The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1927-07-12

nave never InOuEHI LHdI q
half" was a particularly burden.
some handicap until tried it in
friendly but none the less serious
little game with Mrs. Alexa Stirling
Fraser. We were both in Chicago
at the time playing Red Cross
matches and played together one
afternoon at Ravisloe. gave Mrs.
Fraser nine strokes according to
the card and although | was around
In II and she in 81 she beat me
two up. think.
Last year again my dear
: friend Kent Cooper of the Assoc
Ciated Press, arranged a little
match at Oakland I'm which
played the best ball OH even
terms of Misses GIenna COIIett
and Maureen circuit. This time
i won by one hole but that
again was not a fair test for
the two ladies had the misfOr-
tune to equal each others score
on practically every hole, and
Miss Circuit alone beat me by
one stroke on the last nine.
As interesting and close matches
these have been uniformly good,
but as true and fair comparisons
of skill they have been wholly I'M
satisfactory. Ny idea Is that il any
basis for comparison is to he ar
rived at. the controlling force of
the difference in physical capabili-
ties must be eliminated as far as
possible. or course, man must
always be capable of difficult re-
coveries which require brute
strength which a woman could not
possibly bring off: but granted that
the two will avoid such undesirable
places, the physical equation can be
solved / believe in moderately
satisfactory manner.
/ noticed when playing with Miss
Coilett and Miss circuit that where
could use a number four iron or
even mashie, they would require a
long iron or spoon shot The course.
having been designed for a mans
game. frequently the greens were
only large enough to offer a fair
target for the shot the man was re-
quired to play So the ladies were
required to bring off an exception
ally fine spoon shot in or1er to reach
the green, which / quite ungallantly
had only to make mediocre mashie
shot
The margin for error. so i'm.
pOrtant in golf, was tremen.
dOusly in my favor, and IL was
so merely because OF my greater
physical strength and utility to
hit harder with a driver. Yet |
got some very. fine lessons in
brassie and spoon play These
girls, l suppose from necessity,
had learned to play a wood club
as accurately as ] could hope tn
play a mashie. / shall never
forget how foolish ] felt at the
ninth hole when both my OppO.
nents were nicely on the small
green with brassie shots and I
had missed il with q spade!
My idea is that the handicap
should be in yards rather than in
strokes. Allow the woman player
80, 40 or SO yards advantage off
the tee. Give her enough so that
If both players hit their very best,
the woman will be, not even with
the man. but far enough ahead to
wipe out the physical difference on
the second shot, so that both wouli
play the same club or relatively
the same length shot to the green.
# the hole is a drive and mashie
for the man, it must be made a
drive and rnashie for che woman
If any fair comparison of skill is
to be made. It is obviously not
fair that the woman should he ex-
pected to play a brassie as well as
the man can play mashie.
1t Is my belief that a match Of
this kind would prove most en-.
tightening as well as extrensly
interesting.
Copyright. 1927. by The Bell
Syndicate, incl