It is a mere commonplace to say that golf is largely a matter of temperament, as every one has long recognised the fact. It has been pointed out over and over again. The stolid unemotional player has a great advantage over one who is jumpy and excitable. The former bears bad luck and good luck with equal imperturbability, and regards the vagaries of her opponents with calm indifference; the latter always gets flurried at the wrong moment and is fussed by the least thing. The beginner will be wise to determine from the very start that she will not allow herself to be put off by anything short of an earthquake or a thunderbolt. It is all a matter of habit. The habit of being easily fussed grows dreadfully. At first it is to a great extent imagination with fidgety people that they cannot play because some one stands within their range of vision, or a slight movement is made by some one standing near, or some one gives vent to a suppressed cough when they are in the act of hitting, or a dog bolts across the course in front of the tee, or a caddie looks at them too fixedly, or one of the hundred other trifles occur of which we hear nervy golfers so often complain. But eventually the fancy that they are put off by these trifles becomes so fixed and so strong that their game really suffers. Untoward things will happen, and happen, too, at the most inconvenient moments, but the only way is to make the best of things, to keep a calm ' sough ' as they say in Scotland, and to cultivate a sense of humour.

From the woman's point of view a very important subject in connection with golf is that of clothes. There has been a very great change in the general appearance of women golfers during recent years.

When the game was still in its infancy any clothes were thought good enough for the links, and comfort and smartness were believed to be incompatible. Extraordinary figures of fun appeared, and the papers revelled in caricaturing the golfing girl. Now it is the exception to see any one unsuitably attired. Women have realised the fact that they must have a separate outfit for the game, that shabby best clothes cannot be cut down or adapted. The most difficult part of the tout ensemble to arrange satisfactorily is headgear. Considering the multitude of hats and caps that appear in the shops each year, it is extraordinary how hard it is to find any that are suitable and comfortable for golf. The crochet cap now seems ubiquitous for bad weather. Some years ago motor caps were all the rage, a little later tweed hats, more recently still small felt and beaver hats. These latter stay on splendidly, and when worn in a shade to match or contrast with jersey and skirt look extremely smart. The worst problem is to get a hat for fine weather, one that will shade the eyes from the glare of the sun and yet stay on well enough to resist the onslaught of a sudden breeze. The brim of such a hat must not be too deep at the back, because if it is, the club is very likely to strike against it at the top of the swing, and so the shot is spoiled. A wide hat can always be tied on with a motor veil or piece of ribbon, but such tying on somewhat interferes with comfort and freedom. It also makes the player hot. A few girls play bareheaded, but only those who are very impervious to the heat of the sun's rays can afford to do this without risking the chance of sunstroke or headache.

The recognised garb for the links is a blouse of silk, flannel or cotton, tweed or serge skirt, coat to match, or woollen or silk jersey, neat stockings of either contrasting or harmonising shade, and thick shoes with square heels. The most comfortable collars for blouses are turned-down soft collars of the same material, or those of Peter Pan fashion made in embroidery or lace. A starched linen collar looks smart, but it is apt to hurt one's neck, and also encourages that high-water mark of sunburn which women have to fight so strenuously against when they wish to don evening dress on coming home from a day on the links. A heavy narrow skirt is the most suitable, one that will not blow about readily. Very light clothes, such as cotton frocks, are out of place on the links, as if the course is of at all a hilly character there is bound to be some slight wind. A fairly short skirt looks neater than a long one, as, in wet weather especially, a long skirt is apt to get a draggled appearance after the player has struggled through several sand bunkers. Many people cannot play without some sort of coat or jersey on account of overswinging. In hot weather such folk are placed at a great disadvantage, and they have to decide which is the lesser evil, to roast and be sure of their game, or to be cool and uncertain as to their play. A woolly coat or jersey exercises less restraint than a tweed or serge coat, and nowadays one can get such lightweight jerseys, that the wearer suffers very little inconvenience from them even in warm weather. The ladies' championship meetings are the occasions for finding out the fashions in golfing stockings. Last year the variety of hue and pattern was simply amazing. Most people kept to moderate colours for their principal garments, but they seemed to launch out without any hesitation into the most brilliant stockings. It is very important to have nice footgear on the links, as the feet are so much en evidence. Shoes or boots can be worn according to preference. In very wet weather boots afford greater protection, but they are more tiring to wear than shoes, and as completely waterproof footgear is almost impossible to obtain, and the player must change whichever she wears on coming in, it does not make much difference. Fringed tongues are good things with shoes, as they keep the water from soaking in through the aperture for the laces. In wet weather the only way one can get a good grip of the ground is to wear nails. On fine days Scaife's patent soles or the big indiarubber rings are preferable, as they are much less tiring. In wet weather rubber slips. Some people use tennis shoes, but to my mind the absence of heel is a very great drawback. It is a very good plan to wear an ordinary pair of shoes up to the club-house, and only to change into golfing shoes immediately before playing, changing again directly the round is finished. By so doing a great deal of wear and tear of the feet is saved. While speaking about changing, it may be as well to say a word about the great desirability of girls taking a complete change with them whenever they go out for a day's golf, no matter what the appearance of the weather when they leave home. It is a great bore sometimes to have to carry a change and a bag of clubs, but to do so is very essential for the avoidance of chills and colds. For a player to sit about in wet clothes, or to travel home by train or motor in drenched garments, is most dangerous. Chills are the foundation of nearly all serious illness, and although we cannot always prevent the catching of a chill, we can do a great deal by taking reasonable precautions to lessen the possibility.