🏌️‍♀️ Junior Heritage – The Grassroots of Possibility

Introduction

Junior girls’ golf represents the true beginning of women’s golfing heritage — the place where generations first learned not only the game, but also its values of confidence, integrity, and friendship. From early 20th-century initiatives to today’s global development programs, girls’ golf has always reflected the social opportunities available to women in each era. Its evolution tells the story of how girls found — and often created — their own space in a game that was not built with them in mind.

1️⃣ Early Development (1900–1950) – Schools, Families, and First Opportunities

In the early decades of the 20th century, golf for girls emerged quietly within families, schools, and women’s clubs. Access to courses depended largely on family membership or social position, but even within these limits, young women began forming informal competitions and societies. Schoolteachers and mothers’ committees often organised the first girls’ golf days, while daughters of keen players learned on practice grounds beside their parents.

As women’s golf formalised through the Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) after 1893, the idea of developing a younger generation began to take root. Early junior medals were awarded at club level, but there were no structured national events for girls — until a pioneering woman stepped forward to change that.

2️⃣ Mabel Stringer and the Girls’ Golfing Society (1920s)

Mabel Stringer, a visionary organiser and accomplished player, recognised that the future of women’s golf depended on engaging girls from an early age.
In the 1920s she founded the Girls’ Golfing Society, creating a community that offered inter-school and club competitions at a time when few existed.

Her approach was revolutionary: the Society combined social activity, education, and sport, ensuring that girls not only learned to play but also to participate as organisers and leaders. This early emphasis on self-management foreshadowed the independence that would later define women’s golf governance.

The Society’s events encouraged girls to travel, make friends, and see golf as a shared experience — not just an individual pursuit. Through Mabel Stringer’s initiative, girls’ golf gained visibility and legitimacy, influencing both local clubs and national women’s associations.

3️⃣ Post-War Growth and Formal Junior Programs (1950s–1980s)

After the Second World War, junior golf gained new importance as clubs sought to rebuild membership and community spirit.
Women’s committees and LGU county branches began organising formal girls’ championships, while schools and youth organisations introduced golf alongside other sports.

In the United States, the USGA’s Girls’ Junior Championship (founded 1953) became a model for structured youth competition. Similar events soon followed in Canada, Australia, and across Europe. These post-war decades established the principle that girls’ golf deserved the same infrastructure and recognition as boys’ programs — a crucial turning point in global women’s golf development.

4️⃣ Modern Grassroots Programs (1990s–Present)

By the late 20th century, junior golf had become a recognised pillar of national development strategies.
Initiatives such as LPGA*USGA Girls Golf (USA), Girls Golf Rocks (England), and GolfSixes Leagues (Europe) brought thousands of girls into the game.
The creation of the Junior Open Championship (R&A, 1994) and the World Junior Girls Championship (2014) reflected the internationalisation of opportunities once available only to a few.

These programs emphasise inclusion, mentorship, and fun — echoing the spirit of Mabel Stringer’s 1920s ideals, but within modern frameworks that embrace diversity and global participation.

5️⃣ Key Figures in Junior Heritage

Commentary – Legacy and Continuity

Junior heritage is more than the story of how girls began playing golf; it is the foundation of women’s leadership and inclusion within the sport.
Each generation of girls who learned through these programs contributed not only to player development but also to the continuity of women-led organisation in golf.

From Mabel Stringer’s early societies to today’s digital mentoring platforms, the principle remains unchanged: when girls are given access, encouragement, and a sense of belonging, they stay in the game for life.

Modern initiatives stand on the shoulders of these early pioneers — echoing their values of friendship, confidence, and opportunity. The story of junior girls’ golf is therefore not just the beginning of a pathway, but the root of an entire culture that sustains women’s golf around the world.