FIELDREPORT
Play, lady, play
By Alison Root, editor of Women & Golf
At one time clubhouse doors were leſt slightly ajar for women, but, slowly but surely, the industry is kicking them wide open, especially golf clubs with ailing memberships that now recognise the value and benefits for attracting female golfers
this has set the ball rolling for other clubs to follow suit, like Royal St. George’s in Kent and Lundin in Fife. These are baby steps but significant ones nevertheless as in time these actions will help to eradicate the historical perception of non-playing females that the game is predominantly geared towards men only. Last year, in an overdue light-bulb moment, women’s golf began to dominate. The summer saw the launch of the national campaign #ThisGirlGolfs with an edgy video setting out to change the image of the game and encourage participation, while the governing bodies of the four home countries joined forces to share ideas and embarked on the same mission with greater authority than ever before. Organisations and individuals are
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working terribly hard on various initiatives to attract women to the game, but generating interest is one thing and retaining that interest is another, especially if a golf club’s culture is unappealing to modern-day women. Nowadays, time is of the essence and
as identified in Syngenta’s market report, ‘The Opportunity to Grow Golf: Female Participation’, this is a key reason why women either leave the game or are put off from taking it up in the first place. The amount of time and
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aving waited 260 years, in September 2014 the R&A voted to allow women members, and
commitment required to learn and play golf is simply too much. Golf clubs are trying to attract a new generation of female golfers, those aged in their 30s and 40s, but the likelihood is that these women either have careers or young families, so golf clubs need to offer an experience that fits current lifestyles. Set to launch in spring 2016 is a new
commercial golf coaching programme called love.golf led by PGA professional Alastair Spink with the support of Syngenta.
Based on Spink’s academic study into
gender in sports coaching and Syngenta’s market research, a pilot programme at 12 golf courses in autumn-winter 2015 has proved insightful and commercially successful. Spink, who is based at Fynn Valley
Golf Club, Suffolk explained: “It’s about learning together and getting out on to the golf course as soon as possible, not spending hours hitting golf balls on the range. The teaching approach is also very different with coaches avoiding lots of technical interventions and instead offering on-course guidance and encouragement. “The women who participated in the
market research we conducted during the love.golf pilot programme said they enjoyed the sense of togetherness, the relaxed format, unexpected fun and felt their confidence was boosted by the experience.” It makes sense that active women
NEW INITIATIVE: Alastair Spink and a group of love.golf pupils
want a piece of the real action sooner rather than later, instead of spending week after week on a practice ground endeavouring to reach a certain standard before even setting foot on a golf course. If you join a tennis club, you’re not asked to maintain a 20-stroke rally before being allowed on the tennis court! For some traditional golf clubs, the
love.golf programme will present challenges, and needs full support from members if beginners are let loose on the course, albeit under supervision. Long-term it should be a ‘win, win’
situation with PGA professionals benefiting directly because they are making a good hourly rate from the six-week programme and the golf club also receiving income from women in the clubhouse and pro shop. Remember that women always hold the purse strings! According to current European Golf Association figures, just 13 percent of golfers in the UK are female and the UK is still considerably lagging behind its continental counterparts. So despite the various initiatives that have been introduced over recent years, a substantial increase in female participation has not been forthcoming. There is no easy solution, but
whether it’s love.golf, #ThisGirlGolfs or any other initiative, let’s hope that 2016 is the catalyst year for a new era for women’s golf.
*PGA Professionals and golf courses wishing to register interest in love.golf should contact Alastair Spink at
alastair@love.golf
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