Life, 1922-07-27 · page 11 of 36
Life — July 27, 1922 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the evolution of golf from an aristocratic pursuit to a mass-market sport. The seven panels trace golf's progression: **IV-V**: An "idol" golfer (well-dressed, surrounded by admirers) contrasts with a "justice" figure enforcing rules strictly. **VI**: Golf becomes accessible to ordinary people, shown by a man with spectacles playing on a smaller, public course—"the aimless knocking of a child." **VII**: The final stage depicts golf's popularization as chaotic and undignified—"sans time, sans taste, sans pep, sans everything." The satire mocks how golf transitioned from an exclusive gentleman's game to a democratized leisure activity, with the implication that mass participation degraded the sport's prestige and quality. The verses emphasize this decline throughout.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
And then the justice Full of trick plays, and girded for the hard In fair round knickers, with good Bourbon lined, Unyielding combat, sudden and quick in action . . . With eyes severe for those who mar the green, Full of wise rules and modern theories . . . VI The sixth age shifts Last sport of all Into a smaller green, a shorter course, That ends this strange, eventful history, With spectacles on nose, his manly swing Is senile capering of one-steps sad, Becomes the aimless knocking of a child... Sans time, sans taste, sans pep, sans everything. comicbooks.com