In the 1920’s, there were three clubs in Spokane that had regular tournament schedules only for women: Spokane Country Club, Manito Golf & Country Club and Riverside Golf Club. Play during this period was mostly confined to the individual clubs but there were Sweepstakes events and an annual City Championship.
During the war years, the Athletic Round Table, ART, presented war bonds as flight awards and many local merchants donated prizes. Around the mid-forties, the number of ladies playing increased and the city organization was on the move. Until 1945, the city tournament had been held at Riverside and that club’s officers had been responsible for not only the tournament but also for obtaining the prizes. During two of the war years no tournament was held. When it was resumed, the tournament was rotated on one of several local golf courses. Also suspended in 1942 due to the war, there was a revival of the Spokesman-Review Cup in 1949 with play being a medal-on-handicap basis. Clarkston Country Club was included in the original lineup along with the three aforementioned clubs.
The Spokane Women’s Golf Association, SWGA, was first organized in 1953 when it became necessary to sponsor the annual city tournament. They also were to schedule and carry out a regular program of Spokesman-Review Cup matches and Sweepstakes events. Riverside changed it’s name to Downriver in June 1955.
In 1962 the SWGA became the Spokane Area Women’s Golf Association, SAWGA, in the earnest hope that wider competition would bring better competition to an increasingly large number of women golfers. Charter members were Downriver, Esmeralda, Indian Canyon, Liberty Lake, Manito Golf & Country Club, Spokane Country Club and Wandermere. Guest clubs were Clarkston Country Club, Coeur d’Alene Country Club (of Hayden Lake), Coeur d’Alene Public Golf Course, Colfax Elks Golf Club, Lakeview Golf Club (Ephrata), Kellog Country Club, Moscow Golf Club, Moses Lake Golf & Country Club, Sandpoint Elk Golf Club and Shoshone Country Club (Wallace).