Off the tee: Lovely jubilee for the ladies

Auckland's provincial team in 1980. From left: Jocelyn Glanfield, Alison Eather, Karrin Young, Con Alexander (non-playing captain), Cherry Kingham, Kaye Maxwell and Pauline Meyer.

When golf came to Auckland in the late 1890s, just as many women as men took to the game. In fact, in 1896 when the women abandoned their own course alongside Market Rd, Remuera, to share the men's course in Green Lane, the 73 men of the Auckland Golf Club were outnumbered. The women mustered 85 playing and 40 non-playing members.

So it is surprising that it's only this year that Women's Golf Auckland celebrates its 50th jubilee, with a lunch at The Grange Club next week.

For several years before the national body embraced the idea of district associations, the clubs administered women's golf. The Auckland Club inaugurated the Auckland Provincial Cup in 1921, Akarana started the champion of champions in 1933 and interclub pennants were run by committees.

The Auckland District Ladies' Golf Association held its inaugural meeting on December 5, 1956, at King's School, with Molly Morris, who became its first president, taking the chair. Akarana, Auckland, The Grange, Howick, Helensville, Huapai, Manukau, Maungakiekie, North Shore, Pukekohe, Pupuke, Remuera, Titirangi, Waitemata and Waiuku Clubs were represented.

The 50 years that followed have been comprehensibly chronicled by Sue Bunt, a former representative player, national council member and chairman of Women's Golf New Zealand.

Her jubilee booklet honours outstanding administrators such as Morris, Gwen Sandes, Betty MacKenzie, Una Wilson, Barbara Nolan, Sheila Glendining and Con Alexander, and shows what a wealth of talent Auckland has fostered. The great Oliver Hollis, winner of nine consecutive national strokeplay titles as an Otago representative, had moved to Titirangi when she won her 10th in 1946.

She was active in the game in Auckland until her death in 1993.

Hollis, champion in 1933 and 1936, was on hand to welcome home Manukau member Jan Higgins after she won the Australian amateur championship in 1989.

But no Kiwi has matched the feat of Remuera schoolgirl Marnie McGuire, who won the British women's open amateur championship in 1986.

The redoubtable Cis Steel held her place in the Auckland provincial team for 17 years and Kaye Maxwell played in nine winning teams at the interprovincial tournament. Between 1976 and 1980 Auckland won the interprovincial five times in a row, with Cherry Kingham, Maxwell and Alison Eather in all five teams.

Polly King was eight years in the Auckland Masters team, Natalie White won the national golfer of the year award four years in a row from 1965 to 1968 and Sherrill Sibun won the first national junior tournament in 1960.

Gillian Bannan won the national strokeplay title in 1973 before becoming the first woman NZPGA member. Jane Little, Eather, Annette Stott and Pam Sowden have all won that event in the last 50 years. Wendy Hawkes twice won the national matchplay crown and White, Maxwell and Lynnette Brooky also took that prize.

In 1995 the North Harbour Association was formed. But before they changed colours Sowden, Emma Keeling and Kylie Wilson helped Auckland win the 1994 interprovincial at Nelson. Keeling showed the talent that has made her a TV star by scripting and directing a skit performed at the prizegiving called Birth of North Harbour.

The following year at Titirangi she, Sowden and Wilson brought Harbour their first trophy.

The rapidly changing face of Auckland golf is reflected not only in the fashions of the representative players but also in their ages.

In 1988 Bunt suggests the average was closer to 50 than 40. Last year the average was just 14.

Women's Golf Auckland plans several functions during the year - but nobody is preparing for the 60th anniversary. The men's and women's bodies are talking amalgamation.