Genevieve Hecker

Genevieve Hecker (November 19, 1883 – July 29, 1960)[1] was an American amateur golfer. A member of The Apawamis Club, she won New York City's Metropolitan Golf Championship in 1900, 1901, 1905, and 1906.

Genevieve Hecker
Hecker, c. 1906
Personal information
Born(1883-11-19)November 19, 1883
Darien, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedJuly 29, 1960(1960-07-29) (aged 76)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Sporting nationality United States
SpouseCharles T. Stout
Children1
Career
StatusAmateur

Early life

Hecker was born in Darien, Connecticut, on November 19, 1883, to John V. Hecker (1848–1924) and his wife Georgianna Hecker (née Bell) (1852–1929).[1] Her father was in the flour milling business in New York City with the firm Hecker-Jones-Jewell Milling Company.

Golf career

Hecker picked up golf at one of the oldest clubs in Connecticut, the Wee Burn Golf Club located in Noroton. She was so successful that she eventually became Captain of the team. Her brother George and sister Louise played golf as well. The Heckers switched to Apawamis in 1901 following that club's installation of a new course. Hecker went on to win the Women's National Golf Tournament in 1901 and 1902.[2] The 1901 U.S. Women's Amateur was held at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, from October 8–12, 1901.[3] She also tied with Margaret Curtis and two others for the championship's lowest qualifying score. In 1902 she would win the U.S. Amateur again at The Country Club course in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Hecker's instructor at golf was the noted Scottish-American professional George Strath.[4] She was equally at ease playing against men as well as women. Hecker led the women's team against the men in a notable match at The Apawamis Club in 1902.[5] She was so accomplished that it was said where "her iron play is concerned she has no superior in this country among women and few men can compete with her in this part of the same. She is thoroughly worthy of the title of champion."[6]

Marriage and book writing

In April 1903, Hecker married Charles T. Stout, a fellow golfer at Apawamis. and in 1904 she published Golf for Women,[7] the first book ever written exclusively for female golfers. The book included a chapter by Irish golfer Rhona Adair who won four straight Irish Ladies Close Championships and the 1900 and 1903 British Ladies Amateurs.

Death

Hecker died on July 29, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York, and was interred there in Green-Wood Cemetery.

References
  1. Hecker, Genevieve. "Hecker Ancestry". Ancestry.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  2. "Miss Kecker Wins Golf Championship Again, Apawamis Player Defeats Miss Wells of Boston by 4 Up in Finals at Brookline". The World. New York. October 4, 1902.
  3. "Fair Golfers From Chicago Enter National Tournament". The Minneapolis Journal. September 30, 1901. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  4. "Strath's Death Removes Oldest of Pro Golfers". The New York Tribune. January 26, 1919. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  5. "Miss Hecker at Apawamis". The New York Herald. New York. May 23, 1902.
  6. "Miss Hecker Is Winner. Apawamis Player Again Captures Woman Championship". The Chicago Sunday Tribune. October 5, 1902.
  7. Golf for Women. New York, NY: Baker & Taylor, Inc. 1904. ISBN 1-894827-01-5.
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