[Man swinging at golf ball up hill, Washington, D.C.]

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A golfer mid-swing on a sloping course is the focus here, with the ground rising steeply behind the ball, a detail that makes the stance and follow-through look difficult. The picture comes from the National Photo Company, a Washington firm that documented the capital's streets, buildings, and everyday life in the early twentieth century. Golf was growing in popularity among city residents in these years, and the photograph offers a glimpse of how the game was played on uneven, undeveloped ground before the era of manicured courses.

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