Gayle Hitchens entered UBC in the fall of 1962 already acclaimed as Canada's best amateur golfer. During the few months previous the 18 year old had won the Vancouver District Junior Championship, both the BC Junior and the BC Senior titles and the Canadian Women's Open Championship. In fact the North Vancouverite became the first British Columbian woman to hold the Canadian National crown in the competition's 62 years. This, on the heels of winning the Canadian Junior Championship twice in a row, again the first from BC to achieve this feat.
Needless to say the 62/63 UBC women's golf team was more than pleased to have the "methodical, supple-swinging" Hitchens raise the team's level of play, as she was the first of her calibre to wear the Blue & Gold. The impact was immediate. In October 1962, the reigning Canadian champion captured individual honours at the inter-university tournament at Saskatoon. Although UBC did not win, Gayle won the individual title by nine strokes over her nearest rival. In October '65, UBC won this Western Canadian Women's intercollegiate golf championship with Gayle Hitchens and Marilyn Palmer leading the way. Hitchens shot a 162 and Palmer at 165 for two rounds, outclassing the other two universities.
According to golf historian and author, Mike Riste, one word - dedication - described Gayle Hitchens. "Every day after school she would be out hitting the ball. She sacrificed a lot , " under the watchful eye of her father, Capilano Assistant Pro Bob Hitchens. "With her it was practice, practice and more practice."
Hitchens along with Palmer also represented UBC at the June '66 NCAA Div. 1 Women's Golf Championship at Columbus Ohio. The Vancouver Sun reported that this was the first time UBC had been represented at this prestigious US intercollegiate tournament and ". . . this will likely be the last time UBC would send such a formidable twosome." In Gayle's final year at UBC, the women's team won its second Western Canadian University title with Gayle and Marilyn Palmer again leading the way. They both shot 81s while the third member of UBC's team shot a 106. Gayle mentions she enjoyed playing for the UBC golf team. "The team aspect was great and I had just an amazing coach, Lauris Talmey! She was there to cheer me on when I won the US Senior in '96."
While attending UBC through the ‘60s, Gayle played on BC's team at the Canadian Championships teaming with both Palmer and UBC athlete Ruth Wilson to score several victories for this province. Moreover, historian Riste says that "Gayle took the BC golfing community by storm, largely due to her maturity, personality and politeness. She was extremely personable." This sentiment was echoed by her coach Lauris Talmey who says, "Gayle was the highlight of my UBC coaching career!"
Starting when she was at UBC, Gayle played for Canada at both World and Commonwealth Championships – four times at World events and three times at Commonwealth championships. She is the only Canadian golfer, male or female, to win the Canadian Junior, Canadian Amateur, Canadian Mid-Amateur and Canadian Senior championships. Further, according to Riste, "She is maintaining her golf swing and competitive flare" as in '92 she won the Ontario Amateur title, 30 years after her two BC titles. In both 1994 and 1995 she won the Canadian Senior Championship and in 1996 and again in 1998 was the winner of the US Senior Amateur title!
In 1997, UBC graduate Gayle Hitchens Borthwick was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. She achieved incredible acclaim starting as a teenager yet remained modest and unassuming. Her warmth and easy going nature masked however a fierce competitor within. More than one contemporary recalls her passion for practice and in the words of Mike Riste, "the dedication that woman had for golf!"
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
