Joan Joyce was already an elite softball, volleyball, and basketball player. Then she decided to play golf.
The legend of Joan Joyce began in “the circle.” She pitched all over the world, throwing 50 perfect games and 150 no-hitters. In 1974 her team, the Raybestos Brakettes became the first American team to win the world championship. In exhibition games at Municipal Stadium in her native Waterbury, Connecticut, she struck out Ted Williams and Hank Aaron.
In volleyball, she competed in national tournaments and was a player and coach for the United States Volleyball Association. On the basketball court, which was her favorite sport, she starred at Crosby High School in Waterbury, and in 1964 and 1965 she played on the U.S. Women’s National Team.
However, her greatest accomplishment might be what she accomplished on the golf course. When Joyce retired from playing softball in 1975 her friend and LPGA Tour Legends Hall of Fame inductee Jane Blalock suggested after years of leisurely playing the game that she should seriously pursue golf. Despite being 35 years old at the time, Joyce quickly excelled. Eighteen months later, at age 37, she was a member of the LPGA Tour.
“Joan had the perfect temperament for golf, the perfect attitude,” Jane Blalock told Tony Renzoni, the author of three books and the writer of a musical about Joan Joyce. “She had a mechanically sound golf swing. And such great touch and finesse, a great feel.”
Born in Waterbury on August 18, 1940, Joan Joyce is widely considered one of the best female athletes of all time, and her accolades back that up. With her recent induction into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame, Joyce, who died at age 81 in 2022, has been inducted into 23 halls of fame.
“She would love that she was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame,” Renzoni said. “She was really excited about golf because she didn’t take up golf until she was 35 years old. That’s the first time she ever really got into training, which is incredible because so many start when they are young. Joan never had that, but she had that natural ability.”
A member of the tour from 1977 to 1994, Joyce had three career sixth-place finishes. However, one round of golf stands out from the rest.
On May 16, 1982, Joyce was set to compete in the final round of the Lady Michelob near Atlanta. It was a less-than-ideal day for golf. The wind was howling and the threat of thunderstorms loomed. Early in her round, Joyce realized something special was happening on the greens at Brookfield West Golf and Country Club in suburban Roswell. She was making everything, and she was chipping in from all over the place.
“After the 14th hole, I told one of the officials that I was going to break the putting record,” Joyce told Renzoni. “She turned to me and said, ‘You must be crazy!’ So, I told her, ‘Well, maybe, but I am going to break the record.’ I just knew it!”
And break it, she did. At age 42 and just seven years after committing to the game, Joyce needed only 17 putts to complete her round.
“She’s always amazed at everything. But being inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame is unique because it’s not about softball or basketball. She grew to love golf, so for her, this would be really cool.” – Tony Renzoni
Remarkably, as successful as Joyce’s playing careers were, she was nearly as successful as a coach. In 1976 Joyce co-founded the Women’s Professional Softball League alongside Blalock, tennis’ Billie Jean King and others. In addition to being a co-founder ,Joyce also served as the coach and part-owner of the Connecticut Falcons, leading the franchise to all four of the league’s championships.
Her success as a coach continued after her retirement from golf. In 1995, she became head coach for the softball team at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, topping 1,000 career wins. During that same time, from 1996 to 2014, Joyce also served as the head coach of the Florida Atlantic women’s golf team.
Step back and take a bird’s-eye view of the life and career of Joan Joyce, and it is amazing to comprehend. Simply put, she excelled at anything to which she put her mind. Golf might have come later in her career, but that makes her accomplishments all the more impressive.
“She’s always amazed at everything,” Renzoni said. “But being inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame is unique because it’s not about softball or basketball. She grew to love golf, so for her, this would be really cool.”
Dostaler, who is the director of communications for the Connecticut State Golf Association, wrote a version of this story for the CSGA.