The endowment was established in January when the College's private course, The Orchards, entered into a long-term lease with Arnold Palmer Golf Management for the operation of the golf facility.

"We are very pleased to name this endowment in honor of Winifred Palmer," said Mary Jo Maydew, Mount Holyoke College vice president. "Mrs. Palmer graduated from a Moravian seminary for girls and enrolled at Brown University's Pembroke College. Her link to women's education makes this an especially appropriate tribute."

Laid out in 1922, The Orchards in South Hadley, Massachusetts, is owned by Mount Holyoke College, one of the nation's top liberal arts institutions. Picturesque and exacting, the course has long been considered one of New England's finest and an extremely well-preserved example of the timeless style of Donald Ross, a golfing legend known for his course design. The management company has recently completed improvements to the course and a renovation of the club house.

The Orchards was the brainchild of Joseph Skinner, who commissioned Donald Ross to design the course for his daughter. In 1941, he donated the 18-hole facility to the College‹a fitting gesture since Mount Holyoke has championed women's higher education since its founding in 1837. As home course to one of the Northeast's top women's golf programs, The Orchards has played host to numerous collegiate tournaments, not to mention several U.S. Amateur qualifying events. Golfweekmagazine routinely ranks The Orchards among America's ten best college-owned layouts.