About
Molly Gourlay is considered one of the most prominent early female golf course architects in the world and helped renovate the Old Course at Ballybunion in Ireland while working extensively alongside Tom Simpson.
Molly Gourlay was a pioneering English golf course architect and one of the most distinguished female figures in the game’s history. As a talented player in the 1920s, she won the English Ladies Amateur, French Open, Belgian Open, and Swedish Ladies Amateur and captained the British Curtis Cup team three times. Gourlay turned her passion for golf into a groundbreaking career in design, most notably collaborating with celebrated architect Tom Simpson. She contributed to the renovation of the Old Course at Ballybunion in Ireland in 1936, as well as work at Carlow and County Louth in Ireland, and is credited with co-designing Schloss Mittersill Golf Club in Austria. Recognized as a true trailblazer, Gourlay is considered one of the earliest prominent female golf course architects and left a significant mark through her contributions to both the sport and course design, particularly at a time when few women held visible roles in the field.
