Scottish quote of the day: Lady Frances Balfour, writer and suffragist

“Golf has ceased to be a peculiarly national game. It is now no longer a pastime for the impecunious Scot, armed with two or three clubs, and a feather ball, it has become a professional sport, pursued by devatating hordes of foreigners among whom the American tongue rises shrill and strident.” - Lady Frances Balfour

If history has a habit of repeating itself, then, in the particular instance that Lady Frances Balfour refers to, it seems especially true of golf; her chastening words echoing in the ears of American golfers cheered on by the beer-fuelled hoots of “in the hole” from spectators at this year’s Ryder Cup.

The quote, taken from Lady Balfour’s autobiography, No Obliviscaris (Dinna Forget), reveals, if not a passion for links players from across the Atlantic, then certainly the qualities of assertiveness and forthrightness she was known for.

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Lady Balfour was actively engaged in politics on both sides of the political divide (her husband’s brother served three terms as a Conservative prime minister, though she was a supporter of William Gladstone’s Liberal government), and was a figurehead for the suffragete movement. She was also noted as one of the highest members of the aristocracy to campaign for women’s rights.

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