Alexa Stirling

A L E X A S T I R L I NG | V I I I I It was with great gratification and admiration that I saw Bob grow to become the fine, broadminded, dignified gentleman he later proved to be. ALEXA STIRLING I play all shots the same. I use the same stance for woods, irons, and even in putting. I understand Chick Evans does the same thing ... ALEXA STIRLING A good shot in golf, as I understand it, is one that behaves as you intend it to, and I cannot recall one that behaved better for me than my tee shot at the seventeenth hole of the beautiful Mayfield course at Cleveland, where we played the women’s national championship of 1920. That was the last year I won it, and I think I never played so well before or since. ALEXA STIRLING At that time I was playing very well with my spoon and it was just the club for this shot, provided I could make the ball hold the green. It was barely a full spoon shot, and I decided to try for a fade on the ball, starting it to the left of the line just a little. The shot came off exactly as I wished and better than I could have hoped. I think the ball dropped less than a yard from the cup and stopped about four feet past it, well inside Elaine’s. She just missed her putt for a 2, and I sank mine, and the match was over. ALEXA STIRLING As to the number of clubs I used to carry I think it was fifteen, but just what they were I can’t be quite certain. I have a vague recollection however that there were four woods and probably two or three mashies of varying degrees of loft. A run up club or jigger purchased at Turnbury – a niblick, a mashie niblick, mid-iron, two putters, possibly a driving iron and a mashie iron. I think that was the assortment, just as I have long since discarded a number of those clubs, and recently changed to steel shafts throughout. I’m a bit vague about the whole business. I do remember the number however was in the neighborhood of fifteen. ALEXA STIRLING Perhaps one of the most interesting subjects and one which not everyone has had an opportunity to witness has been the progress made by women golfers in this country. Not so very long ago I happened to be “listening in”on the radio and an article by one of the east’s prominent journalist golf writers was being read. In this article were given descriptions and predicted changes for the year of 1923 of many women golfers; and some were very amusing. Among them were Miss Marion Hollis [sic], Miss Glenna Collett, Mrs. Caleb Fox and myself. We were all given our ratings and I was described as being “a veteran at the game but not yet old enough to be classed as a grandmother.” So perhaps by the time I have reached the venerable age I shall be in a still better position to note the advance made in women’s golf in this country. But very noticeably and decidedly there has been an advance, even since 1914. ALEXA STIRLING Golf is, of course, very young in this country and all due credit must be given to those pioneers who were brave enough to start. It is interesting to note, however, that in a little over twenty years the number of entrants for the National Championships have increased from approximately 8 to 200 – or to such a stage that it has almost become necessary to limit the list of those eligible to players with low handicaps. ALEXA STIRLING Altogether, just from my more or less limited experience, I should say that golf for women in this country has increased 200 percent in popularity; that scores are from 5 to 8 strokes lower; and that the average additional distance for the different shots has increased from 30 to 50 yards. Whether this is due to the balls of recent years or even the clubs, the fact remains that women in this country are showing a steady and a very gratifying progress in the game of golf. ALEXA STIRLING

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