Wilson
In 1934, Wilson sent Helen Hicks on the road to give golf clinics and promote a line of women’s clubs bearing her name. Hicks was already the 1931 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion. Her work now included bringing the game to an audience.13
Wilson
Mark unavailable
Spectators watched Hicks demonstrate shots on the practice tee and play exhibition matches. She travelled with Gene Sarazen, sometimes joined by Babe Zaharias, before Wilson gave her a tour of her own. The clubs were sold as the Helen Hicks Autograph line.1
A May 1935 Wilson advertisement promoted both Helen Hicks clubs and golf balls. It connected her appearances around the country with the equipment carrying her name. With few tournaments available to women professionals, clinics and exhibitions offered paid work in the game. Hicks’s story gives that part of Wilson’s history a face.12
At a glance
- Named equipment
- Helen Hicks Autograph clubs1
Sources
- Rhonda Glenn, USGA, December 26, 2010On the Early Road With Helen Hicks
- Wilson advertisement in Golfdom, May 1935; Michigan State University LibrariesWilson Golf Equipment advertisement
- Metropolitan Golf Association, MGA HonorsHelen Hicks (2022)