Evening star., 1938-09-18

skillful mistress Of the fairways-Mrs.
Glenna Collett Ware Of Philadelphia
six times national champion.
No. the girls don't play pat-ball golf.
They have kept pace with the improve
ment among the male golfers and they
hit the ball as hard and frequently
straighter than the top professionals
among the men. incidentally profess
sionalism among woman golfers Is a
rarity. There are but two outstanding
feminine pros Mildred (Babe) Didrik-
sor Of Texas is one. Mrs. Helen Hicks
Harb Of Long Island is the other. The
Didrikson girl, % years Of age, has
been playing golf only five years, but
already she is probably the longest
hitter Of a golf ball ever seen among
the woman stars. She has played fire.
quently in Washington, has scored the
tough Chevy Chase course in 76. and
hits the ball as far as any but the
longest hitters among the men. You
don't have to take my word for it. Look
at her the next time she comes to town.
Mrs. Harb, then Helen Hicks. won
the national championship back in
1881. She turned professional q short
time later and has made an enviable
reputation as golfer, both as amateur
and pro.
Feminine golf has gone q long way
since the women's national champion
ship was held at Chevy Chase back in
1908, in the era Of long skirts. fancy
dounces and the guilty ball. That year
Miss H. 8. Curtis turned in the
astounding score Of IS to win the
qualifying round. The present record
of 76 for the medal round in the ma
tional championship is held by stall
wart Enid Wilson Of England, who set
the mark in 1893. Strangely enough,
two visitors from England have won
the United States women's champion
ship, but no British women's title
stands to the credit Of woman from
the domain Of Uncle Sam. Glenna Col
lett Ware has twice been runner-up for
the British title, but has not been
able to win. There's something about
the British lion, even II a feminine one,
fighting on her own soil, that has kept
American women from winning British
titles, although the American men
amateur and professional-have won
many British links crowns.
A MEXICAN women have improved
so much and so fast in their golf
that more and more their scoring ap-
proaches that Of the best Of the men.
And male golf has improved shot q
round over the past decade. It's . much
faster game than it was when Bobby
Jones had the professionals peering
over their shoulders and asking in
. rt-before-they're-hit tone: whats
Jones doing?"
Twenty years ago scores Of 90-odd
were winning matches in the national
women's championship. Today those
scores wouldn't come close to qualify
ing in the championship. The whole
aspect and all the mechanical factors
Of feminine golf have been stepped up
until, barring the physical superiority
Of the men, the women do just as well.
both in scoring and from the technical
standpoint Of golf style. Indeed few
Of the women swing the golf club better
than most Of the male stars.
You could search long way and
not find golf swings like those Of
Virginia Van VIE, the Chicago girl
who retired tn 1885 after winning the
national championship three years in
. row; or the finely timed and power
ful swing Of Maureen Orcutt, the
Jersey girl who has twice won her
way to the 6nal Of the national and