Glenna Collett Vare (June 20, 1903 – February 3, 1989) was an American

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

golfing champion whom the Hall calls the greatest female golfer of her day, and who dominated American women's golf in the 1920s.

Biography

Born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, Glenna Collett was raised in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, by athletic-minded parents and at a young age was involved in sports such as

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

. At age 14, she took up the game of golf, and within two years had developed her skills to the point where she competed in the 1919 U.S. Women's Amateur, and won her first-round match. Two years later at age 18, she was the Championship medallist for shooting the lowest qualifying score. In the pre-professional era, the U.S. Women's Amateur was the most prestigious event in the country. Her strength was off the

tee A tee is a stand used in sport to support and elevate a stationary ball prior to striking with a foot, club or bat. Tees are used extensively in golf, tee-ball, baseball, American football, and rugby. Etymology The word tee is derived from the ...

. Collett was a student of golf instructor

Ernest Jones Alfred Ernest Jones (1 January 1879 – 11 February 1958) was a Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst. A lifelong friend and colleague of Sigmund Freud from their first meeting in 1908, he became his official biographer. Jones was the first En ...

. While setting a new single-round scoring record in 1922, Glenna Collett claimed her first of six U.S. championships. The following year, she was upset in the third round but went north to win the

Canadian Women's Amateur The Canadian Women's Amateur is Canada's annual national amateur golf tournament for women. It is open to women from all countries and is played at a different course each year. History The first championship was held from October 14 to 17, 1901 at ...

. In 1924, Glenna Collett achieved the most remarkable record in golfing history, both female and male. Despite setting a new single-round qualifying scoring record, Collett lost by a fluke in the semifinal of the 1924 U.S. Women's Amateur when on the 19th hole,

Mary Browne Mary Kendall Browne (June 3, 1891 – August 19, 1971) was an American professional tennis player and an amateur golfer. She was born in Ventura County, California. Biography According to A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Ma ...

's ball caromed off hers and into the cup. However, that would be her only loss in a year where she won an astonishing 59 out of 60 matches, including her second consecutive Canadian championship. Glenna Collett won the U.S. Women's Amateur again in 1925 and then reeled off three straight titles between 1928 and 1930. Between 1928 and 1931, she recorded 16 consecutive tournament victories. She won six

North and South Women's Amateur The North and South Women's Amateur Golf Championship is an annual golf tournament held since 1903 at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina. An invitational tournament, participants are chosen based upon their performance in national am ...

s, six Women's Eastern Amateurs, and in between all this she was the runner-up in the 1929 and 1930

British Ladies Amateur The Women's Amateur Championship, previously known as the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, was founded in 1893 by the Ladies' Golf Union. It is organised by The R&A, which merged with the Ladies' Golf Union in 2017. Until the dawn of th ...

s. She also went to France, where she won the French Women's Amateur. After marrying Edwin H. Vare Jr. and having two children, Glenna Collett-Vare came back in 1934 but lost in the semi-finals to

Virginia Van Wie Virginia Van Wie (February 9, 1909 – February 18, 1997) was an American amateur golfer, best known for winning three U.S. Women's Amateurs, 1932–34. The Illinois-born golfer was the daughter of wealthy parents, and learned the game at the Bev ...

. However, the following year, she won her sixth U.S. championship by defeating future star

Patty Berg Patricia Jane Berg (February 13, 1918 – September 10, 2006) was an American professional golfer. She was a founding member and the first president of the LPGA. Her 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a fem ...

in the finals. Glenna Collett-Vare was a member of the American team that won the first

Curtis Cup The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match. It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and The R&A and is contested by teams representing the United States and " ...

played at the

Wentworth Golf Club Wentworth Club is a privately owned golf club and country club in Virginia Water, Surrey, on the south western fringes of London, not far from Windsor Castle. The club was founded in 1922. Beijing-based Reignwood Group bought the club in Septe ...

in England in 1932. She served as player-captain in 1934, 1936, 1938, and 1948. After winning 49 championships, she ended her competitive golf career at the age of 56, with a victory at the 1959

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Women's Golf Association tournament. She was the author of two books on golf: ''Golf For Young Players'' in 1926, and ''Ladies in the Rough'' in 1928. Since 1953, the

Ladies Professional Golf Association The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Infor ...

has awarded the

Vare Trophy The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...

to the golfer who has the lowest average strokes per round in professional tour events. In 1965, Collett-Vare was the recipient of the

Bob Jones Award The Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. It is named in honor of Bobby Jones. Winners *1955 Francis Ouimet *1956 William C. Campbell *1957 Babe Za ...

, the

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

's highest honor given in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. In 1975, she was part of the first class inducted into the

World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...

. At the age of 81, she still had a 15 handicap and played in her 61st consecutive Invitational event in 1984 at the Point Judith Country Club in Rhode Island.

Death and legacy

Collett Vare died in 1989 in

Gulf Stream, Florida Gulf Stream is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 786 at the 2010 census. Gulf Stream ranked as the eleventh highest-income place in the United States. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census ...

. In her 1977 book, ''One Hundred Greatest Women in Sports'', author Phyllis Hollander listed Glenna Collett Vare ahead of

Babe Zaharias Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (; Didrikson; June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer O ...

and

, stating that "her career was unequaled in the annals of golf".

Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen (; born Eugenio Saraceni, February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of seven major championships. He is one of five players (along ...

called her "the greatest woman golfer of all time".

Team appearances

Amateur *

(representing the United States):

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

(winners),

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

(non-playing captain),

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

(tie, Cup retained, playing captain),

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

(winners), 1948 (winners, playing captain), 1950 (non-playing captain)

Books

* ''Golf For Young Players'' by Glenna Collett (1926) –

Little, Brown and Company Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

* ''Ladies in the Rough'' by Glenna Collett with a foreword by Bobby Jones (1928) –

Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...

References

* ''One Hundred Greatest Women in Sports'' – Phyllis Hollander (1977). Putnam

External links

*
Glenna Collett Vare bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collett, Glenna American female golfers Amateur golfers Golf writers and broadcasters Winners of ladies' major amateur golf championships World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Golfers from Connecticut Golfers from Rhode Island Lincoln School (Providence, Rhode Island) alumni Sportspeople from New Haven, Connecticut Sportspeople from Providence, Rhode Island 1903 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American women 20th-century American people