The Need for a Women's Golf Association

The Threatened Divorce Between Masculine and Feminine Golfers in America

MARY K. BROWNE

NOTE: The leading women golfers of the United States have decided that they want to run their own golf championships and manage their own golfing affairs. They have no complaint against their treatment by their male golfing directors in the United States Golfing Association, but they merely feel they can direct their own destinies in full better than the other sex can. They have put their proposition up to the directors of the U. S. G. A., and as far as we can peer into the future there can be only one answer. They are willing to run their championship this year in connection with U. S. G. A. direction, but after this" they want complete freedom to handle their own affairs. Why not? They are quite capable of taking over the job, and it would merely lift that much responsibility from masculine shoulders. If the U. S. G. A. uses its best judgment it will give the women golfers what they want. They are going to get it. anyhow. It is only a matter of years, and not so many years, before there will be a complete division along all lines of sport, where the men will handle their athletic affairs and the women will take care of their own. This will apply to A. A. U. matters as well as to golf and tennis.—GRANTLAND RICE

WHY are the women golfers not handling their own administrative affairs? I discovered from golf officials of both sexes that the men were secretly dying to get rid of the women and that the women were fully as anxious to run their own national activities.

The men were too chivalrous to suggest a change and the women too polite to ask for it. But this year, initial steps were taken to form a Women's United States Golf Association.

The immediate need for such an association comes rarely because the United States Golf Association is not able financially or administratively, to do more for the women each year than to run one national tournament for them. As the women are anxious to enlarge the scope of their activities—due to the tremendous growth of women's golf in America—the need may be said to be urgent. In the National Championship for women, the entries have grown from eight, in 1896, to one hundred and ninety-six in 1923. During 1924 and 1925 the entry list would have been longer had it not been for the fact that it was found necessary to restrict it by carefully considering handicaps. Only players with handicaps of eight or under were allowed to participate in the Championship. Thus, although our Women's National Championship has been fostered and built up by the Men's Committee of the U. S. G. A.—and our utmost gratitude is certainly due to the officials who have given much time and thought to our golf—it seems unfair and impractical for us to continue relying upon them for the supervision not only of the Championship butof the innumerable major and minor details which have arisen because of the great increase in women's golf activities.

To begin with, under the present system, the women cannot hope to secure sufficient funds from the treasury of the U. S. G. A., which is already severely strained, to carry out their plans for development. Then, apparently, the men arc not anxious to increase their official activities. In fact it has been suggested that they would like to cut them down to the single task of running the men's amateur championship. So, the women must cither organize sefarately, or let their golf remain at a standstill. A few skeptics believe that our championship would lose its dignity and importance under a separate association for women. That is absurd. In no way could this affect the status of our championship, nor could it lower the standard of play. The women of England and Canada conduct their own golf, and conduct it most successfully. The Women's Golf Committee of the United States would be as conscientious as arc the men in upholding the high amateur standards of the game, and they would presumably be as capable in the interpretation of the rules.

It is no discredit to the U. S. G. A. that they do not wish to take on any more work, especially as they are not organized to do more than run our National Championship. The women, on the other hand, will be shirking the responsibility if they remain wholly inactive. Even suppose that, after the women have formed a separate association, they decide to do no more than run their own National. They would certainly be capable of doing that. If they don't wish to undertake more than that they will not be obliged to, but, at the same time, they will be in a favorable position to do more if they find it desirable to do so.

The women expect to finance their own organization by collecting a dollar a year in membership dues from the individual woman golfers in America. They feel that this is a far more democratic and sensible system than the present plan of collecting yearly dues from the golf clubs, for these clubs already pay dues to several other district and local organizations, as well as to the U. S. G. A. A splendid example of successful financing on a small individual basis is that of the Red Cross and Tuberculosis Societies. When these two organizations depended on voluntary contributions of any considerable size from the few, they were not nearly as successful as they were later when they began to sell dollar memberships and penny stamps to the multitude, for the average person was glad to contribute what he or she considered just.

The question of collecting the dues for a separate women's golf association seems to be a source of anxiety to a certain number of officials of many years experience who have found their local efforts in collecting exceedingly unfruitful, due not so much to opposition as to indifference on the part of the women golfers. The golfer will agree that it is not much of a hardship to go without a new ball—say—for a round. She will be perfectly willing to contribute the price of a ball but she often does not like to take the time or trouble to send in the dollar. There is, however, always a public spirited golfer in each club upon whom the women may depend to collect their membership fees.

THERE are three thousand clubs in the United States, having, at a fair estimate, an average of ten women members who play golf, which would mean that the National Association could look to thirty thousand women golfers for support. With an annual revenue of approximately $30,000, there is practically no limit to the possible activities of a women's National Association.

For instance, they might make an effort to reduce the present appalling expense, to the individual contestant, of playing in our National, by giving financial assistance to the club where the tournament is held, so that rooms, meals and caddies could be had at a minimum price. Thus, many a good and eligible golfer would be enabled to compete in our National who now finds it impossible, due to the great expense involved. Furthermore, if we do not have to depend for our support on admission charges, then it will not be necessary to play our matches in the afternoons in order to allow the public to attend en masse—also, it will not be necessary for the contestants to submit to the inconvenience of having Bathe Weekly movie cameras take action pictures during their play in order that public interest in these matches may be gratified and stimulated—for the sake of larger gate receipts.

At our National matches in St. Louis, last year, the women had a taste of these things and liked neither playing in the afternoon nor the ordeal of facing movie cameras.

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It is by no means the wish of the women golfers to exclude the public or entirely to abolish the cameras— they merely wish to arrange their affairs in such a way that the pleasure and comfort of the players can be consulted before any other consideration. The presence of the public, in the capacity of interested spectators who love the game, is most desirable, for it is the moral responsibility of every thorough sportsman to be willing to help others learn the game and, besides, a gallery is often exhilarating and stimulating to good competition, and brings out the best in the players. But golf is one game that is difficult to watch without interfering with the players. For this reason admission charges are a safeguard.

Golf has become an enormously popular game for women and deserves a national organization equipped to guide its growth along lines designed to maintain its high amateur standards, yet, at the same time, an organization not so arbitrary as to deprive the players of a tremendous amount of pleasure in the form of keen competition. Personally, I cannot see why golf does not have the same provision made for the transportation of teams that has been made in the case of all other amateur sports under the sun—such as tennis, college football and baseball, and international polo—in order to overcome the prohibitive expense of traveling the enormous distances so often met with in our country.

Only three years ago, I lived three thousand miles from where the National Championship was to be played, and I pined to see some good women's golf. There were plenty of men professionals around whom I could watch but good women's golf is played only by amateurs who usually cannot afford to travel about the country extensively. Knowing so thoroughly what it means to ambitious young players to see the champions perform, it is my hope that a strong national women's organization, equipped with broad-minded and progressive officials and sufficient revenue, will evolve a plan to bring good golf to the far corners of the United States.

It has been impossible to present the proposed plan for a separate women's organization to the U.S.G.A. officials this year because of a legal obstacle. To hold each year a women's championship is part of the constitution of the U.S.G.A. and this provision cannot be changed except at an annual meeting with thirty days' notice. The point was brought to our attention too late to have the plan for a separate body considered this year. Rather than lose the ground already gained, a temporary plan was evolved whereby the women will take over, this year, the entire machinery of their national tournament, finances and all, under the supervision of the U.S.G.A., as a trial for the season of 1926.

This plan has been presented to the Men's Executive Committee, and it is altogether likely that they will approve of it. It will give the women excellent experience and afford them a year in which to improve on the plan for a wholly separate association in 1927.

Once the women golfers are managing their own affairs in America, the game is certain to become more progressive, more varied and more interesting.