Brooke Henderson is just the latest. Before her was Lorie Kane. But she wasn’t the first—there were Dawn Coe-Jones, Jocelyne Bourassa, Sandra Post, and, of course, Marlene Stewart Streit.
These are women who changed the trajectory of Canadian golf, and influenced a generation of golfers to follow, from a group of emerging female pros to women across the country. They demonstrated it was possible to achieve greatness in sport, but also showcased the fact that women have a significant place in golf in this country.
June 5 is Women’s Golf Day – a global celebration of the women and girls that play the game. And there’s lots to celebrate at the top levels of the game in Canada. We’ve sent a team to the Olympics, had Henderson crowned a major champion, and witnessed a young crop of outstanding young women emerge as potential champions on both the LPGA and Symetra Tour.
The women’s game in Canada is highlighted by Streit, the only Canadian in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and who, at 84, still shoots better than her age on a regular basis. Her career, in many ways, has few rivals. Streit remained an amateur for her entire career, and though she was a short hitter, her short game was (and in many ways still is) among the very best on the planet, regardless of gender. The winner of the Canadian Amateur 11 times, as well as the British and U.S. Amateurs, Streit is the player against whom all others in Canada are judged.
Those that followed were pretty great as well. Bourassa and Post were contemporaries, with Bourassa winning LPGA Rookie of the Year and Post winning the LPGA Championship at 20. At the time, she was the youngest woman to win a major championship. Post would go on to a distinguished career as a golfer, with eight LPGA Tour wins, as well as a broadcaster and promoter of golf in Canada. She remains involved with the game as a member of the Golf Hall of Fame selection committee in Canada.
After Post, the late Dawn Coe-Jones, who passed in 2016, became the next Canadian standout. She’d win three times, handing the baton off to Prince Edward Island’s Lorie Kane. Kane, an exceptional amateur who took a while to turn pro, has since become the face of women’s golf in the country, especially with her deep connection to the CP Women’s Open (and previously the CN Women’s Open). Kane recorded eight professional wins, including four on the LPGA Tour. Those four wins came in an impressive stretch in under a year from 2000 through to early 2001.
While veteran Alena Sharp has long been a factor on the LPGA Tour and has played some of her best golf in recent years, it is Brooke, a Golf Town athlete, who has become one of Canada’s most celebrated and recognizable athletes. As an amateur, Brooke started playing professional events as a young teen, finishing 10th in the U.S. Open at 16. Despite not having status on the LPGA Tour, at 17 Henderson started playing professionally, and though only 20, she has six wins. She’ll be a star for potentially decades to come.
The Future Looks Bright
Clearly there’s a lot to celebrate in Canadian women’s golf. The next generation is in the offing—Augusta James, Jennifer Ha, big-hitting Maude-Aimee Leblanc, and Brittany Marchand. And who knows—perhaps a young girl who walks into Golf Town in June will become Canada’s next female superstar.
We just wrapped up Ladies Month at Golf Town but our passion to grow the game and get more women involved doesn’t stop. Reigning eight-time Canadian Long Drive Champion and Golf Town Brand Ambassador Lisa “Longball” Vlooswyk has been touring Canada the last year – visiting Golf Town locations to offer fun, entertaining and educational Ladies Golf Clinics and she continues to visit our stores from coast to coast. “LIKE” our Facebook Page to make sure you stay up to date on events near you!
Golf Town has the largest selection of women’s golf equipment and apparel in Canada. Visit a store near you or shop online today.
In past years I have bought most of my equipment from Golf Town and have always had good service there. There is one thing that is lacking though. You say you have largest selection of women’s apparel. BUT, I find it caters to small to average women sizes. I am a larger women and have never been able to find clothing for myself at Golf Town. You are not alone though. No one seems to appreciate the fact that there are larger women who also like to golf….but where do find clothing that doesn’t make us feel we have been squeezed into something too small. I understand manufacturers are also to blame as they cater to smaller sizes. Even XL or XXL are smaller than same sizes in regular clothing. Okay, enough of a rant, but it’s a fact of life out there.
Thanks for the message Joanne. This year we have ordered a wide spectrum of sizes (XS-3XL and 0-22). It has been popular and we have sold out of some sizes in many locations, so we are looking to bring in more this year.