Peggy Kirk Bell-LPGA Legend

Today I'm going to talk about one of the LPGA's first members, Peggy Kirk Bell. Born in Findlay, Ohio, Peggy Kirk Bell began playing golf at the age of seventeen. She played on the Rollins College golf team in 1941-1942, and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Physical Education. During her golf career, purses were so low that she learned how to fly planes and bought her own for $8,000 to help get around to tournaments without having to pay for gas.

Mrs. Bell had one of the best amateur careers to date, including three Ohio Amateurs, the 1949 Titleholders Championship, the North and South Womens Amateur, and the 1950 Eastern Amateur. She was also a member of the 1950 Curtis Cup team and the Weathervane international team. She turned pro in late 1950, and her career best finish was fifteenth. She received the LPGA Teacher of the Year award in 1951 and the 1965 Janet Olsen Hole-in-One award.

In 1952, she and her husband Warren "Bullet" Bell, purchased Pine Needles, a golf lodge located in the Sandhills of North Carolina. Two years after purchasing Pine Needles, Mrs. Bell gave birth to her first child Bonnie Kirk. She also had two other children, Peggy Ann and Warren Kirk. In 2007, she started a girls-only junior league called the "Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Tour". The tour is based in North Carolina and has an annual stop at Pine Needles.

So, there you have it--a short, to-the-point bio of Peggy Kirk Bell, who, in my opinion, is one of the most talented woman golfers ever.