The Strokes of History: Fascinating Historical Photos of Women Playing Golf from the Early 20th Century

At the turn of the 20th century, golf was no longer just a pastime for wealthy men. Women were stepping onto the fairways in growing numbers, despite facing restrictions from clubs that barred female members and a society that questioned whether the sport was suitable for them at all. The game was changing, and so was who got to play it.

Organized support for women golfers came early in Britain. The Ladies’ Golf Union, founded in 1893, gave women a formal structure to compete under in the UK. In the United States, the Women’s Western Golf Association followed in 1901, and the United States Women’s National Golf Association was established in 1917. These organizations gave women’s golf a legitimate foundation at a time when it badly needed one.

Tournaments gave women a stage to prove themselves. The U.S. Women’s Amateur, launched in 1895, and the Women’s Western Open, first held in 1901, attracted serious competitors. These events were not social outings — they were hard-fought competitions that drew skilled players and growing crowds.

Among the standout names of the era, Glenna Collett Vare dominated American women’s amateur golf through the 1920s and into the 1930s. Joyce Wethered of England was widely regarded as the finest woman golfer of her generation. Alexa Stirling won three consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur titles from 1916 to 1920. These players didn’t just win — they redefined what women’s golf looked like.

Women who played golf in the early 1900s did so in full-length skirts and stiff collars — clothing that made a full swing nearly impossible. By the 1920s, fashion had loosened considerably. Shorter hemlines, knickerbockers, and the relaxed silhouettes of the flapper era allowed for more freedom of movement. The shift in clothing reflected the broader shift in how women approached the sport: with serious athletic intent.

Golf’s reach during this era stretched far beyond the elite country clubs of Britain and America. Women played on ocean liners mid-voyage, in public parks, and at resort courses across Europe. The sport was finding new audiences, and women were a major part of that expansion.

The photographs from this period capture something that statistics alone cannot. A woman navigating a sand trap at a 1913 tournament, the gallery watching intently at St Andrews in 1908, Mrs. Winston Churchill teeing off at Cannes — these images show women fully engaged in the sport, not as novelties, but as genuine participants.

Babe Didrikson, who later became known as Babe Zaharias, burst onto the golf scene in the 1930s after winning two Olympic gold medals in track and field in 1932. She turned to golf with the same intensity and quickly became one of the most photographed athletes in the country. Patty Berg was another dominant force — a champion amateur who turned professional and competed aggressively well into the 1950s.

The 1930s brought the Great Depression, and its effects hit golf hard. With less disposable income across the board, clubs lost members and tournaments struggled to find sponsors. Yet women’s golf kept going. Championships were still held, players still competed, and new names continued to emerge even in lean years.

Championship golf brought women to some of the most storied courses in the world. The 1908 Ladies Golf Championship Final at St Andrews pitted Maud Titterton against Dorothy Campbell in front of a large crowd. Campbell won the title that year and went on to claim two U.S. Women’s Amateur titles. Events like these pushed women’s golf into the mainstream sports press for the first time.

Germany and France also had active women’s golf scenes. German publications featured women golfers as early as 1906, and French resort towns like Le Touquet attracted society women to the links. The sport was genuinely international, threading through the leisure culture of multiple countries simultaneously.