Ziske Malison, Joyce

Golf Professional

Joyce (Ziske) Malison became the first woman elected to the Wisconsin State Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1975, and was a "pioneer" in the early days of the LGPA Tour. As a child growing up on a farm on the corner of South 27th Street and Howard Avenue in Milwaukee, WI across from a driving range, Ziske used to collect golf balls that found their way into her family's pasture, and return them to the owner of the range, Richard Swift. Swift introduced her to the sport of golf, and when he later purchased Rivermoor Country Club in Waterford, WI he became one of her biggest sponsors. Ziske entered her first tournament at age 15. By the time she graduated from high school in 1952, her goal was to play professionally. In 1954 she played on the Curtis Cup team, which she counts as one of her career highlights. In 1955 her dream was realized when she signed a contract with Wilson Sporting Goods. She won five tournaments on the LGPA tour from 1955 to 1960 and was named among the greatest female golf players of her time, including Babe Didrickson Zaharias, Mickey Wright, Louise Suggs and Betsy Rawls. In the early days of the LGPA, players traveled by automobile with little or no fanfare; no media coverage and minimal prize money. Of the little that was earned, 10% of the proceeds went back to the tour to keep it alive, and players had to do everything themselves, from scoring averages to marking the course.

After the 1960 season, Malison gave up golf to get married and raise a family. She re-entered the sport of golf in the 1970's when her three sons played golf in high school, and again as an assistant coach to Waterford High School Golf Coach Don Harmeling in 1996. She is credited with helping build a highly successful golf program in Waterford, and continued to influence countless players.