Historic moments in women's golf

The last decade has been a good one for women's golf. With the increasing number of prestigious clubs finally opening their doors to female members, the triumphant return of golf to the Olympics and the rising popularity of women's golf tournaments, there has been an introduction of a whole new generation of professional women's golfers. It is nice to see that the sport is offering new avenues for both new and old golfers, but today we are going to reflect on the steps that led us here.

1542-1587 – First recorded woman golfer, Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Stuart has had a lot written and debated about her, but one of the most notably distinct and personable recorded details is about her indisputable love of golf. Throughout much of her life she enjoyed playing the sport, and was even involved in controversy when she was spotted enjoying a few rounds of the sport a few days after her husband's assassination. Mary was also responsible for commissioning a certain St Andrews Golf Course and may even have been the inventor of the term ‘caddie’.

1867 – The St Andrews Ladies’ Putting Club is established

Between the time of Mary Stuart playing and 1867, the golfing game had grown exponentially and had attracted a number of female enthusiasts. A small number of women began using an old putting green on St Andrews course and soon established themselves as the first ladies golfing club, known as the St Andrews Ladies’ Putting Club. This marked the start of ladies golf becoming a recognised pastime, and began a trend of similar clubs being started around the country.

1894 – The Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) is formed

By 1894 women's golf had become so popular that they formed a union. This was hosted in St Andrews and has been a fundamental organisations in women's golf since. The union now represents over two hundred thousand people. The year was made even more notable by the advent of the first Ladies' British Amateur Championship. This was held in Royal Lytham & St Anne's, and was won by Lady Margaret Scott.

1935-1955 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias takes the golf industry by storm

Babe Didrikson Zaharias had always been interested in sports and had enjoyed success in several before she decided to stick to golf and really give it her all. In 1938 she was the first woman to compete in the Los Angeles Open, a men's PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) tournament.

She missed the cut, but this was just the start of her career. Between then and the year of her death in 1956, she would go on to win over 82 competitions as both an amateur and professional golfer, including the British Ladies Amateur and the U.S Women’s Open.

1976 – First British Women's Open

In 1976 the LGU set out plans to host the first British Women’s Open Championship, in an attempt to rival that of the Open Championship. It took a while to get the prestige that the organisers wanted, but eventually, in 2007, the tournament was hosted for the first time in St Andrews. The event now represents one of the most popular women’s golf events worldwide.

2014 – St Andrews opens its doors to female members

In 2014, after 260 years of male only membership, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews voted to allow female members. This marked a massive breakthrough for women's golfers and started a chain of other prestigious golfing resorts opening their doors.

In summary

These are just a few of the amazing events which have led women's golf to be the industry it is today. We are very fortunate to live in a world where we are able to enjoy a game and be a part of such a thriving community and, with a little luck, this marks the start of even more exciting opportunities in the future.

Photo by Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com