Will the subject of gender equality in golf ever go away? In my lifetime, I suspect not. Women have made great strides, especially over the last couple of decades, to slowly break down barriers and become more widely accepted in what is historically a male-dominated sport, but there’s still a long way to go.
I was recently introduced to a friend of a friend who was a female golfer, and it’s the ‘was’ that highlights the ongoing issues that impact the ability to encourage women and girls to the sport and more importantly, retain them.
The former golfer in question played golf as junior, she represented her club and county and at her best, was a 6 handicapper. Life as a junior member, mixing with other girls and boys was fun and she described these as her best times. However, when she made the transition from a junior member to a business lady member, that’s when golf turned sour for her and she eventually gave up the sport that she loved so much. At this point, it’s worth mentioning that this woman stepped away from the game about 15 years ago. Have lessons been learned to the extent that an enthusiastic young female golfer would never now be lost to the sport for similar reasons? I’m not sure they have.
When the Equality Act 2010 was introduced, golf clubs made all the right noises to comply with new guidelines that included equal access to the golf course at all times. But this clause often comes with a caveat and only applies when there are no gender or age specific competitions, and this is where one of the biggest problems lies.
Today, there are still a great number of clubs that have restricted access for women to play at weekends, and for any businesswoman that pays the same fees as a man, this is totally unfair. Men will argue that women have the tee reserved on a specific day during the week, but that’s no use to modern-day women who are busy working. This is an all-too-common problem that narrows the appeal of golf to a large percentage of the younger female population.
Encourage more mixed golf
(Image credit: Golf Monthly)
Reverting back to my conversation with the woman that golf has lost, and as a ‘business lady’ member myself for the most part of my golfing life, I can relate to her comments that led her to hang up her clubs. During one summer, she counted 17 weekend days when the course was closed to women due to men’s competitions, but that’s not all.
At the time, it was generally just her and a couple…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golf Monthly RSS Feed…