Introduction
The story of women’s golf organisations is one of quiet determination and collective vision.
From the formation of the Ladies’ Golf Union in 1893 to the network of national and international bodies that followed, these organisations gave structure and legitimacy to a sport long shaped by exclusion.
They were built not on wealth or privilege alone, but on shared purpose — to create opportunities for women to play, compete, and belong.
Each new association reflected its moment in history: early pioneers defining governance and standards; mid-century leaders safeguarding traditions; and modern administrators navigating the challenges of equality and representation.
Together, they form a timeline not just of administration, but of evolution — charting how women organised themselves to protect and progress the game they loved.
Timeline – Womens Golf Organisations
⚖️ April 1893 – Founding of the Ladies’ Golf Union (UK/IRE)
At St Andrews, the Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) is founded to coordinate women’s competitions and establish a unified handicap system across Great Britain and Ireland.
While Issette Pearson becomes the first honorary secretary and Blanche Hulton the first honorary treasurer, the Union’s creation is also guided by three progressive male allies who supported women’s right to self-govern their sport:
- Laidlaw Purves, member of St Andrews and architect of the men’s Amateur Championship, had previously failed to unite men’s clubs under one body but encouraged Pearson to do so for women. It was Purves who suggested that all ladies’ clubs be invited to participate and share their views on forming a union.
- Talbot Fair (Vice President for the North of England) and H. S. C. Everard (Vice President for Scotland) both lent organisational experience and credibility at a time when such public endorsement from men was rare.
- T. Gilroy represented Ireland, ensuring that the Union was inclusive across the four nations from its inception.
This founding partnership between pioneering women and supportive men established the first truly national structure for women’s golf — a landmark in sporting self-governance and cooperation across gender lines.
Sources: R&A Archives; “Our Ladies of the Green” (1899); “Golfing Ladies” (1984); LGU Centenary publications; Scottish Golf History records
⚖️ 1893 – United Services Ladies’ Golf Club Formed (ENG)
Created in Gosport, Hampshire, by women associated with the military services, showing golf’s spread into diverse social groups.
Sources: Golf’s Missing Links; R&A timeline.
🕰️ ⚖️ 🇿🇦 1907 — South African Women’s Golf Association Founded
Among the earliest women’s golf bodies outside Britain, SAWGA built the foundation for the Ladies Sunshine Tour, producing champions like Sally Little and Lee-Anne Pace.
⚖️ 1911 – Ladies’ Parliamentary Golfing Association founded (UK)
Lady Ellis Griffith approaches Mabel Stringer to help found the Ladies’ Parliamentary Golfing Association for relatives of both Houses of Parliament — reflecting the close ties between early women’s golf and Edwardian social hierarchies.
Source: The Golfing Ladies (1984).
⚖️ 1911 – Ladies’ Medical Golf Society Formed (UK)
A pioneering group for women in medicine, linking professional identity and leisure at a time when women doctors were still rare.
⚖️ 1912 – Ladies’ Legal Golf Association founded (UK)
Formed by Mabel Stringer, connecting women in the legal profession — one of the first female-led associations tied to professional identity rather than family relations.
Sources: LLGA archives; The Golfing Ladies (1984).
⚖️ 1921 – Veteran Ladies Golf Association (VLGA) founded by Mabel Stringer (UK)
Mabel Stringer establishes the Veteran Ladies Golf Association, intended for women aged 50 and over, to promote continued competition and camaraderie in later years of golf. The association quickly gains popularity across the UK.
Source: Golfing Ladies (Rosalynde Cossey, 1984) Senior Women’s Golf Association South (swgasouth.com).
⚖️ 1923 – Further Golf Associations were formed with the support of Mabel Stringer (UK)
Girls Golfing Society, membership was through acceptance to the Girls Open Championship, the first president was Joyce Wethered Mabel Stringer endowed the society with a scratch challenge cup.
London Irish Medical Golfing Society, The Stage and Womens Automobile Sports Association.
Source: Golfing Ladies (Rosalynde Cossey, 1984)
⚖️ 1950 – LPGA Founded (USA)
Thirteen pioneers, Patty Berg, Alice Bauer, Bettye Danoff, Helen Dettweiler, Marlene Hagge, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill , Betty Jameson, Sally Sessions, Marilynn Smith, Shirley Spork, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias create the Ladies Professional Golf Association, formalising the professional era.
Sources: LPGA History Centre; Smith Foundation archives.
⚖️ 1952 – English Women’s Golf Association Formed (England)
The EWGA (formerly ELGA) was founded in 1952 as an offshoot of the Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU), the organisation which governs the female amateur game across the whole of Great Britain and Ireland.
⚖️ 1956 – LPGA Teaching Division Formed (USA)
The LPGA establishes a teaching division to formalize credentials for women professionals and promote instruction as a sustainable career path.
Sources: LPGA archives.
⚖️ 1958 – World Amateur Golf Council Founded (INTL)
Later renamed the International Golf Federation (IGF), it becomes the first global governing body representing amateur golf for both men and women.
Sources: IGF official history; R&A/USGA records.
⚖️ 1964 – Formation of the World Ladies Golf Council (INTL)
National associations collaborate to coordinate international scheduling and governance, paving the way for the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.
Sources: IGF archives; R&A Women in Golf collection.
👑 🌍 🇯🇵 1968 — Japan Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association (JLPGA) Founded
Asia’s first professional women’s golf tour, establishing a powerful domestic circuit that nurtured talent, media coverage, and prize parity. By the 1980s, Japan became a cornerstone of women’s professional golf — producing global champions and record-breaking audiences.
Sources: JLPGA official history.
⚖️ 1969 – Senior Women’s Golf Associations (UK/USA)
Former champions organize to preserve archives and mentorship, bridging generations of women golfers and protecting heritage.
Sources: VLGA and US Senior Women’s Golf Association archives.
⚖️ 1969 – Regional Veteran Ladies Golf Associations Established (UK)
Under the umbrella of the Veteran Ladies Golf Association (VLGA), a formal network of regional associations takes shape:
- Northern Counties VLGA – representing six counties across northern England.
- Midlands Senior Women’s Golf Association (MSWGA) – comprising eleven counties across the Midlands.
- Scottish Senior Women’s Golf Association (SSWGA) – structured into eight regional divisions.
- Southern Women’s Golf Association (SWGA South) – an invitation-based association whose members include many women who have represented their counties and countries. Their experience, leadership, and long service make them deeply influential within the game, both nationally and locally.
Together, these regional associations built an enduring framework for senior women’s golf — sustaining competition, camaraderie, and organisational excellence across generations. For many members, golf became a lifelong vocation — a profession in spirit, if not in pay — and their stewardship continues to shape the culture of the sport today.
Sources: The Golfing Ladies (1984); SWGA South, SSWGA, MSWGA, NCVLGA websites; VLGA archives.
⚖️ 1973 – Women’s Professional Golf Association Founded (UK)
Establishes a British professional circuit that will evolve into the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Sources: British PGA Women’s Division; LET heritage archives.
⚖️ 1981 – Ladies European Tour Officially Founded (EUR)
The Ladies European Tour was founded by 10 women and supported by Carlsberg.
Sue Bamford, Pam Chugg, Julie Smith (née Warby), Cathy Panton-Lewis, Jane Forrest (née Panter), Maxine Burton, Christine Langford, Denise Hastings, Vanessa Marvin, Jenny Lucas (née Lee Smith), Dale Reid (deceased) and Beverly Lewis (deceased).
The LET begins with 12 events and a vision for cross-national competition and professional equality within Europe.
Sources: LET archives; Golf Monthly retrospectives.
⚖️ 1982 – European Senior Women’s Golf Association (ESWGA) Founded (Europe)
A continental association promoting senior women’s team play, camaraderie, and continued competition across national lines.
⚖️ 1991 – Executive Women’s Golf Association (USA) → LPGA Amateurs (2018)
Womens Golf Community & networking.
Sources: EWGA/LPGA Amateurs history.
⚖️ 1992 – Founding of the African Ladies Golf Union (AFR)
Continental coordination begins, promoting women’s golf development and competition across African nations.
Sources: ALG Union archives; South African Golf Federation.
⚖️ 2001 – World Amateur Golf Ranking for Women Introduced (INTL)
The R&A and USGA launch the WAGR, providing formal global ranking recognition for women amateurs.
Sources: R&A press archives; USGA history
🕊️ 🌍 ⚖️ 🇦🇺 2019 — Bonnie Boezeman AO Foundation Established
Created by Bonnie Boezeman AO, this foundation supports the advancement of women in golf through leadership, education, and opportunity.
It provides scholarships, mentorships, and development funding for emerging female professionals in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, particularly through partnerships with the WPGA Tour of Australasia and national high-performance programs.
The foundation reflects Boezeman’s lifelong advocacy for equality in sport and corporate leadership, building bridges between business networks and women’s golf pathways.
“Empowering the next generation of women in golf” — the foundation’s motto encapsulates its mission to sustain momentum for professional and personal growth across the sport.