Janet Jackson

Born Jeanette V. M. Jackson, daughter of Harry W. Jackson (King's Counsel) and Arabella E. Jackson residing at 44 Fitzwilliam Square West (Mansion House) with two servants. The family was Church of Ireland.

 

Since 1925 the lady with the most Irish Ladies' Championships to her name was Janet Jackson from the Island Golf Club. Between 1913 and 1925 Janet had accumulated six titles, four of which were consecutive titles, albeit interrupted by The Great War.

Janet Jackson was a formidable opponent and often overlooked when referring to ladies golf in Ireland. As with many golfers like: Lionel Munn, Michael Moran, Jimmy Bruen and Clarrie Reddan her contribution might have been more significant was it not for the outbreak of WWI. Janet was a bronze medallist at the 1913, 1920 and 1921 Ladies' Championships, the last of which was a closely fought match against Cecil Leitch who was probably the second best lady golfer in the world at this time, the first being Joyce Wethered.

Cecil Leitch in her autobiography from 1922 described Janet as: "a long hitter and one of the best players of the present day. Her whole style implies confidence...and equally good at match and medal play". Later Janet would again take Cecil to the eighteenth in the quarterfinal match at Troon in 1925 where Leitch finally lost to Wethered on the first play-off hole. After 1925 Janet Jackson began to fade as the leading Irish golfer and struggled to achieve the heights of her earlier years. However in 1934 her game seemed to have re-emerged but was beaten in the semifinal of the Irish Ladies' Championship by Pat Sherlock on the final green. Later that year she retired from competitive golf in Ireland when she moved to England.

Janet appeared one last time to compete for the first post-war Ladies' Amateur Championship, at Hunstanton.