``Some guys talk sometimes when I hit off in front of them, especially when I'm hitting from the whites,'' said Sue Cory of Berwyn, one of eight WAPL entrants from the extended Philadelphia area. ``Then they'll see me smoke it down the fairway, and the bitching stops.
``They expect us to be horrible. But when they see us play, they don't grouse anymore. I've been matched up with strangers to make a foursome. Most are very nice. Some grumble, but then they knock it off.''
For Newtown's Marian Read, it's coping with some well-intentioned but narrow-minded people.
``I still get it sometimes when I walk up to the men's tees,'' Read said. ``They say, `The women's tees are up there.' I'll stay where I am, and they'll tell me again. They don't say much after I hit it.
``There was another case when I remember walking into a local golf store about a month or two ago, and the first question out of the [salesman's] mouth was, `Are you looking for a starter's set?' I guess they assume any woman in their store is playing at the beginner level.''
It's not always easy learning the game or maintaining a high level of play on public courses. But Cory and Allison Long, who both play out of Kimberton, and Read, who does her golfing at Center Square, compete in women's associations, and rarely get guff from the regulars.
Of course, there's also having to juggle golf with jobs and, in the case of Long, children.
``I have two small kids and a full-time job, so I usually can't get away to play,'' said Long, who lives in Thorndale, Chester County. ``The kids are 7 and 4. They're a little too young to take on the course, but I do take them to the practice tee and let them hit a little. But if I wasn't practicing for this tournament, I'd be lucky to get out once every two weeks.''
