8 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1953
I Was in My Wife's Gallery
The following article was written by John L. in the yellow jacket. "She can still get
Hulteng for the IN PERSPECTIVE column on the out of it all right."
editorial pages of the PROVIDENCE (R. I.)
JOURNAL-BULLETIN during the 1953 Women's "I'm not the slightest bit jittery and
Amateur Championship at the Rhode Island I wish you wouldn't keep talking about
Country Club. Mr. Hulteng is an editorial it," I told him, edging away.
writer for the newspaper; Mrs. Hulteng was a
quarter-finalist in the Championship. "Hey," he said. "Watch where you're
??
My wife was playing in a golf match Two gallery marshals helped me up
the other day, and I was in the gallery. out of the sand trap and brushed the sand
Fortunately, I'm never nervous on such off the back of my shirt.
occasions. "1 ought to penalize your wife two
They teed off, and my wife's opponent strokes," one of them said darkly, ''it's
dropped a magnificent putt for a birdie against the rules for a competitor to use
and won the first hole. There was a man any implement to test the consistency of
in a yellow jacket who kept following a sand trap."
along beside me and he turned to me: Around the middle of the match my
"What are you d o i n g ? " wife took a one-hole lead. The tension
grew. It was blazing hot on the course.
" I ' m writing down the score," I told
him. I reached down for my handkerchief and
mopped the perspiration off my brow.
"Hadn't you better turn the pencil "Do you always," said the man in the
around? The lead is on the other end." yellow jacket, "use your tie to wipe off
"Thank you," I said, with dignity. your face?"
My wife lost the second hole, and was "There are so many other matches to
two down. A woman in a long peaked cap watch," I told him. "Why don't you go
came up to me. find one of t h e m ? "
"Things aren't looking too bright, are My wife won another hole, and was
t h e y ? " she said sympathetically. two up with only a few holes left.
"Oh," I said airily, "it's nothing to be I was standing at one side of the fair-
upset about. After all, it's only a molf way, in the shade of some trees. The
gatch." woman in the peaked cap came up behind
She stared at me a moment. "Yes," she me.
said. "Yes, of course." "Well," she said, slapping me on the
Neither my wife nor her opponent won shoulder. "How do you feel n o w ? "
either of the next two holes. Then they "Fine," I told her from ten feet up in
came to a short, par three hole. My wife the tree. "Just fine."
was about to hit her drive. The man in "That's good," she said. "Don't try to
the yellow jacket was beside me again. get clown. I'll go find a ladder."
"She's about to drive," he said. "Aren't The sun grew hotter and the tension
you going to watch?" tighter. But as it turned out my wife
"I have to tie my shoelace," I told him. won the match on the 16th hole. Someone
"You've been tying that shoelace during went up to congratulate her and asked
every shot for the last three holes." her how she felt. "I'm hungry," she said.
"It's an old lace," I told him. "Very And I'm proud to say that I maintained
slippery." my own icy calm right up to the final
Finally the match stood all even after moment of the match.
six holes. Then my wife hit a shot into a In fact, I never felt more relaxed than
bad piece of rough. I did as they carried me into the club-
"Don't be jittery now," said the man house.