18 September 2023 The Charbonneau Villager
Charbonneau Women ’ s Golf Association
By PATRICIA BOOK
Women ’ s golf has been significant part of Charbonneau from the beginning
The Oxford dictionary defines the term history as the “ study of past events connected with someone or something , as well as our attempts to understand it .” I do not know about you , but history was my
BOOK least favorite subject in
all my years in education . Memorizing names , dates and events without understanding the implications for the present seemed like an endless pursuit of trivia . Furthermore , it seems that frequently mainstream events and people that are highlighted in history often leave out important figures . Perhaps you cannot cover it all ! As a part of the 50th anniversary of CWGA , this month our leaders plan to celebrate the history of women ’ s golf in our society as well as here in Charbonneau .
Chris Bensel , managing golf professional of Charbonneau Golf Club , will address our group at the monthly luncheon the same day this article is due . While I do not know all of what Chris will share with us , I thought I would share a bit of the history of women ’ s golf in the world and in Charbonneau .
Did you know that Mary Queen of Scotts played golf in the mid-1500s and coined the term “ caddie ” after her cadets ? She was also the reigning queen when the famous St . Andrews Links Golf Course was built . It took another 100-plus years for the first women ’ s golf tournament to take place and another 55 years for the world ’ s first ladies golf club “ The Ladies Club St Andrews ,” to materialize . Around the same time , a leading golfer , Issette Miller , invented the first handicapped fold system , enabling golfers like me ( less experience and less skill ) to have a competitive chance when playing . One hundred and thirty years later , the handicap system is still used . The golfing universe should be thanking this pioneer women for her invention ! Fast forward another 40-plus years for Helen Hicks to become the first professional golfer who was endorsed by the sporting company , Wilson- Western . Along with Babe Zaharias , Hicks was also one of the founders of LPGA .
It took 400 years for women ’ s golf to be part of the mainstream , but , thanks to these founding mothers of women ’ s golf , Chris Bensel and a number of previous managing golf professionals , it did not take that long for women ’ s golf to be a significant part of the Charbonneau golfing
See CWGA / 19
COURTESY PHOTO
Charbonneau Golf Club manager Cris Bensel and Carol Riley , vice president of CWGA .
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