Formation and Early Role
The Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association (SLGA) was founded in 1904 to administer and promote women’s amateur golf across Scotland. It was established by the leading women’s clubs of the time to organise national championships and to represent Scottish women golfers at home and abroad. The SLGA became responsible for the Scottish Ladies’ Amateur Championship (first held in 1903 before formalisation) and soon after coordinated inter-club and inter-county matches, shaping the structure of women’s competitive golf in Scotland.
Governance and Growth
Throughout the 20th century, the SLGA was managed largely by volunteers—often elite amateur players and club administrators—who built a strong and independent tradition of women’s golf. Membership came through affiliated clubs rather than individual players, ensuring wide representation across Scotland’s golfing regions.
International Influence
The SLGA was one of the founding members of the Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU), sharing governance of women’s golf at the British level. It played a key role in developing Scottish teams for the Home Internationals and the Curtis Cup, producing world-class players such as Belle Robertson, Kathryn Imrie, and Catriona Matthew.
Merger and Modern Era
In 2015, the SLGA merged with the Scottish Golf Union (SGU) to form a single governing body, Scottish Golf, bringing men’s and women’s golf administration together for the first time. While this unification was intended to streamline governance and funding, some concerns were expressed that the distinct heritage and focus of women’s golf might become less visible under a combined structure.
Women’s and Senior Women’s Golf Today
Under Scottish Golf, women’s golf continues to be represented in national championships and development programmes, but independent senior women’s golf associations—such as the Scottish Veteran Ladies’ Golf Association (SVLGA), founded in 1909—remain autonomous. These senior organisations retain a strong identity, continuing the legacy of the SLGA’s community-based and player-led ethos.
Commentary
The merger of the SLGA and SGU into Scottish Golf in 2015 marked a new administrative era but also signalled a cultural shift. While the integration aimed to modernise governance and ensure gender equality in decision-making, many within the women’s game observed that the distinct community, history, and leadership tradition built through the SLGA risked dilution within a larger, male-dominated framework.
The continued independence of groups such as the Scottish Veteran Ladies’ Golf Association (SVLGA) shows how senior women have preserved the organisational strength and camaraderie that defined Scottish women’s golf for over a century. These associations remain vital spaces of leadership, competition, and continuity — quietly sustaining the inclusive spirit that the SLGA once championed.