Waialae and Oahu Country clubs trace the history of their women’s invitationals back to the early 1950s. Now the organizers of both are trying to trace the disappearance of a generation.

The 58th annual Waialae Women’s Invitational, which ended Tuesday, featured about 100 women between the ages of 19 and 90-something. The youngest — by a bunch — was 19-year-old Kapolei graduate Sydney Maluenda, who was the only scratch golfer in the field and low-gross champion.

The OCC Women’s Invitational also started in the early 1950s. It has taken a few breaks along the way, so this year’s (Aug. 18-19) is the 37th or so, nobody really knows for sure.

It offers a Stableford format — a point system designed to make OCC’s treacherous layout less ominous — and a 30 percent discount for students, along with a pair of Nike golf shoes for every entrant. It is close to filling its 80-player field and already has a range of entrants between the ages of 15 and 85.

But it, too, has an obvious void of players in their 20s and 30s.

Hawaii’s heralded junior program has produced national and international champions, plenty of college scholarships, a few professionals and the world’s most recognized female golfer in the past 20 years.

Where did they all go?

The most common answer: They are simply too busy, with lives, careers, kids.

"It’s a life choice and it’s OK," Maluenda says, "because golf is a lifelong sport."

Maluenda is about to start her sophomore season at George Fox University in Oregon. She won five titles as a freshman and had the third-lowest stroke average in NCAA Division III, was national Rookie of the Year and first-team All-American.

She is playing Waialae and OCC’s invitationals — along with state match play and last week’s Barbers Point ladies flight — "to keep in touch, keep my game up." Her first look at Waialae was Monday’s first round and she fired 75.

It was just a peek at how good Hawaii’s juniors have become, and how much they are missed in local events as they become young adults.

The Jennie K. Wilson Invitational at Mid-Pacific Country Club is thriving and considered the third major for Hawaii women, along with this week’s state match play championship and next month’s stroke play. But it doesn’t sell out nearly as quickly as it used to.

Waialae and Oahu come close and the Army Women’s Invitational was revived this year. But women’s invitationals at Moanalua, Kaneohe, Navy-Marine and Hickam are gone, along with the 20- and 30-somethings.

Bev Kim has won at Waialae in five decades. Will anyone ever come close to that again?

"What about the Hawaii gals who are golf team alums from UH and mainland colleges?" asks Paula Trask, OCC’s co-chair. "This is the group that I would love to see come back and play some competitive/friendly golf. I can’t find them.

"I think the way we mentor has changed. The current coaches do a great job, but our sights are set on nationally ranked tournaments moving us forward to scholarships, Symetra and the LPGA (tours). It seems like there are fewer reasons to stay to participate in local high-profile tournaments. Nationally, golf is on the decline, so those of us running tournaments have challenges and compete with jobs, time management, the Internet and basic economics."

The first shot hit at OCC was launched by Annie Walker Faxon Bishop — great aunt of Trask’s husband. That was on April 27, 1907, the day the first nine holes opened. Annie’s husband, Eben Faxon Bishop, was the club’s first president.

Hawaii’s first women’s championship, the Territorial Women’s Amateur, was played at OCC from 1924-64. It ultimately became two tournaments — the state stroke play, now at Mid-Pac, and match play, now at OCC.

Waialae, opened in 1927 for guests of the Royal Hawaiian and Moana hotels, also hosted state stroke play a few years. It will host its 50th PGA Tour event in January.

Jackie Liwai Pung was Waialae’s "womens" club champion as a junior in 1937 and ’38. A year later, Babe Didrickson played an exhibition there and Louise Suggs and Patty Berg made appearances in the ’50s.

Ramona McGuire was the club’s first women’s golf division chair, in 1947. She was an eight-time club champion. Pam Anderson, whose father Alex wrote the song "Waialae," won the club championship 10 times and Edna Jackola four. Joan Damon won 24 club championships at Waialae and Oahu combined.

Both courses bleed Hawaii golf history and so do their invitationals, introduced in part to let non-members enjoy that history in a fun format.

Other Hawaii Golf Hall of Famers like Kim, Jackie Yates Holt and Tura Nagatoshi won invitational titles at Waialae. Former University of Hawaii Wahine golf coaches Marga Stubblefield and Judy Tonda have won at Waialae and OCC, and so has Brenda Rego.

Some of those titles were won while they in their 20s and 30s.

Now, that is so last millennium.

Entry forms for next month OCC Women’s Invitational are available online at oahucountryclub.com.