by ORIGIN OF THE MISS MARGARET CURTIS Co-Donor of the CURTIS CUP MATCHES Curtis Cup with her sister, Miss Harriot S. Curtis • FEW YEARS after World War I - in most of us had put our clubs in moth balls A 1924, to be exact - the women's in- from November to May and hadn't much ter-city team match among Boston, New practice. York and Philadelphia was held in Boston. It was customary for the British to play As was customary, a meeting took place their international matches, among Eng- in the afternoon to discuss any matters that land, , and , just be- might have come up in relation to the fore their Championship. A Britisher sug- match or to the Women's Eastern gested that we play their com bin e d Association Championship, w h i c h had strength. We were just eight friends, but grown out of the practice rounds preced- in a gay, hopeless mood we took them on. ing the match. Miss Georgianna N. Bishop, of Bridge- These matches were great fun, and it port, Conn., then our Champion, was the was considered quite an honor to repre- only one of us to win, but we had a lot sent one's home city. We were a very con- of fun. Of our eight, four had been or genial crowd. At this particular meeting were to be United States Champions. They someone said, "What fun it would be to were Miss Griscom, Miss Bishop, my sister, play international team matches." Harriot, and I. Miss Molly Adams, of Bos- Several British girls had earlier come ton, was a runner-up. The other members over to play in our Championship, includ- of our group were Mrs. Samuel Bettle, of ing Miss Rhona Adair, Miss Dorothy Camp- Philadelphia, Miss Griscom's sister; Miss bell (later Mrs. Hurd), and the extraor- Emily Lockwood, of Boston; and Miss dinary Miss Lottie Dod, who had been five Ethel Burnett, of New York. times British tennis champion, retired un- Miss Griscom, an ardent follower of our beaten, took up golf, won that Champion- golf, also had arranged a team match with ship in 1904 and also won the British fig- Canada in 1904. ure skating championship. Cup Is Offered Mrs. Hurd, who became a resident of So, in 1927, Harriot and I attempted to this country, was going to that give the idea another push by offering a summer and said she would take it up with cup for an international match. Miss Fan- the Ladies' Golf Union, in London. The ny C. Osgood, of Boston, was appointed a Union reported that, while it liked the committee of one to take up the matter idea, its treasury was too depleted as a once more with the LGU. While the British result of the war to consider it. still felt the idea might be premature, a But the idea was started. tentative plan was made for a match in First Venture Abroad 1928. This match never materialized, how- As a matter of fact, we had long since ever, because of financial obstacles which had a taste of the fun of international golf. could not be overcome. In the spring of 1905, Miss Frances C. In 1928, the USGA Women's Commit- Griscom, of Philadelphia, suggested that appointed a sub-committee to consider it would be fun to go over and play in plans for conducting and financing an the British Championship at Cromer, Eng- international team. Mrs. Charles Fraser, land. Eight of us went. The Championship of New York, was chairman, and the other was played early in the season. Since it was members were Miss Florence McNeely and before the days of southern tournaments, myself. Although this committee found

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER, 1954 5 The first American women to participate in an international team match were photographed at Cromer, England, in 1905. The four in the rear were Miss Ethel Burnett, of New York, N. Y., now Mrs. Charles Clark: Miss Prances C. Griscom, of Philadelphia, Pa.: Miss Harriot Curtis, of Boston, Mass., and Miss Emily N. Lockwood, of Boston, Mass., now Mrs. William B. . The three in the middle row were Miss Georgianna N. Bishop, of Bridgeport, Conn.: the late Mrs. Samuel Bettle, of Philadelphia, Pa., a sister of Miss Griscom; and Miss Margaret Curtis, of Boston, Mass., a sister of Miss Harriot. The young lady'sitting in front was the late Miss Molly B. Adams, of Boston, Mass., later Mrs. Edward C. Wheeler. Only Miss Bishop won her match, but they started a ball a'rolling and one of the results was the series of matches for the Curtis Cup. interest among our golf associations favor- Women's Committee was asked to submit able; it, too, was stymied by the financial the names o(fifteen players whom she con- problem abroad. sidered of international-team caliber. Eight, -Although that committee was dissolved and only eight, names appeared on every in 193 0, the situa tion thereaf ter took a list; and since they represented the unani- turn for the better. The USGA Executive mous opinion of the committee, they be- Committee approved the match in prin- came the team. They were: Mrs. L. D. ciple. Cheney, Miss , Mrs. O. S. Hill, On February 7, 1931, the LGU sud- Mrs. Harley G. Higbie, Miss Marion Hol- denly accepted an offer we had made to lins, Miss Maureen Orcutt, Miss Virginia go to England fo_r the first international Van Wie and Mrs. Edwin H. Vare, Jr. team match. It also agreed to continue the Miss Hollins was chosen Captain. matches here in 1934. Shortly thereafter, Wentworth, England, was the site of the USGA agreed to assume financial re- the first match and it was completed in sponsibility for our side.. one day-May 21, 1932-with three four- The selection of the first team proved somes in the morning and six singles in the unexpectedly simple, probably simpler than afternoon. It was a day of real gratifica- any since. Each member of the USGA tion for us.

6 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1954