A Demure Naked Lady Once Rewarded Golden Age Golfers

Bartlett Hills C.C. - June 15, 1929

It was the early summer of 1929 and America was in the last frothy throes of a decade-long period of economic prosperity.  Bobby Jones would soon soon win his third U.S. Open in a dramatic 36-hole playoff at Winged Foot, meanwhile Tilly himself was putting the finishing touches on Ridgewood Golf Course, and few months later... on the eve of the Wall Street Crash that would lead to the Great Depression... a baby boy by the name of Arnold Palmer was born in Youngstown, OH.

But on June 15, the golfers at Bartlett Hills Country Club were focused on the fairways and greens of their own course in the pastoral countryside outside of Chicago.  It was Glen Garry Dae and members were competing for a very distinctive trophy.  This was not a standard silver loving cup or a common engraved tray.

On that long ago summer day the winning golfer was rewarded with dainty bronze sculpture of a young lady.  She wasn't carrying a golf bag...or swinging a club, in fact, her pose had nothing whatsoever to do with the game. She appeard to be doing a kind of march-mimicking dance, her eyes demurely downcast ... oh, and for some strange reason she happened to be stark naked.

 Granted, the golf apparel of the day was not particularly flattering, and certainly would do nothing to highlight the ample attributes of this statue's attractive subject, but the integral nudity does seem a bit out-of-context for a golf trophy.

Now, nearly a century later the diminutive lady has lost much of her luster.  The once-proud figurine was recently up for auction on e-bay.  The discription mentioned "some wear to thigh and navel" which was visible in the accompanying photos.

In the end, the oddly endearing golf trophy sold for a modest $85.00.

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A Chance To Play Winged Foot While Lending a Helping Hand

Winged Foot, The Putting Green at Dusk                                            Photo: Golf Girl Media

"Winged Foot is, in sum, a temple to the spirit of golf." -- Joseph C. Dey 
 
Winged Foot is magic. You feel it the moment you pass through its stately stone gate.  Even if you've never played golf... and know nothing of it's history... you sense the magic of the place. It's something that goes well beyond the iconic tree-lined fairways and sloping pear-shaped greens.

The exclusive slice of Westchester County that contains two of the country's top golf courses is beautiful... but not breathtaking.  What's breathtaking is an ambiance of cloistered contentment that surrounds the  majestic stone clubhouse and envelopes its private parkland.  Its allure transcends Tillinghast and his masterful "Golden Age" architecture.

I consider myself very luck to have been able to play both the East and West Courses and they remain my most memorable golf experiences to date, but as a private, invitation-only club, the opportunity to play at Winged Foot is very hard to come by.  So when a good friend of mine told me the story of Sue Memhard and the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation it resonated on a couple of levels.

The Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation provides assistant to women facing cancer.  Sue is it's founder and a two time breast cancer survivor, she's now in treatment for the third time and has accumulated substantial uninsured medical bills herself.  As founder however, she's not eligible for Emerald Heart's grants so the foundation's Director of Grants, Elyn Jacobs has organized a raffle and is selling raffle tickets, in the form of tax-deductible donations for Sue, via Lend a Helping Hand charity.
The lucky winner and two friends will enjoy a round of golf and lunch at Winged Foot Golf Club. 

Tickets are $50 each and only 200 will be sold.   The drawing will be held on October 12th, 2011.  For additional information about Sue and Helping Hands see Elyn's blog post and feel free to email her with any questions you may have at elyn@emeraldheart.org.

To buy a ticket

Go to Sue's page at Lend A Helping Hand, click the DONATE button under Sue’s photo/bio, and follow the instructions for Paypal or credit card payment. In “Special Instructions” put “GOLF” and provide the email address at which you would like to be contacted if you are the winner.  You will receive a receipt for your taxes.

Helping a woman who's helped so many others is a truly commendable.  I thank you in advance for your support and wish you the best of luck at a chance to play Winged Foot.