The Vermont State Women’s Golf Association was founded in 1930 by a group of women representing eleven Vermont golf courses. The group was lead by Mrs. G.N. Harman of Rutland Country Club who became the first VSWGA president. The purpose of forming a women’s golf organization was to promote interest in golf among Vermont women and to establish a Vermont state championship.
The first state championship was held in 1930 at Rutland and was won by Mrs. F.B. Davis over Mrs. J.J. Schroder. The championship began as a match play event and continued that way until 1956. The tournament returned to match play a couple times in the following years before eventually became stroke play permanently in 1961.
The 1950s was a decade in which major advances were made in in women’s golf in Vermont and in New England. This decade saw the advent of the New England Women’s Golf Championship, the Tri-States, the Senior Championship, State Days, the State Day point system, a handicapping system, and a course rating system. We owe the many golf opportunities that we have today to a group of ambitious and hard-working women of that era including Ruth Raymond Jones, her daughter-in-law, Mae Murray Jones, Loretta Lilly (treasurer for 35 years), Janet Lang, and others.
Today, the organization has 52 member courses hosting three State Days weekly with approximately 200 women participating each week. With the advent of the Mid-Amateur Championship in 1996, the VSWGA now hosts three major championships as well as hosting the NEWGA championship every sixth year and the Tri-States every third year.