Ladies - R&A Charter

[cookelad]

Today at my club

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Toya-Go...73/photos/?tab=album&album_id=772929486244757

 

[clubchamp98]

In regards the bold, I simply mean that no matter how much money is thrown at it, there is a limit to what can be achieved. Different sports, activities, hobbies appeal to different people. Maybe golf simply doesn’t appeal to the masses of the female market.

Re the rest, I agree that weekend comps shouldn’t be limited to just men and that certain things don’t give the impression that women’s golf is given a fair crack at lots of local clubs. Were

That said I think it’s a complete red herring to suggest that stops woman taking up the sport. how many on here joined a club and played in a comp as their first round
I didn’t play in a comp for the first year or so of playing golf. I played with friends socially and found I liked the game. I didn’t get offered a round and say “sorry I’m not gonna try golf because I cant play when the ladies do on a Tuesday”.

A very good post,
I started playing on my local municipal course where there is no restriction on women.
This pay as you play suited me while I was learning the game.
Cant see why people want to join a club before they learn to hit the ball properly.

Had a chat with a 30yr old lady at my club that joined after a taster session but she said she feels under pressure on the course as she is still learning to hit it.

I tried to reassure her that were all there once .
But some golfers forget that!

 

[Capella]

That said I think it’s a complete red herring to suggest that stops woman taking up the sport. how many on here joined a club and played in a comp as their first round
I didn’t play in a comp for the first year or so of playing golf. I played with friends socially and found I liked the game. I didn’t get offered a round and say “sorry I’m not gonna try golf because I cant play when the ladies do on a Tuesday”.

Maybe that is the crux here. I don't think many women have a circle of mates that introduces them to a game and lets them tag along. Maybe they get to join in as the girlfriend of someone who is already playing, but that is a different situation again. I can only compare that to the German situation, where the golf culture as a whole is completely different. Here pretty much the only way to get into the game at all is to join a club from the get go (as a trial membership ususally, which come relatively cheap and include lessons and the "Platzreife", the infamous license to golf). I am not saying it is a better way. Far from it, actually, it makes it a lot harder to come into contact with golf at all. I'd really appreciate if we had more informal ways of trying out golf ... pitch&putt courses, munis where everyone can play, more public driving ranges etc. But from the gender perspective, maybe the club life and the process of being introduced to the game in a more formal manner (like with a get into golf course) is more attractive to women. I know that I felt very insecure on the golf course at first and the fact that I had done the Platzreife-thing which gave me kind of a formal permission to be there and had equipped me with basic rule and ettiquette knowledge helped me to feel more at home there.

It is not true for every woman of course. I am sure there are plenty of ladies out there who are happy to just jump right in. But for some of us, having that bit of guidance and the feeling of being welcomed at a club as a valued addition to the membership is an important motivator. So I would not dismiss that, even if it is not the most common way for men to come into contact with the sport first.