Women And Golf--Grow The Game (Part 1)

     Here is the first post from Rich O'Brien.  Rich will be posting from time to time about issues in the game. I am breaking this up into two parts.  Take some time and consider what Rich has to say as it is very important that we bring more women to the game. Part two will post tomorrow. Thank you Rich and we look forward to you sharing your important insights and reading your posts.

The Grow the Game Blog

By Rich O’Brien

About six months ago I started writing a monthly column for the Charleston Golf News on the topic of Growing the Game we all love. During the series I have had the opportunity to interview many of the top officials in leading golf associations. When discussing a topic it is always important to provide a brief synopsis of the material that has already been covered .  I will also conclude the discussion by  previewing what will be covered next in the series.   

The discussion began with interviews of Sandy Cross and Suzy Whaley of the PGA of America and on the topic of what is being done to grow participation among women. In an era when overall participation in golf across the United States has been flat, the golf industry is looking to women as an area where the game of golf can grow. For many decades, the golf industry was unable to connect with female golfers.

The Connecting to Her study led by Cross suggested that the golf courses needed to look at their operation through a feminine lens in order for more women to feel welcome at the course.

According to the National Golf Foundation, female golfers are the fastest growing segment of participation in the United States with 5.3 million players, including 260,000 women who started playing golf in the past year.  Women now represent 21.5% of the all players and account for 19% of all golf sales.

Women under the age of 40 are increasingly using golf as a valuable business resource, according to research by the NGF. However, many women still consider entry into the game to be a daunting task.  Millions of women want to play the game, but would like an invitation to the game.

Thank you for that Rich. We will have the second part tomorrow which deals more about specific plans that can be put in place to draw more women to the game. In the meantime, please visit our website at http://golfisforeveryonemd.com. I am working on a page that is totally devoted to women's issues as well as other topics.

She made the birdie, by the way.