European Senior Womens Golf Association

Senior Women’s Golf in Europe

The formation of the European Senior Ladies’ Golf Association (ESLGA) in 1984 marked a pivotal extension of the senior women’s movement that had begun six decades earlier with Britain’s Veteran Ladies’ Golf Associations. Where those early groups created national communities for women over fifty, the ESLGA gave them a continental voice — uniting senior women’s associations across Europe under shared values of friendship, competition, and continuity.

Its founders, led by Marisa Sgaravatti of Italy, transformed informal international matches into a structured European network, giving senior women a distinct presence beyond their national federations. The ESLGA’s origins lie in Sgaravatti’s 1981 invitation to players from neighbouring countries to meet for friendly matches; by 1984, this initiative had grown into the European Senior Women’s Golf Association (ESWGA), which later evolved into the ESLGA. In 2006, the European Golf Association formally accepted the European Senior Ladies’ Team Championship into its calendar — a symbolic recognition of senior women’s golf as part of Europe’s official amateur structure.

Today, the ESLGA represents 18 national senior women’s associations — from Sweden and Switzerland, whose senior movements began in the 1960s and 1970s, to Slovenia, which joined in 2025. Together, they form a network that has sustained competitive amateur golf for women aged 50 and above, while cultivating friendships that cross borders and generations.

Yet the ESLGA’s membership also reveals a geographical divide. The United Kingdom’s senior women’s associations — though historically the originators of veteran and senior women’s golf — remain outside the ESLGA. This reflects a long-standing independence within British golf governance and, more recently, the practical effects of Brexit and differing institutional priorities. While UK senior women’s golf has continued within national frameworks under the R&A’s sphere, continental Europe has built its own cooperative model, strengthening a sense of shared European identity within the game.

Marisa Sgaravatti and the Legacy of the Sgaravatti Trophy

Few names embody the spirit of European senior women’s golf more completely than Marisa Sgaravatti. A competitive amateur with vision and persistence, she saw that senior women across Europe needed more than national events — they needed connection. Her efforts from 1981 onwards united players from Italy, France, and Switzerland into regular matches that soon developed into the first continental tournaments.

In recognition of her leadership, the Marisa Sgaravatti Trophy was established — an annual team event that remains the ESLGA’s flagship competition. Played in the spirit of camaraderie and friendly rivalry, it honours Sgaravatti’s conviction that golf could bridge national, linguistic, and generational divides. The Trophy has since become a cultural cornerstone of the ESLGA: a living symbol of continuity, respect, and the enduring visibility of senior women within amateur golf.

Significance Today

Four decades after its founding, the ESLGA continues to represent one of the most active and inclusive forces in women’s amateur golf. Its expanding calendar — from the Sgaravatti Trophy to the Masters Team Championship and numerous international opens — now engages hundreds of players each year, providing senior women with a competitive stage equal in stature to their male counterparts.

Beyond the tournaments themselves, the ESLGA stands as a community of continuity. It preserves the traditions of volunteerism, integrity, and lifelong participation that have shaped women’s golf since the early 20th century, while welcoming new nations and younger seniors into its ranks. Its cooperative relationship with the European Golf Association demonstrates how senior women’s golf can thrive both within and alongside formal governance — autonomous yet recognised, independent yet influential.

Although the United Kingdom’s senior women remain outside its structure, the ESLGA has nonetheless defined a European model of leadership and solidarity. It shows that senior women’s golf is not a nostalgic afterthought, but a dynamic continuation of the amateur spirit — a testament to resilience, fellowship, and equality across generations.

History of ESLGA

The ESLGA began life via the earlier name European Senior Women’s Golf Association (ESWGA). According to its website:

“In 1981 Marisa Sgaravatti … started to create tournaments between three countries in Europe. … In 1984 Anne Bouton, France, suggested starting a European Team Tournament. The ESWGA was established and has since organised this competition annually.”

The website notes that from 1984–2005 the ESWGA organised the senior women’s team championships. In 2006 the EGA accepted the European Senior Women’s Team Championship.
At a delegates’ meeting in Helsinki on 17 July 2012 the members decided to draw up formal statutes for the association and adopt the changed name “European Senior Ladies’ Golf Association (ESLGA)”
The ESLGA is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
ESLGA currently has 18 member national senior ladies associations (as of May 2025).

Key timeline

1981: informal cross-country senior women’s tournaments begin (via Marisa Sgaravatti)
1984: ESWGA formally established under Anne Bouton with their first team tournament
2006: EGA accepts European Senior Ladies’ Team Championship as official event
2012: Renaming to ESLGA, new statutes adopted

ESLGA’s Attempt / Relationship with EGA

ESLGA (and its predecessor ESWGA) organised senior ladies events (team & individual) within Europe, but the earlier body (ESWGA) was “never officially recognised” by the EGA according to ESLGA’s own history.
The history page notes: “In 2006 the European Senior Team Championship was accepted by the EGA …” meaning from then the EGA took over the organisation of the team championship for senior ladies
The EGA now organises the European Senior Ladies’ Team Championship (for women aged 50+) and the European Senior Ladies’ Championship (individual event established 1996) under its umbrella.
Meanwhile, ESLGA continues to run its own calendar of senior ladies competitions such as the Marisa Sgaravatti Trophy (team), and since 2014 the Masters Team Championship (for senior ladies).
Thus, the relationship is somewhat dual-track:
- The EGA handles the “official European championship” events for senior ladies (individual and team) with full recognition.
- The ESLGA runs a broader network-type association, with member national senior ladies associations, and organises additional events under its own statutes.
Important to note: the ESLGA’s history emphasises that the earlier ESWGA was “never officially recognised” by the EGA. That suggests that senior ladies golf had to negotiate inclusion in the EGA-structure.

Role of ESLGA in European Senior Women’s Golf

ESLGA acts as a continental network for national senior women’s (50+) golf associations. Its objectives include: “to promote and facilitate the game of golf and friendly relations between its members.”
It publishes a calendar of senior ladies international tournaments (singles, doubles, team) across Europe.
It sets rules for its tournaments, including eligibility (female amateurs aged 50+, or for certain events 65+) and handicaps.
It hosts multi-nation events (for example the Marisa Sgaravatti Trophy) open to its member associations’ teams.
It supports national senior women’s associations by providing a structure for cross-border competition beyond the EGA championships.
It represents a voice for senior women’s golf at European level, particularly for the amateur side (women 50+).
Through its membership list (18 national bodies) it signals the growth of senior women’s golf across Europe.
It creates opportunities for senior women amateurs to continue international competition (beyond national senior ladies events).
It also facilitates social and networking elements among senior women golfers across Europe — emphasising friendly relations, social golf, and competitive structure with handicap limits.

The Lack of UK Senior Women’s Golf Associations / UK Involvement & Brexit Considerations

Evidence of limited visible UK national senior women’s body involvement

The ESLGA lists 18 members, but publicly the UK (or its constituent nations) isn’t obviously prominent in the publicly-posted list of members, the list can be found HERE
In the UK, senior women’s team golf is managed through the umbrella of national bodies, there is no national senior womens golf assocation in the UK, there are regional seniorw womens golf associations in England and National associations in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Possible reasons (including Brexit)

Brexit:

With the UK leaving the European Union, some UK sports bodies have re-examined their international affiliations, but golf is largely globally governed via British & Irish organisations and international federations (not EU). So Brexit per se may not formally prevent UK senior women’s associations from being members of ESLGA.
However, Brexit may have introduced administrative or regulatory complexities (travel, funding, coordination) for UK organisations working in European-wide bodies. That could reduce participation or prioritisation.
Organisational structure:
The UK has a complex golf governance structure: e.g., England Golf, Scottish Golf, Wales Golf, R&A (covering multiple nations).
Without a clearly designated senior-women specific national body (with membership and standalone identity) then ESLGA affiliation may be harder to manage.

UK Visibility & priorities:

Senior women’s golf might not receive the same focus or resources as senior men’s golf or senior women’s professional golf in the UK. That could lead to less engagement in Europe-wide senior ladies associations.
Funding and travel:
Cross-Europe competition for seniors may require budget, coordination, travel. Post-Brexit changes (customs, travel insurance, funding) could make UK bodies more cautious about affiliating or sending teams.
Alternative focus:
If ESLGA membership requires a separate national senior ladies association recognised by the national federation, and the UK nations don’t set up such independent bodies, UK Senior Women may simply not be eligible or choose not to be members.

Consequences for UK senior women golfers

The UK may have less representation in the ESLGA’s events or governance compared to some continental Europe countries.
That could lead to UK senior women missing out on cross-border senior ladies networks, tournaments under ESLGA, and potentially less influence in European senior ladies golf development.
It might create a gap in the historical record of senior women’s competition in Europe when comparing UK vs continental Europe.

Commentary

From a historical and strategic perspective, several observations emerge:

Institutional recognition is a long-haul process. The senior women’s body in Europe started informally in the early 1980s (via ESWGA). It took until 2006 for a senior ladies team championship to gain formal recognition via the EGA. The period from 1984 to 2012 shows the time taken for formalising statutes, adopting a name (ESLGA) and linking with European governance. That suggests that senior women’s golf has historically been “behind” other sectors (e.g., senior men) in terms of institutional embedding.
Dual structures exist. ESLGA and EGA each play roles. ESLGA provides a membership network and additional events; the EGA handles the major official championships. For historians, this dual structure means one must track both bodies when mapping senior women’s golf.
National variation is significant. Some countries (like Sweden) have clear, separate senior ladies associations that are members of ESLGA. Others (notably the UK) seem less integrated in that continental body. This suggests that national institutional structures and priorities matter a lot for senior women’s golf development.
Brexit and UK involvement are worth noting, though Brexit may be less of a formal blocker than organisational/institutional issues. Still, post-Brexit regulatory and administrative burdens, funding shifting, and changing priorities may have contributed to lower UK senior‐women engagement in Europe-wide structures. For the history project, it may be worth exploring whether UK senior women’s associations have chosen to affiliate (or not) with ESLGA or whether they felt less need to.
Visibility and legacy. Because senior women’s golf often receives less media, fewer high-profile events, and fewer institutional resources compared to elite or men’s senior golf, it is easy for the historical footprint to be patchy. Bodies like ESLGA help fill that gap by preserving records (e.g., tournaments, membership). In your historical project you will want to capture their contributions (tournaments, membership growth, cross-border links) but also identify where gaps remain (e.g., smaller countries, UK non-affiliation, older archival records).