Inspiring Women in Golf History

Walk the storied greens of our golfing history. Meet the women in golf who have spearheaded advancements in the game and laid the foundation for systematic change.

The sprawling links of the Florida coast have long been hotbeds for premier tournaments within professional golfing, generating great competition and awe-inspiring performances from top players throughout the years, and both the PGA and LPGA.

Though 34 years younger than the men’s professional association, the athletes of the LPGA have already cemented themselves as skilled masters of the sport, with the accolades to prove it. In the development of their national stage, our courses established themselves as foundational greens where women golfers demonstrate their abilities, break boundaries, and continue to transform the game as we know it.

Alice Dye

Alice Dye positioned herself at the cusp of women’s golf from a young age. Starting her competitive career as a teenager, when it finally came time for her to go to college, Dye was already an acclaimed athlete ready to make her mark in school. It wasn’t just any college Dye chose, either; she enrolled in Florida’s own Rollins College, one of the first colleges to form a collegiate women’s golf team in the United States.

Dye would go on to form an architectural firm with her husband, Pete Dye, who would be the architect of TPC Sawgrass after she graduated. Though working primarily in Indiana, the pair would accept a contract in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Pete set to work, designing and shaping each hole, before a valuable source of sand hiding just under the surface would force him to redesign a hole to include a manmade lake.

As they dug out the sand, Dye cleverly suggested they make an island hole, stretching out into the manmade water hazard. So was established the famous 17th hole of TPC Sawgrass. Without Alice Dye, the Ponte Vedra Beach golf course scene would not be what it is today.

Because of her creative efforts behind course construction, Dye earned the title "First Lady of Golf Architecture.” In 1983, the architect became the first woman to be inducted into the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the first to serve as the society’s president.

Sawgrass is keeping Dye's memory alive with their Alice & Pete's Pub, a dining spot within the Sawgrass Marriott Resort. Named after the incredible architects before the course, enjoy pub food and a welcoming atmosphere before hitting the links.

Tabitha Furyk

Tabitha Furyk loved golf. Her husband, a 17-time PGA Tour winner named Jim Furyk, shared her passion equally. Yet, Furyk wanted to do more. She saw a means to develop her favored pastime into a charitable mission, so when Jim retired, Furyk and her husband created the Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation.

For nearly 20 years, Tabitha has spearheaded this charity foundation as the president of the organization. As part of her efforts to raise awareness and create change, she co-founded and co-hosts the annual PGA competition, the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS, in 2021, now held at the Ocean Course at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa.

As a result, Tabitha has become an important and integral part of the golfing world in Florida and across the country. The championship boomed in popularity, becoming what it is today, a renowned event within the PGA. Furyk has seen the fruit of her endeavor, over the years since the tournament’s creation, her and her husband’s foundation has raised over $4 million in charitable donations.

Furyk donates this money or uses it to fund existing charitable efforts and projects, among which has been the First Tee program, a program that encourages character growth and physical fitness in children through golf. This program continues its impact with programs at Blue Cypress Golf Club, PGA Tour Superstore, and Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa.

credit: Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS

Winifred Roger Holmes

In 1917, Winifred Roger Holmes was practicing her swings on Jacksonville greens with her husband. Growing up in the region, she was very familiar with the sport and its culture, but as her interest in golf developed, and she found herself seeking community with her fellow athletes, the Florida native wanted more.

Ten years later, in 1927, when Holmes was just 31-years-old, she would create the Florida Women's State Golf Association. The organization generated community among her fellow golf players and would later inspire her to form the Jacksonville Women’s Golf Association.

Since its creation, the association has conducted events throughout the Jacksonville area, as well as planting some roots in nearby communities, like St. Augustine. The Florida Women's State Golf Association (now the Florida State Golf Association) held its 2026 FJT Bent Creek Open at Bent Creek Golf Course and the Winter Series Stableford at the Conservatory Course at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa.

Additionally, the annual Women’s Winter Series, hosted by Holmes’ association, is regularly held at the World Golf Village King & Bear course. Though Winifred Roger Holmes has not seen the full scope of her association, passing in 1991, nearly 100 years after the formation of her golf association, her impact continues to grow.

Sharon Shin & Leslie Grabeman

The Players Championship stands as a staple among the tournaments held in the state of Florida. Garnering a crowd of over 200,000 people annually, with nearly 200 players competing, the event is a large-scale championship that transforms the TPC Sawgrass courses into an all-out spectacle.

And though it all seems like magic, watching the best of the best perform on one of the most gorgeous courses in the United States, there are hundreds of individuals working to keep the championship running smoothly behind the scenes. Among these incredible individuals are the history-making PGA employees, Sharon Shin and Leslie Grabeman.

The women are the first in PGA Tour history to serve as tournament administrators, setting this record at the 25th annual event in 2022. In these roles, the women manage golfer and caddy registration and maintain communications between the PGA and the championship’s venue staff. But breaking ground within the PGA is nothing new to these two.

Before this, they worked as the first two female scoring officials in PGA Tour history. These two former collegiate golfers have worked to shape and maintain one of the top tournaments, working on the greens of Florida’s own TPC Sawgrass and celebrating their history with our grounds.

Ready to follow in these women’s footsteps and take to the links? With our guide, find the golf course perfect for your tee time!

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