Welcome to the Niagara Women's Golf Committee Collection!
Philippa Marvin interviews the Chair of the Niagara District Women's Golf Committee, Martha Cruikshank, at their May 4th, 2026 NDWGC Reunion and Collection event.
Credit: Gillian Minaker, Brock News, 2026
What is the project?
The SOHA has partnered with the Niagara District Women's Golf Committee (NDWGC) to create the Niagara District Women’s Golf Collection, a digital, online, open-access collection of oral history interviews and images preserving the history of the NDWGC and the Wood Trophy Tournament.
This project is a testament to the impact that the women of the NDWGC have had on golf history and the Niagara community. It also aims to connect generations and spark conversations about how to continue the work and legacy of the NDWGC for years to come.
The Niagara District Women's Golf Committee oral history collection was undertaken by Brock University student Philippa Marvin under the supervision of SOHA co-director Dr. Elizabeth Vlossak through a fourth year history course, HIST 4P50 - Directed Research Project. The course was an exercise in experiential learning in which the focus was to locate, preserve, and interpret the memories and memorabilia of the women's golf community in the Niagara region over the past 60 years.
Credit: Dale Lauzon
Special Thanks:
This project was made possible through generous funding from Brock University through its Match of Minds program and from the Golf Canada Foundation Heritage Grant Program.
Contributors:
The Niagara District Women's Golf collection will feature photos, stories and oral history interviews with women golfers from the Niagara region and Niagara District Women's Golf Committee members, as well as insight from competitors and volunteers from the 60th annual Wood Tournament in July 2026.
From the SOHA team, we would like to thank all of our interviewees for their stories and their time. Without your contributions, there would be no collection to showcase.
The Niagara District Women's Golf Committee
The NDWGC is built on a foundation of volunteerism and camaraderie, empowering women of all ages and skill levels to get involved in the game. Although the Ontario Ladies Golf Association disbanded its district structure in 2016, the NDWGC carried on independently, a testament to the passion and dedication of its volunteers.
Over the decades, the committee has proudly supported many exceptional players, including Marlene Stewart Streit, who began her career in Niagara representing Lookout Point Golf Club and went on to become the first Canadian inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as the most decorated woman amateur in the history of the sport. Meanwhile, women’s golf legends Shirley Romanow (the fifth Chair of the NDWGC) and Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Cathy Sherk have brought their expertise back to Niagara as active committee members, tournament organizers, and the keepers of NDWGC institutional memory.
Wood Tournament
The Niagara District Ladies’ Amateur Championship, now more commonly referred to as the Wood Tournament, has a history nearly as long as the NDWGC itself. Founding Chair Alice Holt expanded on the Niagara Ladies District golf competitive schedule in 1966, having seen the interest of the women who had been invited to participate, since 1951, in the women's division of the Champion of Champions. In July 1966 the first annual Wood Trophy Tournament was held at the St. Catharines Golf & Country Club. The trophy takes its name from the Wood Manufacturing Company of St. Catharines, and was donated by Anna Wood in 1966.
Since then, the tournament has been hosted by golf clubs across the Niagara region and remains organized entirely by volunteers. The unique team competition is rooted in the love of the game, one where players come not for the prizes, but for the joy of friendly club rivalry, and the chance to play different courses, share a luncheon, and meet new people.
The Wood Tournament welcomes golfers of all ages and talent levels, with the handicap system ensuring equitable and spirited competition. Players have described it as the perfect combination of excellence and surprise, one that brings out the best in every participant.
The spirit of sisterhood and fair play that defines the Wood Tournament is perhaps best exemplified by the close-knit group of Niagara women golfers who dedicated a trophy in memory of their dear friend and former NDWGC Chair Flo Monroe, who passed away in 1979. Since 1981, the Flo Monroe Trophy has been awarded to the lowest net senior. Today, in addition to the Wood and Flo Monroe trophies, awards at the annual Wood Tournament are handed out for the Diamond Lil (+60), the Double Diamond Lil (+70), and the Ladies Low Gross Amateur Champion.
Navigating the Collection:
On the side of the web page, you will find a menu bar to navigate the Niagara District Women's Golf Collection.
“Images” presents all of the digital items in the collection to be browsed through, ranging from scanned documents and photographs to artefacts.
“Interviews” will contain all of the interviews conducted by the students and instructor. The interviews vary in duration from a minute to an hour.
“Exhibits” showcases the exhibits curated as part of the directed research project using the material gathered through collection events and community submissions.
The Niagara District Women's Golf collection is still accepting stories. If you would like to contribute to this collection, please submit your memories under the “Share Your Story” tab.
Credit: Dale Lauzon, ca 2005
Watch this page!
This collection is currently under construction, and will be an ongoing work-in-progress until December 2026.
Please check back soon for exciting new updates and additions to the collection, including photos and interviews, as they continue to roll out over the next few months.