A salute to Mary Queen of Scots and women who followed
Scotland Monarch had an intense love for the sport during its formative years
With a golf trip to Scotland approaching quickly, I find myself seeking out all things Scottish in a way that might make my Irish ancestors roll over in their graves.
One can’t read a paragraph about golf, Scotland and the 1500s without learning about their queen’s intense love for the game at a critical time in its formative years.
While it is difficult to know for sure the full extent of Mary Queen of Scots’ golf exploits, Scottish tales are chock full of Mary being the one, true, first Mother of Golf.
You’ve no doubt heard the one about the guy golfing with his pals when a funeral procession passes behind the green they were putting on.
As the hearse came into view, the one man stopped in his tracks, took his hat off and put his hand to his heart in a gesture of condolence and respect to the entourage.
His golf buddies were surprised and called out his honourable gesture just before the man replied, “It’s the least I could do, we were married for 52 years.”
Well, Mary one-upped that one. There’s the tale of Mary Queen of Scots being spotted at St. Andrew’s just six days after her husband had died. She was accused of snubbing the custom of avoiding recreational and pleasure pursuits during the mourning period for a spouse.
Mary’s behaviour showed both her love for the game and, perhaps, that she was the one who ordered the Earl of Darnley killed.
Tales of Mary’s impact on the early years of the sport bring back memories of the grand dames of golf that left lasting impressions on me as a kid, teenager, young adult and now in some version of middle age, should I live to be 110.
The club I joined as a 10-year-old was chock full of kind, smart and ambitious women, who saw things a certain way and nudged and carried others along with them.
In many ways the club revolved around these women, though they would never have taken credit.
Part of the role of anniversaries, which at least two local clubs are celebrating big ones this year, is to get you to look backwards and appreciate the evolutions and revolutions that have happened over 50, 90, 125 years.
I didn’t get a chance to meet Mary Queen of Scots, but did meet these women on the course and in the back shop and pro shop, and they left a lasting impression on me.
Mary Lou Archibald, Eleanor Sheedy, Barb Williamson, Madeleine Clarke, Lois Monkman, Carol Foster and Molly Dunham were pillars of the ladies’ section, social events and OLGA competitions.
They were board members and presidents and conveners, advancing the game for girls and women and all golfers across the region.
Judy Faulkner and Cheryl Coombes were the best junior girls I ever saw hit a ball, and I regret never playing with either of them.
Joy Rishor probably had the most impact on me personally when I think of setting examples of duty, leadership, service, getting involved in the things that make a club survive and thrive through the ages.
Through thick and thin, her quiet, confident demeanour, in combination with her silky smooth, timeless swing, are not just to be admired but need to be duplicated in future generations.
I sometimes worry that the biggest risk our clubs face are not the five-hour rounds or full tee sheets, but the absence of the next generation of members who believe in service above self, and in giving back to the game more than they take.
Yes, the membership roster is full. But where’s the next Joy, the Molly and the Eleanor? One Carol. Two Carols. We need the third.
Where’s our own Mary Queen of Scots?