The Guiltiest Wretch In The World

Michael Cain says:

For the non-golfers, if the foursome is playing by the rules, a lost ball is a stroke-plus-distance penalty. Once the ball is declared lost (and today there’s a time limit for looking), the player goes back to where they hit the shot and hits another ball. Both shots count, plus a penalty stroke for losing the ball. It slows down play, bigly. Golf etiquette is if you hit a ball into a place where it may be lost, you should immediately hit a second provisional ball. If the first ball is found, you play that and pick up the second ball. If the first ball is lost, you play the provisional ball with the penalties.

There are published reports that the Golfer-in-Chief never loses a ball, and even when hit into the deep grass or trees, the ball is often found in remarkably playable locations. As Wodehouse’s Oldest Member was known to observe, you can learn everything you need to know about a person’s character by watching them play golf.Report