She was an iconic golfer. She made history as one of the few female developers of golf courses in America. But more importantly, if not the most, she was an inspiration to many, women and men alike in the sport of golf. Yes, we are talking exactly about Susie Maxwell Berning, the Hall of Fame member, who recently passed away at the age of 83 after a two-year battle with lung cancer.

Truly unfortunate! For the late golfer had dedicated her life to the game, all the while winning 11 times on the LPGA Tour and teaching the sport professionally following the same. It’s true… the late athlete, after retirement, had taken to become a noted instructor. Naturally so, since Maxwell Berning’s life and career were extraordinary, seeing as how she excelled in the sport of golf, despite entering it at the age of 15.

Susie Maxwell Berning and her entry into golf

Despite being born on July 22, 1941, in Pasadena, California, Maxwell Berning spent most of her teenage years in Oklahoma City. That was when she discovered golf and found out she had a passion for the same, all thanks to a certain runaway horse, not to mention the PGA professional who changed her life.

It was around 1954 when her family rented a house across the street from a 36-hole municipal golf facility known as Lincoln Park. The future golfer then took to ask the head professional of the club, U.C. Ferguson, to let her caddie for others just like her older brothers. The response? Females didn’t do such a thing, said Ferguson.

Some days later, a young colt that she was tending to, broke from her control owing to a train’s whistle and galloped onto the golf course causing much damage and destruction. This led to a meeting with the head professional who mistook the 13-year-old’s actions as those of revenge for not allowing Susie Maxwell Berning to caddie. However, that misunderstanding was soon gone, and in place, grew a curiosity of the young girl’s interest in the sport of golf.

Although she did scoff at the notion of swinging the clubs and holing the balls, it all changed when Patty Berg, the 1946 U.S. Women’s Open Champ, made an appearance at Lincoln Park for a clinic. The women golfer inspired the young athlete following which Ferguson’s slight push was all that it took for her to take up the game of golf. What a decision that came out to be, all thanks to her fruitful career in the sport.

A quick look at Maxwell Berning’s golfing career

Some free instruction and some equipment from the club head professional kicked off her career, allowing her to soon become one of the state’s top golfers. The athlete won a scholarship to Oklahoma City University, following which she became a part of the men’s team. However, witnessing two of her amateur golf rivals, Beth Stone and Betsy Cullen, join the LPGA Tour was the final push that she needed to turn pro.

That decision soon turned out to be the right one for the athlete, as she earned the 1964 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie-of-the-Year title. A year later, she emerged victorious at the 1965 Women’s Western Open, which was a major championship back then. Three years after that, we see her clinching another major win at the U.S. Women’s Open, the first of her three titles at the event (1968, 1972, and 1973). Truly a scintillating career as a woman golfer. But that was not to mean that she didn’t have a family life. In fact, the golfer is well known for maintaining a proper family-professional life balance.

Susie Maxwell Berning; wife, mom, and golfer

The female athlete got married to Dale Patrick Berning in St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in May 1968. Just seven weeks later, the athlete carded her first U.S. Women’s Open title after she returned from her honeymoon. That’s not all. She also gave much importance to her role as a mother. Back in 1970, when she was pregnant with her first daughter, Robin Maxwell Berning, only teed off a total of seven times. Her second daughter, Cindy, was born seven years later, in 1977.

But that’s not to mean that her performance dropped following her daughter’s birth. Just two years later, she returned to win the U.S. Women’s Open in 1972 and managed to defend her title in 1973. “Throughout my golf career, I was able to raise a family, which was icing on the cake,” recounted the late golfer in 2021 when she was inducted into the Hall of Fame. “That’s one reason I didn’t play as many years or as many events. But when I did play, I enjoyed it.”

“I always thought that having my own family on tour was not just a blessing, but it was an advantage,” continued Susie Maxwell Berning. “No matter how the round went, I was mom first. My priorities were always to make sure their day went well and to spend time with them, to show and teach them that their goals are worth going after, that tough competition can happen in a loving environment.”

She was an inspiring person. Even LPGA Tour Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan agreed. “We will always point to her as a role model for balancing home life and career, winning major championships while also raising a family.” Truly a person to look up to!