Lady Captain Foxrock Golf Club 1908

Foxrock Challenge Cup winner in 1898, ’99, 1900 and 1901

In 1897 when Foxrock joined the I.L.G.U, the first Southern Branch to become affiliated to the Union, our representative was our Lady Associate Florence Walker Leigh. Ms. Walker Leigh became a Vice President of the Union that same year, a signal honour accorded for the first time to a Southern Club.

In 1901 and 1904 Florence was runner-up in the Irish Close Championship. In 1907 she became the first Southern lady golfer to win the event at Royal Dublin, with a convincing 4 & 3 victory over Mrs. Fitzgibbons from The Island. She was runner-up again in 1911.

Ms. Walker Leigh’s major achievement was as runner-up to Rhona Adair in the Ladies’ British Amateur Championship at Portrush in 1903. She played for Ireland in the Home Internationals in 1907,’08,’09,’11,’12,’13 and ’14, when the Home International were suspended for the period of the Great War. She joined The Island Golf Club in 1902 and was the first Lady Captain of Lahinch in 1904, the year it hosted the Irish Ladies Close Championship for the first time.

“From 1895, Miss Walker Leigh became established as a leading player in women’s golf in the Dublin area at a time when the most prominent clubs were Malahide, The Island and Foxrock.

The Foxrock player also became a member of The Island in 1902, went on to gain the distinction of playing in the Ireland team which gained an historic triple crown victory in the International matches in Newcastle. She was the only Southern player in a team that had as three of her colleagues, the Hezlet sisters, May, Florence and Violet.”

ILGU - An Illustrated Centenary 1893-1993