The story of organized amateur golf in Massachusetts starts with women. The Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts was founded in 1900, three years prior to men forming their own organization, the Massachusetts Golf Association. While both organizations have since merged to form Mass Golf, the legacy that was built by the women in Massachusetts is far from forgotten.
In many circumstances, some of the most noted female names in Massachusetts golf history remained affixed to titles of championships, tournaments, and awards given to today’s amateur golfers. Others have stepped up to serve more than just the game, but their communities and their country as well.
This Women’s History Month, we recognize the remarkable women who changed the game forever, and laid the foundation for bringing people together in our game.
Two week after first coming together in Boston, a collective of female golf leaders from The Country Club, Oakley Country Club, Brae Burn Country Club, and Concord Country Club, reconvened and voted to establish the Women’s Golf Association in Boston with a ojective: “The object of this Association shall be to promote interest in the game of Golf.” It was a simple yet profound goal that sought to bring greater structure, camaraderie, and opportunity to the sport, especially for the growing number of golf enthusiasts in the Boston area.
In pursuit of this aim, they organized what is now the Women’s Spring Team Matches, interclub matches designed to foster friendly rivalry and elevate the standard of play among local clubs. Additionally, they established an Association Championship (today’s Massachusetts Women’s Amateur) that was held in October at Oakley Country Club.
At a time when golf was rapidly gaining popularity, especially among women, the formation of such an association represented a significant step forward in broadening access and involvement in the game.
As the Boston Evening Transcript reported at the time:
With a commendable spirit of enterprise which is particularly laudable considering the apathy of the masculine golfers of Boston… the women of this city have formed one [association] to direct the golfing enterprises of the fair sex… Miss Louise Wells, the secretary, was the prime mover in the association, and too much credit cannot be given to her for not only appreciating the value of the idea to women golfers, but for her untiring efforts to carry it out.
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Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the trailblazers, champions, and innovators who have left an indelible mark on history. In the world of golf, Massachusetts has been home to some of the game’s fiercest competitors, shaping the sport as it grew in the United States.
From Pauline Mackay’s groundbreaking victory in 1905 to Shannon Johnson’s triumph in 2018, these remarkable women have left their mark on history by hoisting United States Golf Association trophies.
Here’s a look back at each winning moment, plus more about their individual legacies.
In the all-Massachusetts final, Nantucket native Pauline Mackay defeated co-medalist Margaret Curtis, 1-up, to win the 1905 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.
“I think golf must be a sixth sense with me,” she told an interviewer after that victory, “I love it so, and it came to me so naturally; but I do thoroughly believe no woman can become a proficient player without taking excellent care of her health… and I think the spirit of competition a woman feels in playing with men is a great aid in strengthening her game.”
Mackay played golf on the island but also played at Oakley Country Club, a founding member of the Women’s Golf Association of Boston. She also won consecutive Mass Women’s Amateur titles in 1905 and 1906.
Before founding the Curtis Cup competition, both Harriot and Margaret Curtis were among the state’s earliest and most accomplished competitors. While Margaret Curtis won more often, older sister Harriot was the first to win a national title between the siblings. In 1906 at Brae Burn Country Club, Harriot defeated Mary Adams of Wollaston Golf Club, 2&1 in the final. The following year at Midlothian Country Club, south of Chicago, Margaret won medalist honors with a score of 95 and defeated Harriot in the final, 7&6.
Margaret, who first qualified at age 13 and competed 23 times over a 53-year span (1897-1949), earned consecutive titles in 1911 & 1912. At Baltusrol Golf Club (NJ), she defeated Scotland’s Dorthy Hurd, who was previously unbeaten in the U.S. in the semifinals en route to victory. The next year, at her home club, Essex County Club, she defeated Lillian Barlow in the final 3&2, earning her sixth stroke-play medal in the process.
If you hadn’t looked closely, you wouldn’t have realized that Katherine C. Harley was a two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion. In 1908, the Fall River Country Club member won the title at Chevy Chase Club (MD), winning the final 6&5. Six years later, at Nassau Country Club (NY), she played under the name Mrs. H Arnold Jackson and had become a member of Oakley Country Club. In the final that year, she defeated Elaine Rosenthal, 1-up. She later won the 1917 Mass Women’s Amateur, joining the short list of golfers who have captured both titles.
The final round of the 1981 U.S. Women’s Open at La Grange Country Club (IL) was once referred to as “the most spirited final round the Women’s Open has known.” In the end, Westford native Pat Bradley edged Beth Daniel by one stroke. On the final hole, with both able to reach in two, Daniel played a big tee shot and then went for the green with a 3-wood. However, the ball hooked to the left of the green. Bradley’s first two shots left her neatly in front of the green. She then lofted a soft sand wedge shot just two feet from the hole. Knowing she would have to hole her pitch shot for an eagle, Daniel nearly did, barely missing the hole. Both players made their short putts, but Bradley’s final round of 66 gave her the edge.
Bradley, the lone Bay State woman inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame (1991), was the first to win all four major golf championships in her career and the first to crack career winnings that surpassed $2 million, $3 million, and $4 million.
Note: Bradley has donated her 1981 U.S. Women’s Open Trophy, plus over 100 unique items from her collection, to Mass Golf. Later this year, these items will be on display as part of the newly-created Pat Bradley Room at the William F. Connell Golf House in Norton. More Info >
Marion Maney of Charles Country Club was already an established competitor, with wins in the 1992 Mass Women’s Open and 1992 Endicott Cup, plus a semifinal appearance in the 1991 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. But her signature victory will always be her 1992 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur victory as an underdog against Carole Semple Thompson, a legend from Pennsylvania, in the final. In the see-saw battle over the first 18 holes, neither player enjoyed more than a 1-up advantage. But Maney prevailed with a two-foot par putt on the 19th hole at Old Marsh Golf Club in Florida to hoist the trophy.
Maney has also won the 1987 Massachusetts Women’s Amateur, the Massachusetts Women’s Stroke Play Championship for the Baker Trophy (1990 & 1995), and the Massachusetts Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship for the Keyes Cup (1984, 1985, 1990).
In a close match throughout, Shannon Johnson made a birdie on the par-5 18th at Norwood Hills Country Club (MO) to defeat defending champion Kelsey Chugg of Utah in the final, 1-up. Johnson, who was runner-up two years prior, set up her winning two-putt finish by striping a 225-yard 7-wood to within 20 feet. Johnson, who is among the storied membership at Thorny Lea Golf Club in Brockton, was the No. 1 seed in match play after shooting 1-under 143 in two rounds of stroke play. In the final, she assumed a 2-up lead for the last time with a curling, 35-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th.
Over the past decade, Johnson has earned the Anne Marie Tobin Women’s Player of the Year Award five times, winning the Mass Women’s Amateur in 2018, with five wins apiece in the Massachusetts Women’s Stroke Play Championship for the Baker Trophy and the Massachusetts Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship for the Keyes Cup.
Though she was born and raised in Connecticut, Grace (Lenczyk) Cronin spent much of her life in Massachusetts, residing in Foxborough for 40 years and competing in several Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts events as a member of Foxborough Country Club.
As a 21-year-old phenom, she won the 1948 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Pebble Beach as well as the Canadian Amateur title. She was also named to the U.S. Women’s Curtis Cup team. At Pebble Beach, she defeated Helen Sigel in the final, 4&3. The 5th hole at The Hay short course in Pebble Beach is named “Grace”, recognizing her 1948 win.
Picture a grand, stately parlor on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. The air is filled with the faint aroma of steeping tea, and the faint hum of city life drifts in from the street. Inside, six women sit together, dressed in elegant, floor-length gowns. At first, the conversation is the usual, updates on family, the latest fashions from Godey’s Lady’s Book, and the athletic triumphs of local sportsmen.
But then, the mood shifts. Miss Grace Keyes of Concord leans forward, placing both hands on her knees. Her voice is steady, her words deliberate.
“What we want, what we need,” she says, scanning the faces of the women around her, “is a way to play and improve at golf. We need more chances to compete. We need to meet other women who love this game as much as we do.”
The room falls silent for a moment before the other women nod in agreement. In that instant, history is set in motion.
On March 5, 1900, these six women unknowingly launched a revolution in women’s sports. Without grand declarations or fanfare, they laid the foundation for what would become the Women’s Golf Association of Boston (WGAB).
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It was no small feat for these women to claim space in a sport that, at the time, was considered largely an exclusive domain of men. Women of their social standing were expected to be refined, poised, and, above all, reserved. The idea of forcefully swinging a club, traveling independently out of state, or organizing a competitive league of their own went against societal expectations. Yet, they did it anyway.
What makes their story even more remarkable is that they didn’t just create opportunities for themselves, they paved the way for generations of women to come. Three years before their male counterparts formed a similar organization, these women built a community that balanced both camaraderie and competition. Their efforts led to the rapid growth of women’s golf in Massachusetts, and within just a few years, thirty clubs had joined their association.
They understood that athletes were not just about competition; they were about creating opportunities for those that would follow. The six women who gathered that day in 1900 could not have imagined that, a century later, more than five million women would be playing golf in the United States. They likely never foresaw that their fight for a place in golf would mirror the broader fight for gender equality in all areas of society.
But what they did know, what they believed in, was the power of the game. They knew that golf could bring them joy, confidence, and a sense of belonging. Most importantly, they knew that they deserved a place on the course, just as much as anybody.
The challenges they faced are different from those faced by women in golf today, but the spirit of their movement remains the same.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
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