Mabel Stringer

Mabel Emily Stringer (25 September 1868 – 10 February 1958) was a British golf enthusiast and sporting journalist. She founded a number of golf organisations and served on others.

Life Stringer was born in New Romney in 1868. Her parents were Harriet and Henry Stringer and she was the first of seven. Her father was a solicitor. She was interested in outdoor pursuits including cricket and shooting her catapult. By the time the local Littlestone Ladies' Club was formed in 1891 she had discovered her love for the game and she became the captain just four years after the men's team had been formed.

In 1894 whilst she was still captain the second national ladies' golf championship was hosted at Littlestone. Stringer was unaware of the championship until she hosted the Ladies' Golf Union's secretary Issette Pearson when she came to Littlestone to inspect the course. Stringer beat her on their first game together and they became friends and colleagues. Pearson was a runner up that year and Stringer made her debut at a national championship. The golfers played in leather bound skirts and hats and were required to change in a corrugated iron building as women were not allowed in the clubhouse.

In 1919 she was working for The Gentlewoman when it gave its name to "The Gentlewoman Tournament", which was won by Audrey Croft. The competition had been first organised (and cancelled) before the war by Stringer, but now she was the Gentlewoman's Sports editor the competition took off at Stoke Poges. The competition continued at Stoke Poges until 1938 and it became the UK's Girls Amateur Championship

In 1924 she published her autobiography "Golfing Reminiscences".

Stringer was unmarried and gave her time to many groups associated with women's golf. A fellow golfer Cecil Leitch, who was 30 years younger than her, gave her the nickname "Aunty Mabel" because of how she cared for younger golfers.

Stringer retired to a cottage in Kent that had electric lighting paid for by well wishers who raised the money when she retired. She died in Walmer in Kent in 1958.