[Ads-l] A good walk spoiled

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Wonderful work, Pete Morris. Thanks for sharing what you discovered.

There is a pertinent Quote Investigator article from 2012 with
citations beginning in 1903:

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/28/golf-good-walk/

In 1903 H. S. Scrivener attributed an instance to “my good friends the
Allens” who were tennis players.

In 1904 the saying was attributed to a popular novelist named Harry Leon Wilson

In 1905 Wilson used the expression directly in his novel titled “The
Boss of Little Arcady as you have noted.

In 1906 F. W. Payn wrote ‘I do not endorse the view of the well-known
jockey who said that golf “merely spoilt a good walk”’.

The earliest citation Pete located appeared in 1901. It was also
written by Payn. So Pete has pushed Payn’s remark from 1906 back to
1901. Payn’s piece appeared in an issue of “Golf and Lawn Tennis”
dated November 16, 1901. The accompanying acknowledgement indicated
that the article was reprinted from a London periodical called “Lawn
Tennis”. So it might be possible to push the date back a bit further.

[ref] 1901 November 30, Golf and Lawn Tennis, Volume 4, Number 19,
Section: Lawn Tennis Department, Section Date: November 16, 1901,
Article: The American Twist Service - Golf As a Rival to Tennis,
Author: F. W. Payn, (Reprinted from “Lawn Tennis” of London), Start
Page 587, Quote Page 588, Boston, Massachusetts. (Google Books Full
View) link [/ref]

https://books.google.com/books?id=VCRRAQAAMAAJ&q=%22good+walk%22#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
Although we do not endorse the view of the well-known jockey who said
that golf “merely spoilt a good walk,” we must be permitted to suggest
that if anyone desires to see the depths of stolidity to which mankind
can attain we advise him to visit a suburban golf link on a Sunday.
[End excerpt]

The QI article will be updated soon with this 1901 citation and an
acknowledgement to Pete Morris.

Garson

On Sun, Jul 24, 2022 at 2:12 PM Pete Morris <mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
>
> "Golf  ...  a good walk spoiled" - not Mark Twain.
>
> In the podcast linked above, Fred says that the quote is not known
> before 1913.  I've found a few precursors.
>
> Caveats about google dating apply.
>
> =========================
>
> possibly 1901.  attributed to a "well-known jockey"
>
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/American_Lawn_Tennis/VCRRAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=good+walk&dq=good+walk&printsec=frontcover
>
>
> =========================
>
> The Boss of Little Arcady,
> by Harry Leon Wilson   1905
>
> https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10358/10358-h/10358-h.htm
>
> Again: "This new game of golf that the summer folks play seems to have
> too much walking for a good game and just enough game to spoil a good
> walk." Golf in the Little Country!
>
> I'm going to guess that this is the source that popularized the phrase,
> if not invented it.
>
> =========================
>
> possibly 1908.
> https://tinyurl.com/2dub7py9
>
> The Will of Allah by Kathlyn Rhodes
>
> Personally I utterly deny the fascination of golf as a game ; to me it
> always seems like a good walk spoilt . I simply hate having to pull up
> every hundred yards and look about for a stupid little ball , and hit it
> into an equally ...
>
> =========================
>
> possibly 1906.  The "well-known jockey" again.
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Secrets_of_Lawn_Tennis/QJcCAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=good+walk&dq=good+walk&printsec=frontcover
>
> =========================
>
> possibly 1911
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Fry_s_Magazine/59o9AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=golf+%22a+good+walk%22&dq=golf+%22a+good+walk%22&printsec=frontcover
>
> =========================
>
> possibly 1912
>
> https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Fry_s_Magazine/Nts9AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=golf+good+walk&dq=golf+good+walk&printsec=frontcover
>
> =========================
>
> one for Quote Investigator, perhaps?
>
>
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