LADIES' GOLF IN THE I9th AND 20th CENTURIES

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIX, Issue 15, 12 October 1907, Page 23

LADIES' GOLF IN THE I9th AND 20th CENTURIES

By

MRS. R. BOYS

(Author of “Our Lady of the Green,” etc.)

IT is necessary to go back nearly u hundred years to find the first authentic record of women golfers. In the minutes of the Royal Musselburg Golf Club under the date 14th December 1810 there appears the following note:— “The Club to present by subscription a handsome new creel and shawl to the best Female Golfer who plays on the annual occasion of the Ist of January next, old style (12th January, new), to be intimated to the Fish ladies by William Robertson, the Officer of the Club. “Two of the best Barcelona silk handkerchiefs to be added to the above proemiuin of the Creel.” Signed, Alex. G. Hunter (Captain). So we see that our golfing prototypes were fisherwomen and no doubt they looked both picturesque and businesslike in their short blue petticoats and bare legs. It makes one envious to think of the glorious grip they must have been able to obtain by digging their bare toes into the grass. How much more satisfactory than the grip we obtain with our rubber soles or hob-nailed boots. Then consider also, my twentieth-cen-tury sister, their freedom from the trammels of long skirts! Who does not know the aggravation of a skirt whisking round with the breeze across the line of putt at a critical moment. Ah, well! it is useless to repine—“lther days, ither claes.” But though we have this early record of women on the links we have to travel as far back as 1867 before we find the first date of the institution of a ladies’ golf club and —needless to say—it was at the golfer’s Mecca—St. Andrews — that the first Indies’ club was inaugurated. If we probe deeper into these prehistoric days we find with dismay that ladies’ golf in 1867 and for many years afterwards —consisted solely of putting. At that time society was in the throes of the cycle, when a lady was a delicate bundle of nerves whose only duties —if married —lay in the management of her household and children—and —if unmarried —i n the manipulation of intricate embroidery designs, the tinkling of the piano and the helping of the mother in still-room mysteries. For amusement, whether married or single, some mild croquet was permissible, a little archery varied by walks in a very restricted area and gentle rambles on a sleek amiable pony. Under these circumstances it is not surprising that putting was the only part of golf which was considered ladylike. EARLY DIFFICULTIES Westward Ho instituted a ladies club in 1868, and in 1872 Musselburg and the London Scottish were constituted. Miss Issette Pearson, the pioneer of modern golf, writes in 1899—“ When I started golf some twelve years ago I could not hear of any lady who played, though more than one gentleman was able to assure me that there were several in Scotland, and I can remember hearing one spoken of in glowing terms to whom my informant was only able to give a stroke a hole and just halve the match. Times have altered since then, for I know now of more than one lady who could give that gentleman a beating level.”

And so golf gained its hold by slow stages os a game for women, and mothers became reconciled to this new element in their daughters’ lives, and by degrees developed a tolerance for—if utter ignorance of —the curious language

of the game. At first doubtless they were startled when Mary talked of stymies and inasheys. Miss Hezlet tells us how one anxious mother, who had not been properly initiated into the intricacies of the language, on hearing from an excited friend that “Mary lay dc-ad on the 17th green,” fainted away, and was with difficulty restored to conscious ness. And it was not only the mothers who found golf parlance incomprehensible. A poor inaid servant who was sent by a worried golf secretary to tell "Miss A—that if she doesn’t play oil' some of her games I shall scratch her,” was so shocked by the brutality of the sentiment that she amended it into: “Please Miss, Master says if you don’t stop your gainvs lie will come round and pinch Though Miss Issette Pearson states that the revival of ladies’golf—or rather , ’"-I 1 ' of genuine golf- took place in 1881, J was not until 1893. when the Ladies Golf I nion was inaugurated, that gold in England received its stimulus towards progress and reform. Miss Pearson and some other ardent golfers early in that year started an idea of a rranging a ladies* championship. They were advised to endeavour to get all the ladies’ clubs to co-operate ami if possible to link the clubs together in a Ladies’ Golf Union. Circulars were issued, and an inaugural meeting held, which was attended by delegates from eleven clubs; all of whom warmly supported the scheme. On this small nucleus the now all-pow-erful Ladies’ Golf Union was established with Miss Pearson as Hon. Secretary. Year by year it has grown, until at the present time, there arc nearly 200 affiliated clubs with an aggregate membership of over six thousand. A RAPID DEVELOPMENT. The first championship was held that summer (1893) over the ladies’ nine-hole course at Littlestone. Thirty-eight players competed. Of these. Lady Margaret Scott proved to be immeasurably the finest golfer, and she had no difficulty in securing the coveted Golf Medal and Challenge Bowl. The ladies did not remain satisfied with a nine hole course for their championship. The following year it took place over the long links at Littlestone with shortened tees at some of the holes. The entry was doubled, but notwithstanding Lady Margaret Scott again secured premier honours. The championship of 1595 at Portrush saw the introduction of two new players whose names in the golf world have since become household words. Miss Sybil Whigham, whose reputation stands second to none as a golfer, competed in this event and was defeated by Miss L. Dod. the tennis champion and international hockey player, who. not content with these honours—continued to compete at the subsequent championships until she secured the Blue Ribbon of golf in 1904.

For the third time in succession Lady Margaret Scott proved successful. The championship of 1896 marked very acutely the rapidity with which ladies' golf had developed. In 1893 little or no interest had been taken by the outside public: the world indeed quietly smiling nt the futility of this new departure. Three years later at Hoylake, the play of the competitors was somewhat reluctantly acknowledged to have amazingly improved, and the public evinced such ii keen interest in the event that 3000 spectators followed the final. Lady Margaret Scott, satisfied with her triple victory. did not compete, and the Gold Medal was won by Miss Pascoe. In 1897 the Lidies’ Golf Union flag was unfurled for the first time on a

Scottish course—Gullane—and the departure appeared a popular one, as 105 ladies competed. At this the Scottish players, whose reputations had been faintly wafted across the border, made their debut and achieved a disconcerting success; three out of the four medallists being Scottish. The final was between the two Miss Oris, the younger defeating the elder. It was a humbling experience for the Southern ladies, but they took comfort in the hope that over an English links in the following year, Scotland would meet with a rebuff. But their hope was not realised. The two Miss Orrs, content with their one achievement, remained in tl|e northern fastness, oblivious of the' murmured wrath of their English sisters. The champion of 1898 was Miss Lena Thomson. THE TRIUMPH OF THE TEENS. Now we come to a distinct era in the progress of women’s golf. Hitherto the young golfer, still in her teens had been conspicuous at important contests by her absence, but the championship of 1899 held at Newcastle witnessed the arrival of this new element, and with it the bouleversement of preconceived theories. The staid golfer, blase with the excitement of many contests, smiled with kindly patronage on the school girl, Misc. May Hezlet. But very shortly they rubbed their eyes in astonishment; Miss Hezlet, with imperturbable coolness, outplayed her opponents through the green, and also proved their superior in putting. “But. . . But. . they murmured, “this is absurd. -Are we, golfers of experience, to be defeated by a chit of a girl ?” Alas! though they fitted their strongest and surest against “the chit of a girl,” victory went to youth. It brought home to the golf learnt after twenty could not compete against golf which had been acquired with the freedom and ease natural to young unset muscles. The following year Miss Rhona Adair, still younger than Miss Hezlet, secured the Gold Medal. In 1901 Miss Adair was defeated in the final by Miss M. Graham, another who had played from childhood.

Then followed Miss M. Hezlet in 1902 and Miss Adair in 1903.

But 1904 brought balm to the ruffled plumes of the older players. It was rumoured that both these young Irish players had developed nerves. The rumour proved correct. Miss Adair fell at an early stage of the tournament, and Miss Hezlet was defeated in the final by Miss L. Dod.

Since that year. Miss Adair has not played in a championship, and Miss Hezlet, though playing a finer game eaeh year, failed to secure the trophy until this year, when, with restored nerve, she triumphed over all opponents. The champion of 1905 was Miss B. Thompson and of 1906 Mrs Kennion. Though we have covered nearly a hundred years in this brief sketch of women’s golf, the progressive movement has been entirely confined to the last fifteen or twenty- years. Fifteen years ago, women were content to play with one club over short links laid out on the waste land or Jew’s Corner of the men’s course; the distance from tee to green on these links Would now ba considered a rnashey shot. Though this was tire, fate of many ladies’ clulis, others were more fortunate, and were allowed the privilege of playing over the long links. Women have tfortunately ambition to egg them onward, and though the first eham pier,ship was held over ladies’ links, the next took place over the men’s course, with—as a concession to prejudice—shortened tees at a few holes. THEORIES REVOLUTIONIZED. Now it is a sine qua non that the Championship is held over a first-class course which will test to the utmost the length and skill of the players. The championship of 1900 took place Over the Westward Ho links—the longest and probably most difficult course in England. There the Miss Whighams, who began to play golf at such an early •igo that they are personally unable to recall the date, created a sensation among the staid golfer* of Westward Ho. by the enormous length of their wooden shots. Miss M. Whigham in the finaj against Miss Adair, established a record by driving two successive balls of over EOo yards. And this, one must, rfmember, teas before the introduction of the rubber-

cored ball, which enabled women to put from 20 to 30 yards on to the length of their shots. Miss M. Whigham’s wonderful play helped largely to revolutionise the world’s antiquated theories on women’s play, and year by year, as the interest of the public became more keenly focussed on the championship, narrow views modified, and male relations reluctantly acknowledged that women’s golf could no longer be jibed at with any modicum of justice. But still it was affirmed confidently that no woman, however first-class an exponent of the game, could compete on terms of equality with the average man player. As recently as 1905, a friendly critic stated that a man with a handicap of 4 over a course of 600 yards, could give a player of Miss Hezlet’s standard a third. But last year Miss M. Hezlet and Miss Walker Leigh upset this theory. At Burnham, playing in the medal round, held prior to the actual tournament, Miss M. Hezlet returned a card of 77 —the men’s Bogey of the links. The course is three miles 304 yards long, and beset with immense yawning bunkers in treacherous positions. Though Miss Hezlet’s score stood alone as a total, Miss Walker Leigh also established a record. On the “out” holes Miss Hezlet defeated Bogey (40) by two strokes; for the “home” holes Miss Walker Leigh, silver medallist of 1903, returned a score of 36 —one stroke less than bogey-. Vardon writes that he “is pleased to bear witness that the standard of ladies’ golf in this country is improving every season, so that now- it needs a very fine man golfer to give a third to the best of the gentle sex.” High testimony surely from one of the finest of our professionals. On the other hand, one must not rush to the opposite extreme, and imagine women can never' attain to the standard of first-class men’s golf; physical inability will prove an immoveable stumbling block to equality in length. Still in the short game there is no reason why they should not attain to equality or even superiority. Golf is essentially a game for women. Physically it exercises all their muscles without overstraining them, as is the ease with the more violent games, such as hockey and tennis. Morally, it teaehes women selfcontrol in adversity, generosity to their opponents, and social adaptability towards the many varied natures one meets on the links.

In the early days many golfers drew ridicule upon themselves by the roanlike costumes they wore—but time has altered that, and now the women who were described as striding “over sandy links aping man” are indeed as extinct as the Dodo. Their place is filled by women suitably and becomingly- clad, who no longer “stride” or “swagger,” and whose attitude towards the game is one of strenuous endeavour to attain the highest and the best without losing the grace and charm of perfect style. “A Counsel of Perfection, you may think, but surely one well within our reach.” NEXT WEEK. “ Golfers’ Early Errors.” by James Braid.