When Judy Bell was a child growing up in Wichita, Kansas, she once threw a club in disgust in the presence of judge and jury – her mother – who grounded her for a week. Lesson learned. In the many decades that followed, it is unlikely anyone treated the game with greater respect.
Bell, the first woman to serve as USGA president, died on Monday at age 89, leaving behind a legacy of service to others in a sport that meant so much to her as one of golf’s most decorated women.
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“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 chief executive Mike Whan. “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 was a fine player in her own right, winning the Kansas Women’s Amateur three times, the first when she was 15. She also played for two US Curtis Cup teams (and captained a third), ultimately competing in 38 USGA championships.
Judy Bell competed in 38 USGA championships during her amateur career, and was a member of two US Curtis Cup teams, including the squad that won at England’s Lindrick Golf Club in 1960. [Photo: Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images]
In 1952, Bell lost to the great Mickey Wright in the semi-finals of the US Girls’ Junior, her best finish in a USGA event. In 1964, she shot a six-under 67 in the third round of the US Women’s Open, a championship scoring record that stood for 14 years.
But it was on golf’s administrative side that Bell made her greatest contributions to the game. While serving as USGA president from 1996-1997, she introduced the USGA’s “For the Good of the Game” grants program that dedicated more than $US65 million towards national and local projects devoted to improving the lives of American communities through accessible golf.
“I grew up around people who volunteered, and it was something I felt strongly about, even as a child,” Bell wrote in her book, Breaking the Mold. “We all believed that if you’re asked and you have an opportunity to give back, you just step up to the plate and do what you can.”
In 2001, Bell was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In her acceptance speech, she said, “I’m very grateful for this honour and I want to accept it on behalf of all of golf’s volunteers.”
In 2016, Bell received the USGA’s highest honour, the Bob Jones Award, which “recognises an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game exhibited by Jones, winner of nine USGA championships”.
Upon receiving the Bob Jones Award in 2016, Judy Bell poses with Diana Murphy, the second woman to serve as USGA president. [Photo: Fred Vuich/USGA]
“Judy is a towering presence in golf,” said Tom O’Toole Jnr, president of the USGA at the time, “and her contributions to shaping the USGA can be seen to this day. Her devotion to the game makes her a worthy recipient of our organisation’s most prestigious honour. 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.”
Sandy Tatum, a former USGA president, had this to say about Bell on the eve of her induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame: “She is an interesting, intelligent, involved human being with a profound background and respect of the game, having played it at the upper level for a great many years and having had a very, very important respect for its values and traditions.”
Bell also was a rules expert and became the first woman to work as a rules official at the Masters.
Among her many honours, Bell received the Patty Berg Award from the LPGA and the Donald Ross Award from the Society of Golf Course Architects. The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews made her an honorary member in 2015.
When Bell accepted the Bob Jones Award in 2016, she alluded to the roots of her determination to serve others and to help grow the game.
“It is such a humbling experience to be selected for this honour,” she said. “When I first started at 7 years old, I never could have imagined it would lead to all of this or open so many doors. That’s why I’ve always been so committed to making sure others had the same opportunities I had.”
Bell had suffered from various health ailments in the past few decades. She had heart bypass surgery in 1993 and was treated for stomach cancer beginning in 2001. According to the USGA, she had entered hospice in August 2024, but lived on to enjoy her 89th birthday this September.
