Life — April 7, 1900 — page 24: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical illustration depicts golfers navigating a treacherous mountain gorge, treating geological danger as merely another golf course obstacle. The humor relies on the incongruity of an genteel, Eastern sport (golf) being played in the American West's harsh wilderness. The "natural hazards" of the title—steep cliffs, narrow passages, and extreme terrain—are presented as comedic impediments to the golfers' game, similar to sand bunkers or water hazards on a proper course. The figures appear to be struggling against the landscape rather than being deterred by actual danger. This likely satirizes either wealthy Easterners' obliviousness when visiting the rugged West, or the broader turn-of-century trend of commercializing and "civilizing" the American frontier for leisure activities.