Brenda King
Trailblazer, Champion & Advocate for Senior Women’s Golf

Introduction

Brenda King was a pioneer in every sense — a champion golfer, leader, and visionary who helped create and shape senior women’s golf as we know it today.
Best remembered as the first winner of the British (now English) Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and the driving force behind the establishment of the English Senior Ladies’ Association, Brenda combined fierce competitiveness with warmth, humour, and determination.

Her name lives on through the Brenda King Foursomes, an event born from her example and carried forward by generations of women determined to keep her spirit alive.

Early Life & Background

Born in 1943, Brenda King took up golf at a time when opportunities for women in the game were still limited. A member of Pleasington Golf Club in Lancashire, she quickly developed into a top-class player, achieving scratch status and twice holding the course record.

Within county golf, she was a multiple champion — Northern Counties Champion, Lancashire Veteran Ladies’ Champion, and two-time East Lancashire Ladies’ Champion — achievements that reflected her steady, intelligent play and fierce dedication to improving women’s competition.

Brenda’s calm authority and positive outlook made her a beloved figure in club and county circles, someone equally admired for her sportsmanship as for her ability.

Competitive Career & National Representation

Brenda King’s rise to prominence in senior golf began in the late 1970s, at a time when senior women’s competitive structures were still emerging.

In 1981, she captured national attention by becoming the inaugural winner of the British Open Senior Ladies’ Amateur Championship — a landmark achievement that placed senior women’s golf firmly in the spotlight.

Her international career soon followed:

• 1984 – Represented England at the European Senior Ladies’ Amateur Championship in Le Touquet, where England triumphed over Europe’s best.
• 1985 – Competed again for England in Holland.
• 1986 – Represented England once more in Sweden, strengthening her reputation as one of the leading senior women players of her era.

Even as competition intensified, Brenda continued to play off a handicap of nine until her final years — a testament to her enduring skill and passion.

Advocacy & Leadership

Brenda King’s contribution to women’s golf extended far beyond her personal success. Alongside fellow trailblazer Prue Riddiford, she played a crucial role in establishing the English Senior Ladies’ Association (ESLA) — a pioneering organisation that championed recognition for senior women golfers and worked to gain formal support from the Ladies Golf Union (LGU).

Her determination helped pave the way for senior women to be seen not just as veterans of the game but as vibrant, active competitors with their own distinct voice and identity.

Brenda’s leadership style — inclusive, visionary, and quietly persuasive — helped change perceptions and ensured that senior women’s golf earned its rightful place in England’s competitive structure.

Milestones & Achievements Timeline

Independent Event Note — The Brenda King Foursomes

When England Golf discontinued the Brenda King Foursomes in 2019, many feared the event — and Brenda’s legacy — might fade.
Instead, a passionate volunteer committee of senior women golfers took action, reviving and independently managing the event from 2020 onwards, preserving its founding spirit.

Today, the Brenda King Foursomes stands as a vibrant, player-led celebration of friendship, competition, and shared passion — an enduring symbol of Brenda’s belief in the power of women supporting women in golf.

Legacy & Recognition

Brenda King’s name is now synonymous with senior women’s golf. Her achievements as a player, her courage in founding the English Senior Ladies’ Association, and her continuing influence through the Foursomes all testify to her extraordinary contribution.

She remains an enduring inspiration to every generation of women golfers — proof that dedication, integrity, and vision can reshape a sport.
Through the continued success of the independent Brenda King Foursomes, her legacy is not just remembered — it is lived every year on the fairways she loved.

“Brenda King’s story reminds us that golf’s greatest victories are not only won on the course, but in the hearts and communities we build through it.”