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Tyler Kearns

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Help sourcing John Low quote
« on: August 12, 2008, 01:56:42 PM »
I came across the following quote from John Low in an article I was reading, "undulation is the soul of golf", and would like to include it in an article I am writing.  I assume that it originated in John Low's "Concerning Golf", which I do not own. Could anybody help in locating this quote?

Thanks you in advance,

Tyler Kearns

Mike Benham

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Re: Help sourcing John Low quote
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2008, 02:04:06 PM »
Here is one link attributing it to John Low:

1903 Concerning Golf


Here is another link attributing it to H.N. Wethered:

Golf Quotations
"... and I liked the guy ..."

Peter Pallotta

Re: Help sourcing John Low quote
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2008, 02:14:35 PM »
Tyler - I don't have Concerning Golf either. But I thought you (and others) might be interested in this poem/essay from Low - "The Gift of Golf".

"Give me to play golf on St. Andrews links, on the old course battle-ground of giants and men heroic, where the strong conquer the weak, and the verdict is final.

Give me to play with three others, a sure and courageous man being my partner.

Give me the wind southward blowing, with steady evenness, just fanning our faces.

Give me the sun hardly shining, lighting the grass only to smoothness, not dazzling the eye nor showing pitmarks on the green faces!

Give me the driving, give me the approaching, give me the putting.

Give me the long drives, low and against the wind, the ball hardly rising.

Give me the truly struck ball, breeze-cheating, triumphant.

Give me the strong blow, the blow full of running, refusing to stop for hollow or hillock.

Give me the great drives down wind, high-flying, air-sailing, all dangers carrying, of true line, scarce swerving.

Give me to make strokes of great daring, danger-tempting, hazardous,
successful.

Give me to play full drives to the hole-side, reaching the goal with effort.

Give me to watch my drives come to the best point, their strength perfectly
ended, their mission justified, their recklessness victoriously resultful.

Give me to have friends faithful as followers, applauding my ventures,
sympathetic, excusing all errors.

Give me to play iron shots of great cunning, high, low, sliced, or pulled at
command

Give me to play to the hole long shots with underspin, the ball stopping
magically.

Give me to play flat shots skimming the ground, with overspin, plateaux
surmounting.

Give me to strike the ball upward from the toe-piece, causing ducking
and running.

Give me to play shots intermediate, half-shots and quarter-shots of endless variety.

Give me to putt with the fingers, the ball almost feeling; to putt with
music, from heel or toe at will.

Give me to see the true line and make nice calculations, gauging each
grass-blade, judging well the distance.

Give me to putt freely, not twisted in body nor doubtful in mind, but confident in everything.

Give me to view the flat sea at intervals through the breaks in the sandhills, of a light blue colour, calm and reposeful, with sails on its surface.

Give me to see the small larks overhead, their wings incessantly moving,
no note unharmonious!

Give me to remember fine measures and the words of wise men in my moments of inactivity.

Give me to feel the world all friendly, and life sane and full of joyfulness.

Give me generous opponents, and a match slowly terminating, drawn out
to the end of the course, both parties still striving.

Give me the contest well disputed, holes mainly divided, the last putt the
victor.

Give me to play the last putt, to play it with cunning, gently and tactfully, the result slowly awaiting.

Give me to see the ball not enter the hole rudely, but drawing near gradually, advancing tardily, lingering, delaying.

Give me to see it rest at the hole-side one moment, vibrating, making my heart vibrate also, causing two beats instead of one.

Give me to see my partner smiling, my opponents well-humoured, not
downcast nor jealous.

Give me to have such men often for comrades in golfing, or living, men of
brave purpose, high-minded, unselfish.

Giving me these gifts, gifts oft repeated, Golf, I will claim thee my sole recreation."

Peter
Give me to putt freely, not twisted in body nor doubtful in mind, but confident in everything...Give me to feel the world all friendly, and life sane and full of joyfulness.

« Last Edit: August 12, 2008, 02:42:10 PM by Peter Pallotta »

Tyler Kearns

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Re: Help sourcing John Low quote
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2008, 10:47:28 PM »
bump.

Neil_Crafter

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Re: Help sourcing John Low quote
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2008, 01:31:39 AM »
Tyler
I had a look through my copy of Concerning Golf and couldn't find the quote you mentioned. That's not to say its not in there somewhere, but I couldn't find it.
Neil


Thomas MacWood

Re: Help sourcing John Low quote
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2008, 07:09:58 AM »
Unfortunately I couldn't find it either. I have some other articles Low wrote. Low wrote a regular column for a couple newspapers and he also contributed to Golf Illustrated occasionally. I don't doubt he wrote it but it may difficult tracking it down.

Tyler Kearns

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Re: Help sourcing John Low quote
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2008, 09:13:51 AM »
Neil & Tom,

Thanks for looking.

TK