HISTORY OF THE MARSHALL CUP

Compiled by Cathy Acheson April 1973

The Marshall Challenge Cup, Ladies' Inter-Club Match is the official name of the Marshall Cup. Mr. R.C. Marshall, owner of Crown Paving and Engineering at that time, donated it in 1932. He was a member of the Highlands Golf Club and was interested in ladies' golf competitions.

He felt it was only the low handicap golfers who ever had a chance to compete for trophies, so he presented the Highlands with a cup to be played for the bronze division. This cup is still being competed for at Highlands. The Marshall Challenge Cup was presented to encourage inter-club competition, foster good sportsmanship and promote inter-club friendship.

The cup was first played for in 1932 and the Municipal Golf Course (now Victoria Golf Course) was the first winner. For the first few years it was played as an inter-club tournament with a team of four ladies representing each associated club. In the years that followed it continued to be played as a challenge cup, but the gradual evolvement of today's format is apparent from the minutes of the annual meetings of the Edmonton Ladies' Golf Association. In 1941 a silver and bronze player were used, forerunner of our present A and B teams. The continuing problems encountered over the years are evident in the yearly notation in the minutes, the annual discussion of the Marshall Cup followed.

In 1948 a Marshall Cup committee consisting of a representative from each club was formed to take charge of the Marshall Cup play. This yearly committee began to develop new rules for the competition. Finally in 1952, the recommendations of the committee were adopted at the annual meeting of the Edmonton Ladies' Golf Association and the Marshall Cup became an inter-club competition with set dates of play. The format has remained fairly consistent since that time, except for a redefining of some rules and a change in 1964 to the present system of scoring.

It is hoped that the Marshall Cup, as it continues to be played for by the Edmonton area lady golfers, will always be a symbol of friendship and good sportsmanship as well as of good golf.