Judy Bell was elected president of the United States Golf Association in 1996, serving one term. Since the inception of the USGA in 1894, she was the first woman to hold that position and one of only two inUSGA history. Judy played an instrumental role in cultivating and promoting youth and diversity programs in the game.
In 1997, the USGA’s Grants and Fellowship program was initiated and she became consulting director in 1999. During the time of the program, $58 million was awarded by the USGA to nonprofit golf programs nation-wide which serve economically-disadvantaged youth, minority youth, girls and individuals with disabilities. Born in Wichita, Kansas, she played her first Broadmoor Invitational Tournament at age 11 and won that competition in 1957, 1958 and 1960.
She was also the Kansas State Women’s Amateur Champion in 1952 at age 15, and in 1953 and 1954. She went on to compete in 38 USGA championships and was a member of the Curtis Cup Team in 1960 and 1962. In 2016, she received the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor bestowed by the USGA. She was awarded an honorary membership to the R&A Golf Club of St. Andrews (Scotland) in 2015, one of the first women to be offered membership since its inception in 1754. She has also been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, Kansas Women’s Golf Association Hall of Fame and the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame.
Among her many awards are the First Lady of Golf from the PGA of America, The Woman of the Century Award from the Colorado Golf Association and the Lifetime Achievement in Sport Award from El Pomar Foundation.
During the span of 35 years, Judy owned and operated seven retail shops in Colorado Springs. At one time she had four shops at the Broadmoor Hotel, as well as Bell’s Deli, a popular Colorado Springs restaurant, and employed up to 70 people. Judy has served as a Trustee of El Pomar Foundation since 1996. In 1998 she received the WSU Alumni Achievement Award.