Source: VT Golf Magazine | Issue: Summer 2002 | Author: Bob Labbance
Synopsis: This article is about one of the strangest matches in golf history and how it shaped the sport we see today.
The first recorded match of its kind took place in Musselburgh, Scotland, on November 1, 1828- pitting an accomplished golfer against a precision archer. Sixty years later, even Old Tom morris of St. Andrews fell prey to such tom-foolery when challenged by the Reverend J.H.
Tait- chaplain to the Royal Archers and an avid archer himself- over the links at Luffness. History shows that golfers have always been at the ready to test their skills against one another- it’s when the desire for dominance spreads to other recreational persuasion that things can approach the realm of foolishness.
A match that was staged at the Rutland Country Club on August 13, 1929, took the dog and pony show even one step further- adding a fisherman to round out the threesome. It was a demonstration that drew considerable attention to the Rutland Herald: “Applauding gallery and an enthusiastic audience were present at the Rutland Country Club at as weird a tournament as ever was staged on the local links. A golfer, a caster and an archer were opponents in a duel against respective pars in a scheduled ine-hole golf game which showers cut short at the end of the fifth stanza.