Matchless

Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collett and the Rise of Women’s Golf

Stephen Proctor author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Birlinn General

Published:1st Oct '26

Should be back in stock very soon

Matchless cover

Winner of the USGA Herbert Warren Wind Book Award

'Finally – a book that truly captures the inspiring and uniquely gifted women from a largely forgotten golfing age. A wonderful read from start to finish' – Iona Stephen, Sky Sports presenter, commentator and host

From the moment women began hosting championships of their own in 1893, one of golf's burning questions became whether any woman would ever approach the mythical ideal of playing perfect golf. It took three decades of striving – at a time when Suffragettes were stubbornly fighting for women’s rights – before Joyce Wethered and Glenna Collett delivered an unequivocal answer to that question.

From their first meeting at Troon in 1925, through a decade highlighted by their breathtaking match at St Andrews, the Englishwoman and the American brought out in one another golf so sublime that rare was the player, man or woman, who could perform as brilliantly.

The rivalry between Wethered and Collett generated such widespread interest and respect that it paved the way for the birth of a women’s professional tour. Matchless tells the story of these two incomparable golfers – women who personified the ambitions of their age.

'Finally — a book that truly captures the inspiring and uniquely gifted women from a largely forgotten golfing age. A wonderful read from start to finish'

-- Iona Stephen, Sky Sports presenter, commentator and host

'A generational "life and times" of women's golf. What we have here is not mere game narrative of major championships, but sportswriting embedded in a larger cultural contest'

-- Bradley S. Klein * Wall Street Journal, 10 Books that Belong on Every Golfer’s Shelf *

'Brings the wonderful characters of the early days of women's golf to life in a way that makes you want to travel back in time to Turnberry in 1921 to watch the redoubtable Cecil Leitch take on the dashing young American Alexa Stirling. A must read for all golfers and history lovers'

-- Jim Hartsell, author of When Revelation Comes and The Secret Home of Golf

'Matchless brings to life the fierce rivalry and enduring legacy of two titans of women's golf whose brilliance helped shape the game’s golden age . . . Essential reading for anyone who cherishes the history of golf'

-- Connor T. Lewis, founder of The Society of Golf Historians

'Another peerless gem from the best writer of our times. The lives of these golfing luminaries and the excitement they could instil is vividly captured. A triumph from start to finish!'

-- Roger McStravick, golf historian

'The story of trailblazers and disrupters on both sides of the Atlantic. Women's golf, amateur and professional, would be in a far different place without their courage, passion and prowess'

-- Dottie Pepper, LPGA legend and lead walking golf reporter for CBS

'An eye-opening treatment of the world's greatest women golfers, of their early struggles for equal treatment and of the truly matchless golf they played. Impressive, humbling and a joy to read'

-- Jim Davis * The Golf *

'Stephen’s work as an author is exceptional — meticulously researched and told with a compelling narrative thread. Matchless is no exception'

* The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast *

'Matchless is an exceptional read but it will also serve as a superb reference work that will grace any library of those with an interest in golfing history... the level of scholarly research is exceptional'

-- Andrew Picken * Golfshake.com *

'Matchless is a stunning piece of work . . .  Elegantly written and painstakingly researched, it deserves every award it will surely win'

* Bunkered Magazi

  • Winner of USGA Herbert Warren Wind Book Award 2025

ISBN: 9781913759285

Dimensions: 234mm x 153mm x 21mm

Weight: 443g

288 pages

New in Paperback