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Joyce Billings to receive UWGA Lady Award

We are pleased to announce Joyce Billings as the second Utah Women’s Golf Association Lady Award recipient due to her selfless and inspiring dedication to Utah women’s golf. The UWGA Lady Award is based on women’s golf participation, giving back to women’s golf, passion, love, and respect for the game, teamwork that makes a difference, and being a friend, leader, and inspiration to her peers. In other words, Joyce Billings is this year’s perfect esteemed and highly-deserving honoree.

Joyce was introduced to golf at age 11 by her parents, Richard and Una. She joined a community recreational girls’ junior golf program where multiple future inspirational women also were involved, including Mary Lou Baker. After learning to play in the East Millcreek Recreation Center gym and taking lessons from Mick Riley at Meadowbrook Golf Course, Joyce began her competitive career by playing in junior tournaments during her teenage years.

Despite the lack of women’s high school and collegiate golf teams in Utah during the ‘50s and ‘60s, Joyce played on the University of Utah women’s club golf team before transferring to Brigham Young University where she had the opportunity to play in sectional collegiate club tournaments in New Mexico and Colorado as well as a national tournament at Duke University.

Before taking over the Shivers Restaurant family business from her father after he passed away in 1978, Joyce coached golf and taught physical education for nine years at Kearns High School, which allowed for work-free summers on the golf course.

“It was nice having free time so I could play in tournaments when I wanted to,” Joyce said. “That’s when I started joining several women’s golf associations, and the first one at Nibley was with my mother.”

Joyce has participated in ladies associations throughout the years at Nibley Park, Mountain Dell, Bonneville, and has spent the last 15 years with the Bountiful Ridge Ladies Association where she also works part time as a starter and marshal.

“Last season was my first time as a marshal, and I really enjoyed it. I get to be outside on the golf course interacting with people and making new friends.” According to her peers, everyone is a friend of Joyce.

In previous years, Joyce acted as the president, vice president, and team captain of the UWGA, worked on the UGA Course Rating Team and Handicap Committee, and represented Utah on the USGA Public Links Committee.

Billings will be recognized at the Utah Golf Association Awards Dinner at Hidden Valley Country Club on Wednesday, January 20th.  For more information on the dinner please contact the UGA at (801) 563-0400.