In these respects, in addition to its excellent climate, Hoylake enjoys advantages which are denied to many other first-class greens. Neither Prestwick, nor Sandwich, nor Westward Ho! are residential in the same sense, and their distance from any great centre of population, precludes the possibility of their ever producing any great golfing hierarchy. The only green where the necessary conditions are present, to anything like the same extent, is St. Andrews, and it is to St. Andrews, which has produced so many grand golfers in the past, that Scotchmen look to reassert the ancient supremacy of Scottish golf.

A golfing holiday at Hoylake, if the weather be normal, is sure to be one of unalloyed pleasure. At the Royal Hotel, the golfer will be most comfortably housed and fed, and he will be sure to find congenial golfing society. There also he will find Mr. T. Owen Potter, the late honorary secretary of the club, who has his quarters in the hotel, and in the bar parlour, after dinner, with Mr. Ball, sen., and Mr. Potter in the chair, many pleasant half-hours are to be spent, over the pipes and "'baccy," with tales and reminiscences of golf and golfers.

The 17th hole is at the door, and right opposite is the palatial new club-house. Mr. Ryder Richardson, the secretary, Mr. Potter's courteous and efficient successor, will smooth the path of the visitor, and he will find amongst the members, a cordiality, and a north-country sincerity and hospitality, which are equalled nowhere.

The caddies of Hoylake, fishermen for the most part, or sons of fishermen, under the eye of Jack Morris, and the able management of Hughes, have developed into a very satisfactory body. Though a good many of them are undersized, they all take a keen interest in the game, and many of them are very good players.

The course at Hoylake has undergone several changes in recent years, the most important alteration being the addition of two new holes after the "Cop," called respectively the "Telegraph" and the "Briars," which addition was rendered necessary by the absorption of the old third hole, by the extension of building west of the new club-house. Though somewhat rough at present, these new holes give promise, by their sporting character, of being a great acquisition to the course.

The present first hole, was the old second, before the new club-house was built, and the path to it, to those who are unfamiliar with the course, is perplexing in the extreme. From the medal or championship tee - and it will be understood that in dealing with the rest of the course these tees are implied - it takes a full drive, even on a quiet day, to get round the corner of the field, and the drive must be absolutely straight. The field on the right, if one reaches so far, is out of bounds, and entails a distance penalty for all balls getting into it; and on the left are gardens, cops, sand, and other hazards to catch the "pulled." Between the Scylla of the field and the Charybdis of garden, cop, and bunker, there is but a narrow way, and the ground, though flat to outward seeming, has a most treacherous fall to either side, so that a running shot, unless after a long carry, never goes straight on, but inevitably rolls off, either to the ditch round the field, on the right, or to the hazards on the left. But assuming that the tee shot lies, where it ought to be, on the fair course, some yards past the corner of the field, a shot no less difficult remains to be played. The flag appears to be still a long way off, on the flat, with no bunker intervening, and nothing to guide the eye but the narrowing perspective of the ditch on the right and the rabbity country on the left. Absolute straightness is again essential. Experience alone will teach the strength, but everybody goes too far in the first instance. The putting green is a fine one, but he who holes in four, has done well.

The 2nd hole - the "Road" - lies at right angles, to the left. A good drive, slightly to the right, will give the best approach to the hole. The green lies in a corner, backed by the turnpike road and a field, both of which are "out of bounds." A bunker guards the green on the left, and the player, by playing his tee shot to the right, avoids the necessity of carrying this, and gives himself a longer run for his approach shot. This hole should be done in four.

Teeing alongside the cop, over which is out of bounds, and which, with its inevitable ditch, accompanies us all the way on the immediate left, we face the "Long" hole. On the right, with about Co yards between, another ditch runs parallel with the cop, all the way to the green. About 200 yards from the tee, a wide bunker stretches right across the course, and fully 200 yards further on, a similar hazard guards the putting green. If the wind be behind the player, he will be wise, who plays his cleek or driving mashie from the tee, for even a moderate shot from a wooden club will here run a very long way, and most likely finish up in the first bunker. A well-hit cleek shot will take the player very near it, and then he can take his driver, and hit his second, for all he is worth, towards the second bunker. There is not much danger of his reaching that. An iron pitch across, steady putting, and the hole is done, simply, in five, and occasionally in four, if the wind be favourable. All that is wanted is straight hitting.

The next hole is the "Cop." This is a short hole of 140 yards or thereabouts, but a very accurate tee shot is required if a three is to be recorded. About six yards in front of the tee runs the cop, to catch a topped or insufficiently lofted ball; on the left runs another cop, and immediately in front of the green, and right across it, a bunker waits for short balls.

In all states of the wind, a high shot is essential at this hole. It is true there is a telegraph wire overhead, but the cop below is worse.

We now play the first of the new holes, and here we encounter, amongst other things, not only the wire, but a very substantial telegraph post as well. A good tee shot, slightly on the right, will carry the ball to a good lie, over some very nasty country, bristling with gorse, ditches, and bunkers, and will leave the player a long carry to the green, over a sandy ridge, on which runs the telegraph. The green is as yet coarse and rough, and the hole is a good five.