LADIES’ GOLF CLUB OF TORONTO

Click here to view Ada Mackenzie history slideshow.

Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto is North America’s only remaining private golf club established by women for women. Founded in 1924 by Ada Mackenzie, Ladies’ was designed by renowned course architect Stanley Thompson.

In the early 20th century, it wasn’t easy for female golfers to get access to tee times and practice facilities. Ada Mackenzie was a talented young golfer from Toronto who found a solution. Ada had played in amateur tournaments in the U.S. and Britain and, during one of her visits to Britain, she noticed golf clubs exclusively for women. Ada dreamed of creating a women's golf club in Toronto and set about getting financial support for her venture. After much hard work and fundraising, Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto Ltd. was established in Thornhill in 1924. Actual play began on August 23, 1926, with a match between Ada Mackenzie and Helen Paget of Royal Ottawa Club.

The club celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2004. Its fascinating history is commemorated in The Ladies’ 1924-1999, written by Tim O’Connor for the club’s 75th anniversary.  

Ada Mackenzie (1891 - 1973)
The First Lady of Canadian Golf, Ada Mackenzie was the driving force behind the founding of Ladies' Golf Club of Toronto. Born in Toronto in 1891, she began playing golf at the age of 10, encouraged by her parents who both loved the game. At 27, Ada captured the first of her four Canadian "Open" Amateur Championships and her six Canadian "Closed" Amateur Championships. She won several Toronto Golf Club ladies' championships and was soon acknowledged as one of the best female golfers in North America and England.  In 1938 she won every major golf championship in Canada and was named female athlete of the year by the Canadian Press. Ada continued to play well into her senior years, winning eight Canadian Ladies' Senior's Golf Association Championships and the Ontario Seniors titles. She played her last competitive game in 1969 at the age of 78. Ada Mackenzie was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1955.

Radio interview with Ada Mackenzie. Broadcast June 20, 1949

Stanley Thompson (1893 - 1953)

A fine amateur golfer, Stanley Thompson is best known for his enduring golf course designs, including the course at Ladies’. The native Torontonian began designing new courses and renovating existing ones when he returned from the First World War. Between 1920 and 1953 he designed, remodeled or constructed over 145 golf courses in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and South America, including the two spectacular mountain course designs for the Banff Springs Hotel Golf Course (Banff) and Jasper Park Golf Course (Jasper). He also designed the Highlands Links (Nova Scotia), St George's (Toronto) and Capilano (Vancouver). Stanley Thompson was elected to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1980. 

Photo by Karsch                               http://www.stanleythompson.com                                      

Ladies' part of Canadian history
In his July 20, 2006 column headed “Yes, Canada has golf history” on the ScoreGolf website, Lorne Rubenstein had this to say:  
 “Then there was Ada Mackenzie. Born in Toronto on October 31st, 1891, Mackenzie was educated at Havergal College, a private girls’ school. She won five Canadian Ladies’ Opens, eight Canadian Senior Women’s Championships. She got to the semi-finals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1927 and 1932, while perhaps her most important accomplishment was starting the Ladies Golf and Tennis Club of Toronto, as it was then known. That was in 1924, and the course, where only women can be members, thrives today.
 
"Maybe it’s going too far to say that Mackenzie paved the way for women to make a living in golf, but maybe it’s not. She worked for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, she started her own clothing business, and she believed women should be able to play on weekend mornings. That was a problem for women in her day; it still is in some golfing quarters. 

“It was then I decided two things were here to stay, women in business and women in golf,” she said. She started the Ladies’ Club, which Stanley Thompson designed. The club’s recently undergone a huge project to improve its already fine course, while Mackenzie’s spirit is evident to anybody who visits. The members are proud of their club and they’re proud of its heritage. Mackenzie was a trailblazer. We should remember and celebrate her.”