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From feminist pioneers to putting pros, the historic journey of the world’s oldest women’s golf club | DailyExpertNews

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Who would you bring back to sink a putt to save your life? Tiger Woods? Jack Nicklaus? Ben Crenshaw?

There are a plethora of questionable options, but it is unlikely that many would look at a group of women in Fife, Scotland, with no professional golf experience, many of whom are much more mature than the average Tour player.

But maybe they should, because to put their life in the hands of the St Andrews Ladies Putting Club would be entrusting it to an organization with over 150 years of short game experience.

Founded in 1867, the group is the oldest women’s golf club in the world, a title owed to a number of tenacious, golf-loving women – and a few disgruntled men.

When the daughters of members of the St. Andrews Royal & Ancient (R&A) Club – widely regarded as the historic birthplace of the game – decided they wanted to play golf, it was not a conventional activity for women. Croquet and archery were the traditional choices among the limited options available.

When the women ventured onto the caddy putt course, used between rounds by those manning the members’ golf bags, the caddies wished they had left almost immediately.

“They didn’t like it at all, and I think the members didn’t like it very much either,” club archivist Eve Soulsby told DailyExpertNews’s The Jazzy Golfer.

But the caddies had a problem: as club employees, they couldn’t complain to the members. A compromise was quickly struck: giving the women a piece of land next to the iconic Swilcan Bridge that they could use as a nine-hole golf course.

It was a rough area, full of rabbit holes, sod and sand, but it was a start. A month later, 22 women took part in the opening tournament of the St Andrews Ladies Golf Club.

The word spread quickly. By the late 1880s membership had grown to 600, including male associate members. Today, there is an ever-growing waiting list to join the 140 members, a number that is kept low to ensure tournaments run smoothly.

Soon after, Old Tom Morris, the course’s resident player and greenkeeper, often referred to as the “founder of golf”, decided it would be a good idea for the ladies to visit the nearby Himalayan section of the course, so called because of its hilly topography.

Morris prepared the area for the club before retiring in 1895 when he was made an honorary member.

Soulsby believes the club’s earliest members played a vital role in helping the women of St Andrews gain more independence at the turn of the century, citing the construction of the Women’s Course, which – in addition to the Himalayan Putting Course – extends to is playable today.

Income collected by visitors to the putting course is donated to local charities, with an exception made last year to donate funds to Ukrainian organizations.

Officially named The Jubilee Course and opened in 1897, the fact that the female-designated 18-hole was called “The Duffers Course” reflected the generally accepted attitude towards women at the time. “We’re pretending that didn’t happen,” Soulsby added.

Among those who carry the torch for those early pioneers today is Sylvia Dunne, the club’s current president.

A member since 2011, Dunne helps organize the group’s weekly tournaments; a two-lap showpiece on Wednesday afternoon and a one-lap match on Thursday morning for the so-called “oldies” who may struggle to manage multiple rounds.

“It’s the camaraderie and everything else, because when you get older and can’t play golf, you could sit at home all day and do nothing, and this is a really very social club,” she said.

“The best thing is afterwards because they have coffee and biscuits and a blither.”

Members of the St Andrews Ladies Putting Club before a match against members of the St Andrews Links in 2018.

Members who won tournaments in the early 20th century may have been lucky enough to take home a royal prize. The club’s first royal gift came from Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, and other trophies followed later from Edward VIII and King George VI.

R&A captains once donated trophies, but now they compete against the Ladies Putting Club in an annual 18 vs. 18 putting competition.

Dunne is one of the club’s most prolific putters, winning six trophies in a single season during her best year. However, she admits that the putting green can be a cruel mistress, even for her.

“I was so annoyed one day recently,” she said. “We have an award for most holes-in-one at the end of the season – so I suggested, isn’t it about time we got an award for most near misses?

“There is a lot of skill involved, but there is also a lot of luck involved. Some days the ball rolls for you and other days it doesn’t fall in the hole.

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