The suburban citizen., 1901-11-23
THE WAYS OF THE coLF GIRL
Eliot Gregory Tells What is Involved in
Being Champion Player

THE WAYS OF THE GOLF GIRL
Eliot Gregory Tells what is Involved in
Being a Champion Player,
1t is not a pretty picture that Eliot
Gregory paints in The Century where
he describes the training of q golf
champion for the fight of her life:
Having had the honor this autumn
to visit in 4 country house near New
York at the same time as a golf cham
pion, whose achievements on the links
were thrilling the country, l learned
many curious things about athletic
damsels and their ways. The young
lady in question arrived a week before
the tournament that was to decide
her supremacy, accompanied by her
English trainer Il masseuse, and in
cidentally by her mamma, a feeble
minded lady, so completely demoral-
lied by her daughters celebrity that
she could talk of little else, ard would
confide, with little thrills Of pride, to
any one she could get to listen to her,
how she could not take ferryboat or
trolley car without being pointed out
as the mother of the champion"
Nothing more curious than the habits
of the young athlete herself can be
imagined After a morning round of
the links in company with her coach,
she was handed over to her woman
keeper, to be dcuched anu rubbed and
curry-combed till luncheon time. The
afternoon was passed exercising in a
gymnasium, fitted up in the billiard
room for her use. After her dinner
which, by the way, consisted princi-
pally of meat carefully weighed by
mamma in small scales, the girl was
again rubbed and exercised before re-
tiring. Hers was no idle life, you see.
As the great day drew near ENJOYS
from the press appeared on the scene
to sketch and snapshot the celebrity in
every pose. Sporty gents in loud
clothes followed the morning play sur
reptiously, in order that the betting
centers might be kept informed as
to her condition, and sent to the papers
none too delicate accounts Of her
'form" and general appearance-fa-
miliarities it was impossible to pre-
vent or resent, as the girl mad for the
moment become the property Of the
betting public, which was putting its
money on her, and so expected to be
kept informed as to the chances Of
success.
The strain of the last twenty-four
hours was dreadful on the whole
household. We talked Of little but the
match and the odds" IL was rather
a shock, I confess, to discover that our
fair Diana ION the verge of break
DOWN was being kept to her work by
frequent libations Of strong tea car
ried by mamma in a flask for the pur-
pose. All minor ills, however, were
forgotten when at noon on the great
day our sportsWoman was brought
home, collapsed but victorious. We
felt that glory had indeed, been shed
upon the house. Mamma, on the thin
edge of Mysteries, where she had been
staggering for a week, sobbed out that
her only regret was that tom" had
not lived to see the day; and that dear
"Polly' had always been the joy and
comfort of her lifel
AS all the papers published photos
and biographical sketches Of the win
ner needlessly l add that her portrait
adorned most of the railway stations
and hotel lobbies in the country, and
that her pet name was on the lips of
every stableboy and bartender in the
neighborhood, who may nave won or
lost their cash through her prowess.