A woman for all seasons

Joan Joyce was a standout softball player before having a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Courtesy Joan Chandler
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 o...