The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-11-18
eoLr wANINe AMONG owMEN.
Champion Miss Harley Thinks Tennis Is
Partly to Blame for the Loss Of
Interest in the Game,

Partly to Blame for the Loss Of
Interest in the Game,
That there could be much more inter
est in golf among women Is shown b,
the fact that the entries for the recent
national tournament were the fewest II
years. Miss katherine G. Harley OF Fal
River, national champion, says; "un
fortunately II Is fact that outside o
the Boston locality golf does seem TO b.
deteriorating among the women. Tho
few new players who take up the game
do II in a dillettante sort OF a fashion
The truth Is, they win not take The
time 20 learn. as the od.timers did
II you can use that word for the women
who have been prominent for the last
half dozen years or 50, aud yet are still
young. The increasing popularity OF
tennis has had considerable 20 do IN
lesseniug interest in golf, There is
really lots more fun for the younger
set in playing tennis for an hour and
then enjoying the remainder OF the af-
tcrnoou in social tea and chat on the
club piazza. | confess that have fallen
under the spell Of tennis, and ] did not
begin 70 play golf seriously this year
until about three weeks before the cham.
pionship,
If a girl to-day Is ambitious to
achieve prominence in golf, she must
detrmine to 70 through hard course Of
training and many disappointing defeats
for at least two years. Then II she has
the golhng spirit IN her she may hope
to get one Of the coveted positions in
the semi.fn OF a championship. ]
have been playing golf for about seven
years, and the nearest ! ever came 20
the title before this year was position
in the semi-fnals in 1908 and 1901. Do
| expect to go 20 England next year and
try for the British championship No,
have formulated no such ambitious
project, but the greatest JOY OF my life
would be TO play over some OF the foreign
courses and study the methods OF the
leading women In Great Britain
Miss Harley firmly believes that the
high road 10 success in golf lies in care
ful professional training from the start
Indeed, shc learned her game over three
times. She early discovered that she
had a jerky style, leading to short driy-
ing and mediocre approaching. With a
help. she succeeded in
breaking herself Of this habit. but did
not reach the true golfng form until
she visited California a few years ago,
when a professional taught her more
than she ever knew before, and from
that time she was able TO play high
class golf
While Miss Harley is not a phenome-
nal driver, her short work is unapproaeh-
able. and in getting wonderfully
straight ball, whether from the cleek
or with the irons she has no superios
in America. II was her supremely straight
game that gave her the championship
Miss Harley had the hard end
OF the draw a nd she is now glad of il,
for it made her victory all the more
Beside defeating Mrs. T.
n. Polhemus in the final, she previously
put out Miss Margaret Curtis, the for
ner champion. Miss Mollie b. Adams and
Mrs. Caleb L. Fox, triumvirate the
like Of which few If any championship
yictors have ever had TO face.
If any section OF the country is to
furnish new payers Of prominence in the
future | think il viii be the Boston dis.
lrict." said Miss Harley. Il know OF
20 other locality where an equal amount
1f interest is being taken. ] can cite
several clubs where a number OF girls
ave engaged from 10 to 90 lessons from
he professional instructors. The ease
with which the game can be played
here is surely a great aid in its favor.
rhe distances from the city TO the lead.
ny clubs are not so great as in New
York. or even Philadelphia, and it is
possible to get to the links, play an 49,
lole round, and be home in time for
Here in New York, with pos
IDLY two or three exceptions, game of
golf means the greater part OF the day.
This, however, cannot be the whole rea-
ion for lack Of players, but it certainly
las considerable influence Halt dozen
years ago the metropolitan clubs had |
perhaps more active women golfers than
my other locality, but now in those |
iame clubs where the women were most |
the older players are seldom
zen and it is impossible to find a new
me"
Miss Harley IL very strongly in favor of |
laving the women's championship here
ifter played in the localities where the |
Teatest number Of women can reach the |
inks with the least possible time and |
Expense. "The New England clubs alone.
he said, could furnish fully 40 entries
This would make it worth while for |
many of the newer ones to go through q /
curse of serious practice ii for nothing |
more than Just to see what they might |
To-" Chevy Chase. on the contrary. was |
My able to supply three contestants.
Holding the big event in an inaccessible |
lace il in itself detriment to the sport, /
or, with limited field, the natural
inference is that the interest is much less
han is really the fact, 1t must also be
that it is not so easy for I
women to travel as for the men, and t
ONE effort should be made to bring the
to the women instead of ask,
ny them to so to some club that may I
ave good links, but is otherwise incon
enient. Miss Harley was asked who
ext to herself she considered the best
women golfers in the country "That is
90 personal" she replied, smiling. Il
must leave myself out. | call Miss
Margaret Curtis and Miss Fanny Osgood
( Boston the best women golfers in
america. They are invariably steady
nd reliable, but, as in everything else
gu can't be up to championship winning
orm every day in the year"
/