Judy Bell, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer, dies at 89

Bell was the first woman president of the USGA

By Jim Bebbington

Judy Bell, a top amateur player who rose to become the first woman president of the USGA, died at her home in Colorado Springs Monday at the age of 89.

Steve Jones
COLORADO PROUD: Judy Bell, then president of the USGA, presents the winning trophy for the 1996 U.S. Open to fellow Coloradan Steve Jones of Yuma. PHOTOGRAPH © USGA/LARRY PETRILLO.

Bell was a player, business owner and leader in the game of golf who helped the USGA bring on new initiatives.

“Judy Bell was more than a leader, she was a force of nature whose vision and compassion shaped the very soul of the game,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “As one of LPGA*USGA Girls Golf’s biggest supporters, Judy helped open doors for countless young girls to find their place, their confidence and their joy in golf. She broke barriers not for the sake of recognition, but to make the game better and more welcoming for everyone. All of us at the USGA mourn her passing and celebrate the extraordinary life of a woman whose impact will continue to be felt for generations.”

Bell played on two Curtis Cup teams – the biannual competition between the best women amateur golfers from the U.S. and Great Britain and Ireland – and worked as a volunteer on USGA committees and initiatives for more than 30 years. She was named to the World Golf Hall of Fame, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, and in 2016 received the USGA’s highest award for service to the game, the Bob Jones Award.

Judy Bell – front row, center – and some of the members of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame who attended the hall’s 50th anniversary gala in 2022: Top row: Maggie Giesenhagen, Russ Miller, Hale Irwin, MJ Mastalir, Brandt Jobe. The bottom: Kim Eaton, Bell, Dick Phelps.

A Kansas native, Bell played in the U.S. Women’s Open and at 15 advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior, according to the USGA. She won six times on the Florida women’s amateur circuit, as well as winning the 1963 Women’s Trans National and three Ladies Invitation titles at The Broadmoor resort in Colorado springs. She was a three-time quarterfinalist in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, advancing to the fifth round in 1959. She played on the 1960 and 1962 USA Curtis Cup Teams, which she considered among her greatest honors.

“My selection to two Curtis Cup teams remains one of the most satisfying and meaningful accomplishments in my life,” she once said.

She played in 38 USGA national championships, and her third round in the 1964 U.S. Women’s Open at San Diego Country Club put her name in the record book. She fired 31-36—67 to establish what were then 9- and 18-hole championship scoring records.

In 2015 the Colorado Golf Association named Bell it’s ‘Woman of the Century’ as part of its celebration of the first 100 years of the CGA.

In 2016, when the USGA awarded Bell the Robert Jones Award, the organization praised her for championing a welcoming and accessible game for more than 60 years.

“Judy is a towering presence in golf and her contributions to shaping the USGA can be seen to this day,” said Tom O’Toole Jr., then president of the USGA. “Her devotion to the game makes her a worthy recipient of our organization’s most prestigious honor. From her earliest days as an accomplished player through her tenure as USGA president, Judy has been a staunch advocate and diplomat for the game. Those mantles were always delivered with her unique kindness and infectious personality. Judy is a real treasure!”

 

 

Jim Bebbington is the Director of Content at Colorado AvidGolfer and can be reached at [email protected]

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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