The Australian Women's Register

Summary

Gertrude McLeod was educated at the Brisbane High School for Girls. McLeod was an enthusiastic, but not an outstanding, golf player. According to Margaret Kowald, her handicap never fell below sixteen. Nonetheless, McLeod was elected president of the Queensland Ladies’ Golf Union in 1934. In this capacity she raised money for country championships and took the first Queensland women’s team to Sydney in 1938. Like many women’s organisations, the Q.L.G.U. offered financial support to patriotic bodies during World War II.

From 1949 to 1954, McLeod served as president of the Australian Ladies’ Golf Union, sending a team to the British Ladies’ Open Championship in 1950. During her presidency, the Union discussed the changing social background of women golfers (once the domain of wealthy women) and dress codes for women.

McLeod was an associate-member of the Royal Queensland and Indooroopilly golf clubs, and was awarded honorary life membership of the Q.L.G.U. in 1962. She supported the establishment at Mt Ommaney (Brisbane) of the first golf club in Australia to be administered entirely by women, named the McLeod Country Golf Club in her honour.