Betty Rowland Probasco
Betty Rowland Probasco was born in 1929 and lived in Estill County for the first 13 years of her life until her family moved to Lexington. Her father owned Rowland Drug Store located on Main Street in Irvine. She was introduced to golf at the local course, the Estill County Golf Club. Verlon Prewitt caddied for her often when other caddies were not available. He was 7 and she was 13. Fortunately, she had a small cloth bag with only 4-5 clubs that the young lad could handle quite well.
A resident of Kentucky for 23 years, she captured four Women’s Kentucky Amateur Golf Championship titles (1949, 1951, 1952 & 1953) before enrolling at Rollings College in Winter Park, FL. In 1950, Betty won the National Intercollegiate Championship and won the Women’s Southern Golf Association Championship. She also won the Women’s Tennessee Amateur Golf Championship eight times, spanning three decades (1954, 1955, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1986). She served on the USGA Women’s Committee for over 10 years, and served as President of both the Women’s Kentucky State Golf Association and the Women’s Tennessee Golf Association. She is a member of the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame and the Rollins College Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1956, she was selected to the United States Curtis Cup Team but had to decline because she was expecting. In 1982, Betty received the honor of serving as the Captain of the United States Curtis Cup team which the team won. The Curtis Cup is the women’s equivalent of the men’s Ryder Cup. During a career as a Senior Amateur, she won the Western Senior Championship in 1991.
Betty presently lives with husband Scott (married in 1955) in a beautiful home built on the cliff of Lookout Mountain overlooking Chattanooga, Tennessee and the Tennessee River. She still plays golf three times a week and maintains that winning eight Tennessee Championships were not enough.
A resident of Kentucky for 23 years, she captured four Women’s Kentucky Amateur Golf Championship titles (1949, 1951, 1952 & 1953) before enrolling at Rollings College in Winter Park, FL. In 1950, Betty won the National Intercollegiate Championship and won the Women’s Southern Golf Association Championship. She also won the Women’s Tennessee Amateur Golf Championship eight times, spanning three decades (1954, 1955, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1986). She served on the USGA Women’s Committee for over 10 years, and served as President of both the Women’s Kentucky State Golf Association and the Women’s Tennessee Golf Association. She is a member of the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame and the Rollins College Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1956, she was selected to the United States Curtis Cup Team but had to decline because she was expecting. In 1982, Betty received the honor of serving as the Captain of the United States Curtis Cup team which the team won. The Curtis Cup is the women’s equivalent of the men’s Ryder Cup. During a career as a Senior Amateur, she won the Western Senior Championship in 1991.
Betty presently lives with husband Scott (married in 1955) in a beautiful home built on the cliff of Lookout Mountain overlooking Chattanooga, Tennessee and the Tennessee River. She still plays golf three times a week and maintains that winning eight Tennessee Championships were not enough.