TEN years ago there were not half a dozen golf clubs within hail of the Metropolis. To-day, within a radius of twelve miles of the chief railway stations, there are nearly fifty. When it is considered that these clubs have an average membership of 200, and that, apparently, they are all in a growing and flourishing condition, some idea may be gathered of the rapid and sure hold that golf has taken on the affections of the London public. If further proof is needed of the vitality of London golf, a tour round the various greens will convince the most sceptical, of the extent and reality of the movement. Most of the golf clubs in the' immediate neighbourhood of London, have been instituted in the teeth of enormous difficulties. To say nothing of the huge rent that has to be paid for a suitable piece of land, the ground itself, in many cases, is of such a nature, that only the most determined and enthusiastic spirits would have dared to think of it in connection with golf; for a great part of London and its neighbourhood lies upon a bed of clay. To the south and south-west, and also in some of the eastern districts, where the channels of rivers are to be found, or where they have formerly existed, there are large deposits of gravel, but in the north and north-west, gravel regions are few and far between. For golfing purposes, London clay is probably about the worst form of soil in the world. It produces, with extreme rapidity, in the growing months, a coarse and rank kind of grass, and as, in wet weather, the ground becomes exceedingly soft and sloppy, the grass, if walked upon, gets trodden down into the clay, and old and close turf seldom gets a chance to grow. In dry weather, the clay becomes as hard as concrete, and it is only when the ground is between these two extremes, that the game can be played, with anything like an approach to the proper conditions.

In addition, it is almost impossible to drain London clay. It holds the water in a way that no other soil does, while the expense of keeping the grass down is enormous. Then there are trees and tall hedges, and, worse than all, multitudinous worm casts, which are the despair of the green-keeper, and render the making and maintaining of good putting greens an impossibility. Nevertheless, golf is played and enjoyed by hundreds of players, every day, in the vicinity of London; and on many courses where the subsoil is gravel, the golf is as good as can be found anywhere, away from the seashore.

The Royal Blackheath Club, as it is the oldest established golf club in the world, merits the first place in any notice of London clubs. It was founded in 1608, no doubt by the Scottish Court during its residence at Greenwich. The links are situated within the Metropolitan area, seven miles from Victoria or Ludgate Hill, and the nearest stations to the heath are Greenwich or Blackheath Hill. The course consists of seven holes, and for purposes of matches and medals, it is played three times round. The holes are of great length, the 4th and 5th, which, with the others, have to be played three times in the course of a round, measure respectively 550 and 520 yards. The subsoil is gravel, with a large admixture of flints and pebbles, which play havoc with one's irons. There are but few hazards of the orthodox kind, although a few stunted whins may remind one that, in the old times, the face of the heath had a somewhat different aspect. There is an old gravel pit, called "Marr's Ravine," which is the most formidable hazard, and sundry other hollows and plateaus make the play to some of the holes more or less interesting.

But on the whole Blackheath is a sad place. Its glory has departed. Surrounded on all sides by the smug Victorian residences of the retired middle classes, intersected by roads garnished with lamp-posts and railings, with nursemaids, and perambulators, and infants' schools, swarming on the green, a game of golf on Blackheath is now a curious experience. Even the club-house - filled with priceless golfing relics of the past - which not so very long ago was on the heath, has been overwhelmed by the advancing tide of brick and mortar, and now occupies a humble and retired situation in a back street.

What the increase of population and the consequent increase of building have failed to accomplish, in the way of spoiling the beauties and amenities of the old heath, the County Council, who now control it, are rapidly finishing. "Glennie's Hole," "Sleepy Hollow," and other historic hazards and features have been improved away, and the place is now almost as beautiful and diversified as a bleach-green. Only the other day the writer noticed a gang of workmen at work in "Marr's Ravine."

In spite of all this, the Royal Blackheath Club goes on its way courageously, and plays for its ancient trophies with unfailing regularity. Mr. F. S. Ireland and Mr. J. G. Gibson, two ex-captains, fully maintain the reputation of Black-heath golfers. The onerous duties of hon. secretary and hon. treasurer, are ably discharged by ex-captain W. G. Barnes and Mr. J. S. Sawyer respectively, and the members, generally, are keenly alive to the preservation of all the ancient rites and customs of the club.

Next in order of seniority and importance, in the roll of London links, must come Wimbledon. The common is the home green of two golf clubs - viz., the London Scottish Golf Club, formed in 1865, and the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club, which is an offshoot of the other, founded in the same year. The London Scottish club-house is at the north end of the common, and that of the Royal Wimbledon at the south. If the player be the guest of the former, Putney is his nearest station, which can be reached either from Waterloo or Ludgate Hill. If the Royal Wimbledon Club be his hosts, then he must take his ticket to Wimbledon, from Waterloo or Victoria. Both clubs play over the same ground, but the London Scottish start their round from the north end, and the Royal Wimbledon from the south.