The USGA is opening a new exhibit honoring women who have promoted the game of golf. One of the women being honored is Ida Dixon. The trophy for her tournament (held annually at The Springhaven Club) and the minutes from when she was elected president of WGAP in 1911 will be on display at the USGA Museum in Far Hills, NJ from mid-May through June 2019.
For those of you unfamiliar with Ida’s contributions to the game of golf, here is a brief history:
In 1903 the present Wallingford Property for The Springhaven Club was purchased. According to The Architects of Golf, by Geoffrey Cornish and Ronald E. Whitten, Ida Dixon was responsible for the design of the 18 hole course, thus making her the first female golf architect in America and possibly the world.
Beginning in 1911, Mrs. Henry P. Dixon served as President of The Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia until her death in 1916. Her son, Clayton G. Dixon, presented the Ida E. Dixon Cup in her memory in 1917. The Tournament was played at Springhaven the first year, at Wilmington the next and thereafter at Springhaven.
The WGAP has been conducting this event since 1956.