Herbert Warren Wind Award
Established in 1987, the Herbert Warren Wind Award recognizes and honors outstanding contributions to golf literature. Named for the famed 20th-century American golf writer, the award acknowledges and encourages outstanding research, writing and publishing about golf. Presented by the USGA Golf Museum, the Wind Award is the top literary prize awarded by the USGA.
Matchless: Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collett and the Rise of Women’s Golf by Stephen Proctor
Stephen Proctor is a golf writer and historian who, in addition to Matchless: Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collett and the Rise of Women’s Golf, has written several books on early golf history, including Monarch of the Green (2021) and The Long Golden Afternoon (2022). He previously worked as an editor at the Baltimore Sun, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Houston Chronicle, and has spent the past decade studying the history of the game.
In Matchless: Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collett and the Rise of Women’s Golf, Proctor explores the historic rivalry between English golfer Joyce Wethered and American golfer Glenna Collett. Through extensive research and vivid storytelling, Proctor details how Wethered and Collett’s exceptional skill and international rivalry brought unprecedented attention to women’s golf, helping elevate the game during its formative years. Readers are taken on a journey from their first meeting at Troon in 1925 to their remarkable match at St. Andrews, set against the broader historical context of the era.
The book offers a glimpse into an often-forgotten chapter of golf history, illustrating how Wethered and Collett paved the way for the emergence of women’s professional golf tours and shaped the broader perceptions of the women’s game. Proctor’s book will be on display at the USGA Golf Museum and Library in Liberty Corner, N.J., home to the world’s largest collection of golf books and periodicals, with more than 100,000 individual volumes.
“I am deeply honored to be given an award named for one of my literary idols, but it is especially gratifying to receive this recognition for Matchless, as so few stories have been written about heroines of the women’s game,” said Proctor. “Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collett and the women upon whose shoulders they stood deserve to be celebrated as long as golf is played, and I hope this book and this award contribute to preserving the memory of their trailblazing accomplishments.”
– Stephen Proctor
