Date Published: 20/09/2022
Golf is a sport that has often been skewed towards a male demographic. But there’s a real possibility this could become a thing of the past, as post-pandemic data shows that more and more women are playing golf for the first time.
With females across all age groups showing an increased interest in the sport, there’s never been a better time for anyone, with a golf handicap or not, to pick up a club and try their hand at this great game. There’s also a great deal of talent in the women’s game that helps drive this interest, so, it felt fitting for iGolf to shine a light on ten of England’s best professional and amateur female golfers:
DOB: 12 March 1995. Instagram: @brontemaylaw
The 27-year-old from Cheshire turned professional in late 2016, after a storied amateur career which included becoming the first English player to get a perfect 5-0 record in the Curtis Cup and a world number 2 ranking on the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Law secured her first victory on the LPGA Tour in 2017 at the Pure Silk Championship in Virginia. Law also has two Ladies European Tour wins to her name, following up victory in Dubai in late 2021 with a win in London in June 2022.
DOB: 12 April 1996. Instagram: @georgiahall23
Despite only being 26, Georgia Hall has already amassed a number of significant tournament wins and cemented her status as an English golf star. One could say golf was hard-wired into her: she was born just days after Sir Nick Faldo pulled off an incredible comeback victory at the 1996 Masters in Augusta, Georgia; a win which inspired her name.
In 2018, Hall won her first major championship at the Women’s British Open, becoming the fourth Englishwoman to win a major and the first since 2004. For her services to golf, Hall was awarded an MBE in 2019.
DOB: 19 September 1987. Instagram: @melreidgolf
A professional golfer since late 2007, Mel Reid has a string of Ladies European Tour wins to her name, including two in 2011 en-route to a second-place finish on the European Tour money list. Reid won her maiden LPGA Tour event in October 2020, winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic by two strokes. The victory placed Reid 39th on the Women’s World Golf Ranking, her highest ranking to date.
DOB: 20 March 1996. Instagram: @charley.hull
At the age of only 16, Charley Hull turned professional in early 2013. Her professional golfing career began on the Ladies European Tour with a scarcely believable five consecutive second-place finishes. Five additional top-ten finishes earned Hull the Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year award. In the same year, Hull was selected to compete in the Solheim Cup, becoming the youngest person to ever play in the tournament.
Hull won her maiden Ladies European Tour event in 2014, adding another two victories to her tally in 2019 and 2021. Perhaps her finest achievement on the golf course is her 2016 LPGA Tour win, but given this has all happened before Hull turned 25, it’s safe to say that her future holds further golfing success.
DOB: 7 January 1988. Instagram: @jodi_ewart
Jodi Ewart Shadoff has been playing on the LPGA Tour since 2011, and qualified for the Ladies European Tour in 2012. Her LPGA Tour career includes three second-place finishes, the highlight of those coming at the Women’s British Open in 2017. Ewart was ranked in the top 100 Women’s Golf World Rankings for five consecutive years from 2016 to 2020, with a career high ranking of 43rd.
DOB: 5 October 1963. Instagram: @lauradaviesgolf
Dame Laura Davies is England’s most accomplished female golfer of the modern era, with 87 professional tournament wins worldwide. Davies started her professional career in 1985 and still participates in global events. Between 1985 and 2010, Davies won at least one individual title each season, the only exception being in 2005.
Among her many titles and achievements, Davies holds the record for the most eagles scored in a season on the LPGA Tour (19), and was the first golfer, male or female, to win on five different golf tours in a single calendar year, those being USA, Europe, Asia, Japan and Australia.
In 1994, Davies became the first European player to be ranked as number one in the world.
DOB: 25 November 2001. Instagram: @charlottemheath
An amateur with a bright future, Yorkshire’s Charlotte Heath has played in more high-profile tournaments than her age would suggest. In January 2020, Heath won the third-oldest women’s amateur tournament in the world, becoming the fifth British player to claim victory at the Australian Women’s Amateur Championship. The dominant win included holing out for eagle from the fairway and a twelve-foot putt from off the green. Heath, from Huddersfield, currently sits inside the top 50 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings at 34th.
DOB: 27 September 1999. Instagram: @caleymcginty_
Gloucestershire’s Caley McGinty has been impressing in amateur tournaments since 2018, with three individual wins in 2021 to go with being part of the winning England team at the European Ladies’ Team Championship. McGinty followed this up by competing in the Curtis Cup in both 2021 and 2022, and currently holds 8th spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
DOB: 23 June 2000. Instagram: @ameliawgolf
Currently ranked 32nd in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Amelia Williamson is a golfing talent on the rise. Williamson has competed in the Curtis Cup, the Arnold Palmer Cup and the European Ladies’ Team Championship. In June 2022, Williamson took part in the R&A Women’s Amateur Championship at Hunstanton Golf Club, narrowly missing out on a quarter final spot on the course where she holds the women’s record.
iGolf: Perfect for ladies new to golf
The flexibility that iGolf provides means golfers can track their game, in a way that fits around their work and family life. Thousands of female (and male) non-club members now have the opportunity to obtain an official handicap under the World Handicap System and continue to grow their love for golf.
The benefits of iGolf:
To find out more about iGolf, get in touch with igolf@englandgolf.org.