The November 1938 edition of Golf Monthly featured a fascinating tale of a highly unusual match played at Maylands Essex, where the mighty Henry Cotton took on three highly acclaimed female golfers, Lady Heathcote-Amory, Enid Wilson and Reve Lacoste, playing the best ball of the three.
The match made the front cover, large crowds ambling down the fairway in pursuit of the game, as well they might given it was the first of its kind. Enid Wilson reported for Golf Monthly from the heart of the match, and got her excuses in early. “Without wishing to belittle Cotton’s victory in any way, it is fair to say that Lady Amory was not playing in the vein that made her invincible in her championship days…”
Cotton won 4&3, but the competitors completed the round with Cotton taking 67 blows to the best ball of the ladies of 71, this on a par 74 course. The full story on a ground-breaking game can be found here.
