Bettye Danoff

{{Short description|American golfer (1923–2011)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Bettye Danoff

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption =

| fullname = Bettye Jane Mims Danoff

| nickname = Mighty Mite

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1923|5|21}}

| birth_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|12|22|1923|5|21}}

| death_place = McKinney, Texas, U.S.

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=2}}

| weight =

| nationality = {{USA}}

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| college =

| status = Professional

| yearpro = 1949

| extour = LPGA Tour (founding member)

| prowins = 1

| otherwins =

| majorwins =

| western =

| titleholders =

| lpga =

| wusopen = 15th: 1952

| wghofid = https://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/press_releases/world-golf-hall-of-fame-announces-induction-class-of-2024/

| wghofyear = 2024

}}

Bettye Jane Danoff (née Mims; May 21, 1923 – December 22, 2011) was an American professional golfer. She was one of the 13 founding members of the LPGA, in 1950.{{cite web|title=LPGA Tour founder Danoff dies at 88|date=December 22, 2011|url=http://www.todaysthv.com/sports/article/186490/346/LPGA-Tour-founder-Danoff-dies-at-88|work=THV|agency=The Sports Network|accessdate=December 10, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113013601/http://www.todaysthv.com/sports/article/186490/346/LPGA-Tour-founder-Danoff-dies-at-88|archivedate=January 13, 2012}}{{cite web |url=https://www.lpga.com/careers-about/about-our-founders |title=About the LPGA - Our Founders |publisher=LPGA}}

Danoff began playing golf at age 6. Her parents had opened a driving range and nine-hole golf course in Grand Prairie Texas.[https://web.archive.org/web/20111224001619/http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/golf/lpga-tour-founding-member-bettye-danoff-dies-in-texas-at-88/2011/12/23/gIQA9VIvCP_story.html LPGA Tour founding member Bettye Danoff dies in Texas at 88] She also played under the names Bettye Mims White and Bettye Mims Danoff.

The LPGA Tour was not founded until 1950. Before then, she won four straight Dallas Women's Golf Association Championships in addition to two Texas Women's Amateur Championship. In 1947, she defeated Babe Zaharias, 1 up, in the Texas Women's Open. Zaharias had won 17 consecutive tournaments before losing to Danoff.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y1AtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cNYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3613,4225501&dq=texas+open+golf&hl=en Jameson, Diringer In Texas Finals] Also before her LPGA days, Danoff played exhibitions with PGA Tour stars.

Danoff was a mother to three daughters who traveled with her as she played off the LPGA Tour. After the death of her husband in 1961, Danoff played in a limited number of tournaments. She was the LPGA Tour's first grandmother.