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Tacoma Women’s Golf Association
A Brief History…
TWGA can trace its roots back to 1928 when Jane
Bradley, a member of the Tacoma Golf and Country
Club decided that there should be a Women's Golf
Championship. With the help of local merchants
and their donations, she organized the first
women’s golf event in Tacoma. Sixty One ladies
participated from Fircrest, Meadow Park, Lake
Steilacoom and Tacoma. The event was so
successful that it became an annual event. In
1931 she organized what we know today as the
Tacoma Women's Golf Association. Jane Bradley
is referred to as “the Mother of Tacoma Golf”
and the first President of TWGA.
Tacoma Women’s Golf Association is rich in
golf history. In 1949 Jane Bradley purchased
The Sheffield Silver Tray on a trip to Canada.
Every year since that time the golfer who has
the best three out of five net scores from the
TWGA monthly sweeps receives the Jane Bradley
Award and her name is engraved on this
distinguished silver tray.
At one time TWGA membership embodied all of the
Tacoma area golf clubs. Many prominent Tacoma
women were members. The Tacoma News Tribune ran
large articles of the club’s activities and
pictures of championship winners and officers of
the club. It was high society news in Tacoma.
Here is just one example:
“Mrs. Dewey Busch was on Friday elected
President of the Tacoma Women’s Golf
Association. She is a member of the Fircrest
Golf Club and a trustee of the women’s division
there. Widely active in civic affairs, she
serves on the board of directors of the Tacoma
Philharmonic and is treasurer of the Aquinas
Mothers’ Club.” TNT – Nov. 6, 1948.
TWGA got so large that in 1968 the private clubs
broke away from TWGA membership and established
their own club – Puget Sound Women’s Golf
Association.
This year TWGA membership totals 149 members
from 15 golf clubs. Those clubs include:
Allenmore, Auburn, Brookdale, Capitol City,
Classic, Ft. Steilacoom, Hawks Prairie, High
Cedars, Home Course, Linden, Meadow Park, North
Shore, Tahoma Valley, Tumwater Valley, and
Whispering Firs. Sweeps competition are held
the 1st Monday of every month from
April through October with a 2-day Championship
held in August.
TWGA has always maintained that we play golf
only at our member’s clubs. We have a
progressive group of club members who see the
need for changes as the golf environment
changes. In October 2006 it was voted on and
approved by the Board to include 2 non-member
clubs on our Tournament Schedule in 2007. This
has given TWGA a broader variety of golf courses
to play and encouraged new memberships. This
year (2009?) we proudly welcomed The Home Course into
our TWGA membership. |
