Just wanted to share what is, for me, a new discovery: Bernard Darwin, writing about architecture. I'm sure many of you are familiar with this piece already, but I can't believe how fine and charming a writer he was, and how perceptive.
Peter

"It is today an accepted principle of golfing architecture that the tiger should be teased and trapped and tested, while the rabbit should be left in peace, since he can make his own hell for himself. Broadly speaking, it is an excellent principle, but I wonder, nevertheless, whether those who enunciate and act upon it do not sometimes a little misunderstand the rabbit's heart.

Rabbits are tolerably sensitive animals. Do they not feel a little hurt that the architect thinks so meanly of their powers that he will put nothing in their way? [...]They must sometimes resent the implication that the attempt to trundle the ball in inglorious safety will give them more than all the trouble they want [...]

Our architects are, of course, not only very skilled artists but very cunning persons, and they often contrive to make the rabbit believe that he is living more dangerously than in fact he is. There is one particular device employed to this end, though discretion forbids me to name particular courses. On one side of the green is a precipice full of bunkers, deep, cavernous and horrible; on the other side is a broad way of safety which coaxes the ball towards the flag. When we have played the hole successfully, we look shudderingly down upon those bunkers and think that there, but for the grace of heaven, we might have been. In our hearts we know that only a singularly atrocious stroke would have taken us there and that the bunkers are largely "eyewash"; but we cannot restrain a thrill of pride and pleasure.

Easily as he is bamboozled, the rabbit, having played such a hole many times, comes to suspect that it is a simple one, and must long for something to surmount more genuinely perilous, more directly in his path. He welcomes now and again the possibility of swift and utter destruction, and likes to cry in his heart, even as he waggles, 'Victory or Westminster Abbey.'  Better a nine with four niblick shots in it than a six all along the ground."

Peter:

I have to say that your observations, thoughts, insights, provocations and general all around genuine interest into GCA is inspiring.  Few 'newcomers' have penetrated the formidable wall of thoughtful questions and endless what if's on this group as you have.  Though I don't find as much time to read Behr and Darwin as I would like, your timely posts and questions help to keep me connected, thanks!

Are you sure you are in the right line of work/fun...for you seem to have  a twinkle in your eye and a bend in your ear for this sort of stuff...not that there is anything wrong with that.

Peter, I'll add my thanks and appreciation for the text and your interest.

I couldn't help but think of the 8th at Pebble Beach when he describes the precipice on one side and the coaxing terrain on the other.

In todays version the long rough left no longer coaxes and is a fine example of how great GCA has been bastardized by the ignorance of management.

Bob:

I think I have seen Tigerphobia in some of the old writing but of course I can't now remember where at that moment. If I find it again I'll let you know. I have a pretty good idea where it was.

Frankly, Darwin's Tiger and Rabbit analogy to aggressive vs conservative golf and golf strategy is somewhat curious and probably only goes to prove the inexactness or interchangeability of some of the ideas, terms and phrases used in the old days.

More common back then seemed to be the Tortoise and Hare analogy to conservative vs aggressive golf and golf strategy. Of course, in this case the Hare took the part of the Tiger (aggressive) and the tortoise took the part of Darwin's rabbit (conservative).

I suspect the old tortoise and hare analogy may've come from something like some of Beatrix Potter's childrens' stories. I can even vividly remember the children's book drawing of the tortoise and the hare.

Perhaps we should try to find the original of that tortoise and hare child's drawing and donate it to the new USGA/ASGCA architecture archive initiative. In my opinion, Max Behr would never have used Darwin's Rabbit, he would've used Biartix Potter's Hare. Or perhaps he would've used Potter's Hare for the aggressive player and Darwin's Rabbit for the conservative player in an attempt to confuse us even more than he already did.

Bob:

This animal analogy thing in golf and architect has the potential to get pretty interesting.

On a course coming up I hope to conceptually collaborate with that great modern "outside the box" thinker, Paul Cowley, and I believe I will shortly recommend to him that we create a hole or two that fits the analogy of the Ostrich and the Lemming.

Can you possbily imagine how bizarre and potentially glorious that might be? Paul's more creative than I am so he can handle the Ostrich part of the concept. I'll do the Lemming part with an alternate fairway with a huge slope straight down into a massive water hazard of lake or pond.

Bob:

This animal analogy thing in golf and architect has the potential to get pretty interesting.

On a course coming up I hope to conceptually collaborate with that great modern "outside the box" thinker, Paul Cowley, and I believe I will shortly recommend to him that we create a hole or two that fits the analogy of the Ostrich and the Lemming.

Can you possbily imagine how bizarre and potentially glorious that might be? Paul's more creative than I am so he can handle the Ostrich part of the concept. I'll do the Lemming part with an alternate fairway with a huge slope straight down into a massive water hazard of lake or pond.

I am looking forward to the posts on here in about 150 years or so debating if that particular hole actually is a true Lemming or not.

Dan:

I don't think so. He means the architect has or should make (contrive to make) the more conservative player think he is taking more risk simply to give him some gratification of accomplishment along the way. Some have thought and proposed that the conservative player should also be given some architectural feature such as a top shot bunker to make him think he too is taking on and overcoming some challenge on his very own---eg that even the conservative player should be provided some thrills.

The Tiger (in Darwin's analogy) and the Hare in the Tortoise and Hare analogy is the natural risk taker and the architect probably doesn't really need to be contriving that much to tempt him into some aggressive and foolish play and consequent mistake.

Afer all, the meat of the Tortoise and Hare analogy in golf is not just that the tortoise plays safe generally because he must as he really isn't capable of much else but the truly clever conservative player (tortoise) also often depends on the mistakes of the aggressive Tiger or Hare to hang himself along the way and the tortoise can therefore come away with a tie or a win with even a conservative bogie and such.

Half the philosophy of the conservative strategy of the conservative tortoise player rests on the adage with the Tiger or Hare-----"give him enough rope and he's bound to hang himself along the way".

I must be cracking up!  I thought this post was entitled 'The Heart of a Rabbi.'

BobH:

Very interesting indeed. Now that you mention it I think I do recall that usage. Thanks for making that clarification and distinction.

I can understand why a scratchman would be called a tiger but I'm not sure I get why a duffer would be called a rabbit. Personally, I've always felt the rabbit deserves more respect than that but apparently not. If the term derived from England perhaps it was intended to be just another English insult on the Scots and one of their original lawnmowers.

If I was asked to nominate some animal as representative of a golf duffer it would probably have to be a platapuss. Is there a sillier and sillier looking animal on God's Green Earth?

And would you just look at England's Mark Rowlinson above. He's now accusing the rabbit of being Jewish!

"Tom,
The English have a penchant for skewering just about every ethnic group extant, you should hear what they say about Philadelphians."

Bob:

I realize that and quite personally, thank you very much.

My grandmother was a Biddle from Philadelphia and many generations ago the King of England came to Philadelphia and at some grand party someone went up to him and said;

"You're Royal Highness, we'd like to present to you a Philadelphia Biddle."

The King said he'd be very interested in observing a Philadelphia Biddle. Apparently he thought a Philadelphia Biddle was some kind of small regional rodent.

On second thought the King was probably right about that.

Tom,

I hesitate to ask, but wasn't some young lady running a ring of high class hookers in Manhattan also a Biddle?

I must say the family is sure entrepreneurial.

Bob

"Tom,
I hesitate to ask, but wasn't some young lady running a ring of high class hookers in Manhattan also a Biddle?
I must say the family is sure entrepreneurial."

BobH:

You got it but she's unusual---the only true shinning Biddle star of recent times. My father said she was the only one of her generation in the family who had a financial brain in her head and some ingenuity. Her name is Sydney Biddle Barrows.

Tom, How should I know if a Rabbi has been skewered?  I have not made it a point of my existence to check such things.  I have, naturally, taken them all on trust.  Did I say trust or truss?