[Ads-l] Earlier Citation for "Golf" Quotation

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Great citation, Fred. Your discovery inspired me to take another look
in the British Newspaper Archive and I found this in 1897.

Date: December 29, 1897
Newspaper: The Morning Leader
Newspaper Location: London, England
Article: A Golf Causerie, A Judge Who Lauds The Game
Author: "Bunker"
Quote Page 10, Column 1
Database: British Newspaper Archive

[Begin excerpt]
Mr. Littler, Q.C., is a golf enthusiast. What is more, he believes
that golf can be played at as late a period of a man's life as
football or cricket. He does not, in other words, assume that the game
is a game of old men. He believes, in fact, that golf is a game which
requires in the word of a well-known golfer, "activity, suppleness,
and strength." He does not assume that a game of golf is a "good walk
spoiled."
[End excerpt]

The passage above mentioned a specific golfer, but the phrasing and
quotation marks signaled that the saying was already in circulation,
and the creator remains anonymous.

The Quote Investigator article has been updated with the 1897 and 1899
citations. Fred has been added to the acknowledgments. Changes should
be visible within 24 hours.

Golf is a Good Walk Spoiled
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/28/golf-good-walk/

Garson

On Wed, Mar 20, 2024 at 2:32 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
>
> There have been some postings in the past about "golf is a good walk spoiled."  I think this citation is earlier than anything previously unearthed:
>
> 1899 _The Referee_ (Sydney, Australia) 12 July 1/7 (Newspapers.com)  Sam Loates, for instance, on being asked what he thought of the glorious game of golf, smartly said: "Well, I think it is a good walk spoilt."
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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