Who is the world's first female golfer? 10:00, 30/12/2022

Golf has long been no longer a "domain" for gentlemen. Currently, more and more pink balls appear on the golf course, which means that women's golf is also growing and asserting its position.

According to statistics from the National Golf Foundation, in 2021 the number of female golfers worldwide has increased to an all-time high, nearly 6.2 million. This number is the result of an increase of 450,000 female golfers in 2020, bringing the number of women on the golf course to more than 6 million for the first time since 2007.

Golf originated in Scotland in the mid-15th century. The first recorded record of golf here is the ban on playing this game by James II in 1452 because it caused the soldiers here to neglect archery practice. King James IV later lifted the ban in 1502 when he himself became a golfer.

So when did women come to golf and who was the first female golfer in the world? Let's find the answer with Vietnam Golf Magazine through this article!

Who was the world's first female golfer?

It is a fact that before women's golf developed as it is today, women had to struggle to participate in this sport. Because since its inception, this sport has been defaulted to men, who are healthy, and women should not play golf. Most golf courses do not allow women to enter.

According to a note written by the secretary of the Royal Liverpool golf club in 1946, it reads: "Thank goodness no woman has ever entered the club, and never will." Women at that time were not even allowed to speak when watching tournaments, sometimes they had to enter through the back door. And it took almost 273 years before The Honorbale Company of Edinburgh Golfers accepted women as members.

Mary, queen of Scotland, ruled Scotland from 1542 to 1567 and is credited by some accounts as the first woman to play golf. During her reign, the famous St Andrews Links golf course was built. Mary is also credited with coining the term “caddie” which is derived from the term “cadets” she used when referring to her assistants.

In 1843, the St Andrews golf club was founded in Scotland and in 1867 the first women's golf club was founded, initially as The Ladies Club of St Andrews. The club was later renamed St Andrews Women's Smash Club and the name persists to this day. After initial struggles for membership, the club grew to 500 members in its first 19 years, and Madeleine Boothby was the club's first president.

When was the first women's golf tournament?

In the world, besides the PGA Tour, which is the largest golf tournament for men, the LPGA women's golf tournament is equally popular in the professional golf world. In Vietnam, 2022 is considered an important milestone for professional women's golf when for the first time in history there is a group for women. In the VGA Tour system, except for the T99 VGA Tour Championship, which is only for men, the rest of the tournaments have a female table. This is also the first time the number of female golfers participating in a professional tournament has surpassed 10.

According to many documents, the first golf tournament for women took place on January 9, 1811, held in the town of Musselburgh, Lothian East, Scotland. The tournament was organized for the wives of local fishermen Musselburgh and Fisherrow, a neighboring town. The event is organized by Musselburgh Golf Club and takes place on the club's 18-hole golf course. The prize for the winner is a shawl, while the 2nd place winner receives two handkerchiefs.

When was the first professional women's golf association founded?

The first professional women's golf association was the WPGA, founded by 13 female golfers in 1950, six years before the LPGA was founded. The establishment of the WPGA helped pave the way for the establishment of the LPGA. At first, the newly formed LPGA struggled with organizing yearlong tournaments, but in 1959 the organization established a division to teach the sport. 

The first televised LPGA Tour was in 1963. Three of the 13 who founded the tournament were Helen Hicks, Babe Zaharias and Patty Berg. Hicks was one of the first famous female golfers to sign a contract with a sportswear company. In 1934, she began her career as a professional golfer and has won two LPGA awards.