First Nucleus of Women's Golf
In 2010 an agreement was finally reached to merge men and women's golf in Western Australia under the one administrative organization after almost 100 years of separate management. Women's Golf WA brought to the negotiation table a proud history of sporting achievements and the confidence of having over 7000 members throughout the State.
Like other women's groups that formed around the time of women gaining the vote, the women in this story were aware of but not daunted by the limiting attitudes towards their gender. Instead they turned their attention to fostering women golfers under what was then called the Western Australian Ladies Golf Union. Their vision and systematic approach became embodied in the group's operations, which continued to inspire and strengthen women for generations.
Emily Dwyer - First ALGU President 1914- 1915
In British colonies there was a clear delineation between the roles of men and women, with women viewed as an adjunct to men. This was particularly so in Western Australia where men far outnumbered women. By the 1890s women's roles in society were under discussion and sometimes heated debate in the lead up to them gaining the vote. The gold mining boom of that decade brought a period of significant change in Western Australia where a growth in wealth and population resulted in a new vitality and confidence. Women from wealthy families, who could afford to extend the scope of their lives, gradually began to push beyond traditional roles. Gentle pursuits such as needlework and croquet gave way to more athletic sports including golf, which was attracting interest as a fashionable pastime.
This trend, like all social change had its detractors:
"A short time ago we were assured on medical authority that a nervous disease is caused by excessive cycling of which the outward and visible signs are a haggard, worn and aged look. Now we are told that golf paralyses the optic nerve and followers of this popular game will be known by the "golf eye"..." The West Australian 21/10/1896
Modern women pushed beyond previous limitations, swapping constrictive fashions of the day for more accommodating clothing to suit their freer lifestyles. Clothing manufacturers began to advertise this new sporting apparel. The golfing jacket of 1896, according to The West Australian's fashion commentator was to be "short and blazing red" 5/9/1896. There were also new ideas to replace the long full skirts that women had worn for generations, but which seriously impeded their ability to play sport, especially golf on windy days.
"No wise woman dreams of enjoying the pleasures of cycling or golf without first providing herself with a properly divided skirt. The old baggy skirt that brought down such an avalanche of ridicule on our sex has given place to a garment that looks like a skirt, and indeed could be worn in our own windy city without anyone, save those in the know, being aware of its character." Women's World 24/6/1897
Some items were deemed worth retaining in a modern woman's wardrobe:
"There is however one great factor in keeping the blouse, that is the number of athletic exercises for which women now enter. Cycling, tennis, golf all necessitate loose garments and free play of arms, so let us pray that common sense will for once be victorious in its struggle with fashion..." The West Australian 23/2/1897.
In 1897 the only golf club in the metropolitan area was Perth (now Royal Perth), which was based on the river flats at Grove Farm, Belmont. Golf had been played in the more sophisticated Eastern States for several years and the West Australian Newspaper keenly observed developments:
"The game of golf is slowly but surely making great headway in the Eastern colonies. While the local exponents of the game cannot be numbered by hundreds, those who have introduced the undoubtedly healthy and invigorating pastime to Perth are confident that it is only a matter of time to ensure its "catching on". In New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia golf playing links have been established for some time and the membership rolls of the many clubs are being constantly added to... All in good time West Australians will doubtless take the game up properly just as they have done every other sport, and the possibilities of the sport being represented in proposed inter-colonial golf championships and competitions within a year or two is not thought so remote as outsiders would imagine." The West Australian 5/9/1896
Further read on the Section 1: First Nucleus of Women's Golf
