Women's Golf Event History
The Women's Club Championship (Est. 1901)
The first Women’s Club Championship event was held in 1901, won by Mrs S.R. Innes-Noad. Mrs D.R. Eden was champion 11 times between 1902 and 1919, with five back-to-back wins. Mrs Dot Hood was also champion 11 times between 1921 and 1948. Post-war winners to dominate the Honour Board include Mrs G. Bayer with seven wins; Mrs K.T. Hauritz, Mrs I.J. Hughes and Miss T.F.Dunn with five wins each; and the 2016 Women’s Club Champion, Lynne Conroy, has ten championships to her name, with a record-breaking six back-to-back wins from 2003 to 2008.
Joan Fletcher Matchplay Championship (Est. 2014)
Formerly the Weekend Championships
Formerly known as the Weekend Championships, this event was upgraded to an Honour Board event in 2014 and renamed in honour of Miss Joan Fletcher. All ladies eligible to play on Saturday are eligible for entry to this event.
Miss Joan Fletcher joined the Club in the early 1950s and all who remember her through the 1960s and 1970s recall her as a modest, thoughtful and generous person, an exceptional golfer with a beautiful swing and an infectious enthusiasm for the game of golf. Her golfing accomplishments are inspirational and include runner-up in the Australian Championships 1948, 1955 and 1956; winner of the Australian Foursomes Championship in 1956 and 1958; Winner of the New Zealand Foursomes Championship 1949, 1956; semi-finalist in the British and Italian Championships 1959; winner of eight Queensland Championships between 1948 and 1964 and winner of two Queensland Mixed Foursomes, with Peter Davies in 1959.
Joan campaigned tirelessly for the rights of the Associate members, particularly for Saturday morning playing rights, was the instigator of the Brisbane Cup, an A-grade ladies competition for weekend players. She also donated the Brisbane Salver in 1974 to be played in conjunction with the Brisbane Cup, and campaigned relentlessly for the amendment of ladies dress regulations to allow slacks and shorts to be worn (albeit no more than four inches from the floor when kneeling).
Joan attended the Club in 2014 to present the inaugural winner of the Joan Fletcher Matchplay Championship to Mrs Angela Fong.
Club Foursomes Championship (Est. 1986)
A foursomes event played over 36 holes. Mrs I.J. Hughes and Mrs M.J. Rankin won back-to-back events in 1986 and 1987, with Mrs Hughes again winning with Mrs D.J. Collins in 1988, 1990 and 1994.
Macartney Cup (Est. 1930)
Formerly the President's Cup (1912 to 1928)
Both cups were presented by the Hon (later Sir Edward) E.H. Macartney M.L.A. for foursomes match play competition. A resume of Macartney’s involvement with the Club is given in Chapter 34 (The Members’ Honour Board Events) of “The Fairways are Mine”.
By 1929, the President’s Cup was fully inscribed with the names of the winners and Macartney suggested that it be played over two events with the winner keeping the President’s Cup. The Associates wished the cup to remain the property of the club, so Macartney donated a second cup, to be known as the Macartney Cup.
The conditions for play were set as:
1. combined handicap limited to 30;
2. qualifying round of 18 holes;
3. first 16 to qualify for match play; and
4. players to retain the same handicap throughout the event.
A committee suggestion in 1932 to reduce the number of qualifiers to eight pairs was not agreed to at an Annual General Meeting although this was trialled a few years later on and a complementary competition for higher handicapped players was commenced in 1935. A proposal to change from foursomes to a fourball competition was defeated by a large majority at the 1937 Annual General Meeting.
In 1947, Sir Edward McCartney agreed to the following altered conditions of play:
1. The qualifying round played on half combined handicap with 16 pairs to qualify.
2. For Division 1, each player must be on 25 handicap and under, with the Division 2 handicap from 26 to 36.
3. Three-eights the difference of the aggregate handicap to apply, with strokes taken according to the match play index. Extra holes to be played until a decision is reached.
4. All matches must play on the day and time specified.
5. Order of play of partners may be changed in succeeding matches.
6. Players in motorised buggies may not qualify for Division 1.
Conditions of play have always been contentious with debates at several Annual General Meetings during the 1950s and in 1996-97 the second division handicap range was changed to 26 to 45. Discussions on handicap ranges for the two divisions occurred again in 2010, at which time it was declared that the conditions as outlined by Macartney in 1947 would remain. Motorised carts were permitted for all players from 2008 and in 2012 the handicap conditions were amended to half of the combined handicaps being 25 or less for division1; 26 and above for division 2. In 2014 it was agreed to reduce the number of qualifying pairs from 16 to 8 in each division.
The first cup contains some illustrious names in early club and Queensland ladies’ golf including Mrs D.R. Eden who, with Mrs C. O’Reilly, won the initial competition. Dot Hood was a co-winner on five occasions, the first in 1913 and the last in 1929. Mrs F.L. Jones won three times (twice with Dot Hood) and then twenty years later teamed with Judith Percy in 1947 to have her name recorded on the second cup.
There were two combinations who achieved back-to-back wins for the first cup and another four for the second cup; Mrs R.J. Boyle and Mrs A.J. Loveday in 1962 and 1963; Mrs J. Stanton and Mrs R. Elphinstone in 1996 and 1997; Mrs M. McNee and Mrs L Parish in 2001 and 2002; and most recently Mrs S. Haydock and Mrs F. O’Brien in 2006 and 2007.
Kerry Cup (Est. 1947)
This trophy, in the form of a silver tankard, was donated by Mrs H.L. Kent and, as a continuous golfing trophy, is probably unique in being named after an animal. Kitty Kent, who lived at Graceville, rode her horse, Kerry, to and from golf during and after the Second World War initially to overcome petrol rationing. The affection surrounding Kitty and her horse was such that Kerry’s death in June 1965 was recorded in the Associates’ minutes and a letter of sympathy sent to Mrs Kent.
Born in Rockhampton in 1895, one year before the club was founded, Kitty joined in 1925. She served in the Voluntary Aid Detachment in the Australian Military Hospital in Cairo during World War 1 where she met, married and lost her first husband through enemy action. She married H.L. Kent in 1932 and, when he died in 1954, she erected a drinking fountain at the third tee in his memory. Leslie Kent won the Queensland Amateur Foursomes Championship in 1928 in company with W.F. Gardiner.
A talented lady in many ways, Mrs Kent later took up transcribing books into braille, including school and university text books in French and English. Becoming interested in astronomy, she made her own telescopes including grinding and polishing the lens.
Each year Kitty donated a small silver tankard to the winner of a graded match play event, known as “The Kerry Cup”, and upon her death in 1989, a larger silver tankard inscribed “In Memory of Kitty Kent and her Pony” was instituted as “The Kerry Cup” perpetual trophy.
She served on committee for the years 1946-1949 and was made an Honorary Life Member in 1981. She died in 1989.
Played as a net stroke qualifying round of 18 holes with 8 to qualify for match play, there have been few multiple winners of the trophy. Mrs H.V. Turner recorded spaced wins in 1950, 1954 and 1958 while back to back winners have been Mrs J.W. Vincent in 1977/1978 and Miss T. Dunn in 1992/1993. Mrs R. Elphinstone won in 1994 and 1995; Mrs T. Ruzzene in 1996 and 1997; Mrs A. Fell in 2001 and 2006; and Mrs L. Conroy has an impressive seven wins in 1999, 2004, and back to back wins from 2008 to 2012.
Violet Midson Memorial Trophy (Est. 1957)
Formerly the Annual Club Trophy (1940 to 1956) and the Trude Cup (1930 to 1939)
This event had its origins in the Trude Cup, an Honour Board event instigated in 1930, which was replaced in 1940 by the Annual Club trophy. In 1957, it was again renamed the Violet Midson Memorial Trophy when Miss Mabel Midson donated £100 for a trophy fund in memory of her sister.
Violet and Mabel Midson joined the club in 1913 and Violet was elected to the committee in 1924. She then became the honorary secretary for the years 1925-1928. She returned to the position in early 1931 when a new committee was elected following the protest mass resignation of the previous committee at the end of 1930 and she continued in office until the end of 1935.
Although recommended for Honorary Life Membership by the Associates’ Annual General Meeting in 1935, she was never accorded this honour. The Associates, however, presented her with a crystal dressing table set, a gold and pearl brooch and a golf bag in appreciation of her services to them on committee and as honorary secretary over nine years.
The competition format followed that of the Annual Club Trophy which it replaced – played in four grades over 18 holes stroke with 8 qualifiers in each grade to play off match play for the right to play off against the winners of the other grades. Today, only four players qualify in each grade.
As would be expected with this format, there have been few who won more than once but Mrs A. Green did in 1962 and 1968 as did Mrs R. D. Bell in 1976 and 1978 and Mrs R. Murray in 1971 and 1973; Mrs B.T. Deane in 1984 and 1998; Mrs L Morgan in 2000 and 2005; Mrs L Conroy in 2010 and 2013; Mrs A. Fell in 2009 and 2014. Mrs S. Haydock has won three times, in 1997, 2006 and 2011.
Nellie Hatton M.B.E. Fourball (Est. 1985)
Formerly the Club Fourball (1954 to 1984)
This knockout match play event, open to all players and begun by Mrs Hatton when Associates’ Captain in 1954, was renamed the Nellie Hatton M.B.E. Four-Ball in 1985 in honour of Nellie who was one of the longest serving members of the Associates’ committee.
After moving from Toowoomba, Nellie Hatton joined the club in March 1946. Already an indefatigable worker for women’s golf, she was immediately co-opted onto the executive of the Queensland Ladies’ Golf Union to represent the country golfers.
Elected to the Associates’ Committee the following November, she served one year before becoming the Associates’ Captain for 11 years from 1947 to 1958. Since 1937, the Club’s rules have stated that no person can serve more than three consecutive years as a president or a captain, and then cannot be re-elected to the same position until out of office for one year. No one appears to have brought this provision to the notice of Hattie or the Associates, nor perhaps did they want to do so.
She was then elected to the committee for another four years from 1958 to 1962 – a continuous term of 16 years in office.
During this period, Hattie also devoted her vast energies to the administration of State golf being the State handicap manager from 1951 to 1980, Vice President of the Union for the years 1952 to 1964 and President from 1963 to 1968, the maximum term for the latter position. This limit had been introduced after the prior incumbent had held the post for some 20 years. Hattie was a delegate to the Australian Ladies Golf Union in 1954, 1961, and 1964 to 1968 and was made a vice president of the Australian Ladies Golf Union (1969-1971) and the English Ladies Golf Union (1971-1972). In 1971, she became Honorary Life Member of both the Club and the Q.L.G.U. but continued her work for Queensland golfers as the handicapper manager and a member of the scratch score course rating committee. In all, she served on the State Union for 33 years and her work for women’s golf was recognised in 1983 with the award of an M.B.E. This completed a family double as her husband had been awarded an O.B.E. in 1971.
As it takes steady play over many rounds to emerge a winner in this event, and there have not been many multiple winners. Mrs I.J. Hughes won with Mrs F.W. Fleming in 1975 and 1980, and then with Mrs C. Davies in 1986. Mrs K.T. Hauritz won in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1982, the last three times with Mrs L. Kirby. Mrs A. Fell has won three times with Mrs L Morgan in 1996, Mrs L Conroy in 2000 and with Mrs K. Estella in 2012. The most prolific winner of this event, however, is Mrs E. McReynolds, winning with Mrs P McKeon in 1995 and 1997, in 2005 with Mrs H. Hudson and again in 2013 with Ms P Wood.
Tanner Cup (Est. 1966)
Formerly the Associates' Open Cup (1931 to 1965)
The Open Cup was donated by Mrs Tanner in 1931 as a trophy for the Open Day competition. A suggestion was made at the 1931 Annual General Meeting that the cup should be called the Tanner Cup but the donor did not wish her name to be on it, preferring that it be known as the Yeerongpilly Open Cup. The inscription on the cup reads “Associates’ Open Cup”, however, and the competition was generally referred to as the Open Day event for the Tanner Cup until 1966, when it was renamed the Tanner Cup notwithstanding the donor’s original wish.
Mrs Tanner was on committee for the years 1917-1919 and 1922-1926 before becoming the Associates’ Captain in 1926-1928. After the mass resignation of the committee at the end of 1930, Mrs Tanner agreed to take the position of Captain again on the new committee elected in March 1931 and remained in office until the end of 1932.
The competition is an open event for A Grade players only and is played on a Friday in September with the Cup going to the player with the best net stroke score.
The trophy remained within the club until 1937 when Mrs W.T. Robinson from Indooroopilly won. Mrs J. Hungerford from the McLeod Country Golf Club won with back to-back wins in 1981 and 1982; Mrs L.G. McMenamin won in 1993 and 1997; Mrs B. Deane in 1995, 2009 and 2010; Mrs M. McNee in 2000, 2005 and 2012; Miss S. Waterhouse in 2004 and 2005.
W.A.A.A.F. Cup (Est. 1948)
Miss Muriel Just instigated this event in 1948 from donations from ex-W.A.A.A.F. personnel. Originally it was limited to weekend players and ex-W.A.A.A.F. personnel but the latter restriction has long been waived. Although the Honour Board refers to a “cup”, there has never been a perpetual trophy.
The format is the best net aggregate 36 holes stroke played over two Saturdays. Miss Madge Just won three times, in 1948, 1955 and 1974; Mrs S. Priest won in 1983, 1988, 1990 and 1993; Miss F Fisher in 1998, 2002 and 2003; and Mrs D. Hall in 1999, 2013 and 2014.
Nat Green Trophy (Est. 1950)
The minutes record that Nat Green, a city chemist and member since 1927, donated an Honour Board for a foursomes competition for both mid-week and weekend players to be conducted on Saturdays.
It is played as a handicap qualifying round over 18 holes with 8 pairs to play off in match play.
Not surprisingly in view of the smaller fields playing on Saturdays, there have been a number of multiple co-winners with the most notable being Miss A. Johnson with five wins between 1954 and 1967. Mrs J. Peel achieved the hat trick in 1959-1961. Ms Catherine Hammond and Mrs Di Hall are four-times winners of this event, in 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Johnson Staines Fourball (Est. 2015)
Formerly the Weekend Fourball (1956 to 2014)
This event was renamed in 2014, honouring the first winners of the event in 1956, Miss A. Johnson and Miss D. Staines. It is a fourball knockout qualifying event with eight pairs to qualify to play off in three rounds of matchplay.
With smaller fields than mid-week, there have been numerous players who have their names on this Board more than once. Miss C. Wrigley and Mrs J.K. Lavery are each there four times but the outstanding combination has been Miss M.A. Lyons and Mrs T.F. Priest who chalked up six wins in 1983, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1993, and 1994. Mother-daughter combination of Mrs L. Lambert and Miss A. Lambert won back-to-back in 2012 and 2013. Mrs D. Hall and Miss M. Evans won in 1999, 2001 and 2002; Miss C. Hammond and Miss S. Ingbritsen in 2003 and 2005.
Eden Cup (Est. 1954)
Mrs D.R. Eden was the first of the outstanding Queensland lady golfers. She was elected to membership on 2 October 1898 with Associate membership no. 22 while her dentist husband, David Ralph Eden, joined on 12 November 1898. He had been present on 11 June 1898 at the meeting which formed the first Victoria Park Golf Club. No doubt they were both present when the first games of that new, but short lived, club were held on 26 November 1898 in the grounds of Victoria Park.
Julia Myrtle Eden was Associates’ Secretary in 1899-1900 and then Captain for 14years, 1902-1910 and 1911-1917.
From 1902 until competitions ceased in 1914 for the duration of the war, she won the Club Championship ten times and then won again, for the last time, when the event was revived in 1919. During this period, she also won the Queensland Ladies’ Championship on nine occasions.
In 1907 and 1908, the State Governor, club patron and member, Lord Chelmsford, gave silver cups as the trophies for the State Championship and these were won by Mrs Eden. She donated the 1908 cup to the Club shortly before her death in February 1954 and the committee decided to create an Honour Board in acknowledgment of her outstanding contribution to women’s golf. The Honour Board records the best competitive gross score played on the course during each year.
Miss Judith Percy was first on the Board with a 73 in 1954 and the winner was always a Brisbane Golf Club Associate until 1967 when Mrs V. Home of Wynnum Golf Club became the first “outsider” but it was not until 1976 that Gail Corry reduced the best score to 72. This remained the record until 1991 when Miss Lorraine Lambert went round in 71 strokes. In 1995, Misses M. Scerri and A. Wheelhouse lowered the score to 70. Since then there have been five scores below 70 recorded: Ms M. Lawrance (69) in 1999; Miss H. Khang (68) in 2007; Miss C. Mew (68) in 2011; Miss S. Oh (67) in 2002, and Miss E. Nha, with 63 in 2008. Mrs L. Conroy has been winner of this event six times in the period 2000 to 2014
Brisbane Cup (Est. 1970)
This open event was introduced at the urging of Miss Joan Fletcher who was keen to have a Sunday event for “A” grade players with a handicap of 15 or lower. This would give the better golfers in southeast Queensland, both mid-week and weekenders, the opportunity to obtain additional medal play competitive experience against players of a similar standard. Associate President, Mrs R.J. “Johnnie” Boyle and Joan Fletcher donated the perpetual trophy which is inscribed, “Brisbane Cup Open Event”.
The handicap limit is now 18, and it is played over 18 holes net stroke play. It is regarded as a major event on the Queensland ladies’ golfing calendar and a “must” for the top players to enter. Miss O. Dolan won the event in 2002 and 2003; and Mrs L. Conroy in 2005 and 2010. Fittingly, Joan Fletcher won in 1985.