Judge, 1915-07-10 · page 10 of 28
Judge — July 10, 1915 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This humorous poem by Grantland Rice (a famous sportswriter) satirizes the absurdity of golf courses recently built in African wildlife reserves. The joke: golfers complain about traditional hazards like traps and bunkers, but face genuinely dangerous "obstacles"—lions, pythons, rhinos, leopards—that make the sport ridiculous rather than merely challenging. The cartoons illustrate these scenarios: a golfer encountering various African animals while trying to play. Rice's satire mocks both the pretentiousness of golf etiquette ("proper way to play") and the audacity of building recreational courses through wild animal habitats. The underlying criticism appears to be that civilization's encroachment on nature creates absurd conflicts, rendered comedic through exaggeration. The piece pokes fun at how golfers obsess over minor rules while facing actual mortal danger.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
STYMIES INCARNATE & GRANTLAND RICR (There are now three 18-hole golf courses through the heart of } Ajrica—within the wns of the wild animal range.—Golf Magazine. ) if RARELY mind where traps Yawn blind Or bunkers guard my shot; And shooting golf balls out of grass I deem no fearful lot ; But when I'm stymied by a lion, Or, pitching from a glen, I find a Python round the ball— That's something else again. ND tell me this, ye sticklers for The proper way to play: If one should find quite near his ball A Rhino in the way, Could he then push the Rhino back A club’s length, west or east? And should he keep his eye upon The golf ball—or the beast? I DON'T care how a course is trapped— What hazards guard the green ; I'll pike along and take my chance On what may lie between ; ; But when a bloke must play a shot Across a Leopard “‘lie”’— “Great little game” may be the phrase, But not for this here guy!