It is after closely watching such a display of the game as we saw at the Championship meeting at Gullane, that one feels how much we might improve in our game by simply taking a little ordinary and common care.
The lengths of the holes at Gullane were about as follows: 1st, 300 yards; 2nd, 251; 3rd, 211; 4th, 353; 5th, 313; 6th, 252; 7th, 347; 8th, 304; 9th, 249; 10th, 353; 11th, 153; 12th, 355; 13th, 189; 14th, 160; 15th, 244; 16th, 314; 17th, 309; 18th, 306. Lengths that required every variety of shot, together with uphill and downhill lies innumerable, but as was mentioned a page or two back, the feature of the course lay in the grandly-guarded greens, where the consistent approacher had all the best of the game, and time besides to cogitate on the niblic shots of her less consistent opponent.
Besides arranging the annual championship, and settling any questions or difficulties relating to golf, the Ladies' Golf Union undertook to organize a matter that had for years shown itself in need of revision. The Union started the "handicapping scheme" among its associated clubs, in order that in crowded open meetings, the committee chosen to arrange the handicaps, should have some basis to work upon. It is a delicate matter to settle the points that one player shall concede to another, and till then this had been more or less guess-work, excepting for such little guidance as the local handicaps provided. The scheme is now in full working order, with a special sub-committee to guard over its interests, of which Miss Pearson is in command. This committee consists of four other ladies, to each of whom is portioned out six or eight clubs, and whose duty it is to work out by averaging the scores returned, what handicap each member of these several clubs shall receive, in accordance with the fixed par of the green, also to lower the various allowances when the players return scores under those from which they are already handicapped. Once a month the whole of the medal, or other stroke competition returns are made up, and published in the golfing papers. To stimulate interest in this scheme the Golf Union offers a silver medal to every club, to be won by the member returning the best aggregate of four nett scores under their handicaps during the year, as well as a gold medal to be competed for annually by the winners of the silver medals.
The rules for the guidance of those who compete, which will be found on the notice board in every associated club's golf room, run briefly as follows:
"1. Any member of a club belonging to the Union, and desirous of having a handicap for this competition, must have returned two medal scores, neither of which shall have exceeded the par of the green, as fixed by the Union by more than twenty-five strokes. A member having a handicap in one club shall receive the same handicap at all clubs to which she may belong, when playing for the Union medals, such handicap to be the lowest she shall receive at any one club.
2. Each Honorary Secretary will receive monthly a form with Members' Union Handicap, on which she shall enter the medal scores and return the sheet directly to one of the members of the sub-committee.
3. The par of the green is fixed from details sent by each club to the Ladies' Golf Union Hon. Secretary, and all competitions for the medals must be played on the full medal course, but if circumstances such as ground under repair, etc., prevent this, a note must be made, and the difference explained when sending in the scores to the sub-committee."
But a most able article on this subject from the pen of Miss Pearson will be found in volume four of the Ladies' Golf Union Annual. A neat little shilling publication, which not only contains a splendid map of the Gullane Golf course, but much useful information as to the associated clubs and their members throughout England.
