Hilton?

[Troy Alderson]

David,

I suspect that the meaning is more along the lines of the other golfers were not as good as Hilton.  So they needed the fast and firm conditions to get the length to compete.

I would venture to say that even early American golf was at the mercy of mother nature and most were use to dry conditions, save when a rain storm came in.  Many may have not been able to play the aerial game we know today, being used to the ground game.  A better golfer like Hilton may have had the ability to play both games with expertise.

Troy

[David Stamm]

Good points Troy. I would've thought that the Americans would've wanted the wetter conditions because of Hilton's greatness on links golf, and therefore under F&F that the UK was and is known for, this would've been ideal conditions for him. I guess that's why I'm not a betting man.