The Time is Now for Golf Facilities to Welcome Women and Girls
By Donna White – Keiser University College of Golf Professor, PGA and LPGA Member and Winner of Three LPGA Tour Events
“If women’s golf was a stock, you would buy,” stated Mike Whan, CEO of the United States Golf Association and former LPGA Commissioner, during a press interview at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open.
The National Golf Foundation tracks an upward trend in the interest and participation levels of girls and women. In 2024, roughly 8 million women and girls played on golf courses. Since COVID, golf has boomed, with 60% of the growth driven by women, who comprise one-third of the golfer market today. LPGA tour purses and television ratings are up, and LPGA-USGA Girls’ golf participation has surpassed 1,000,000. However, industry dollars spent targeting women represent less than 20% of total investment, and only 10% of golf professionals in the U.S. are female.
As a traditionally male-dominated industry, most clubs have featured facilities and programs designed primarily for men. Yet women approach experiences differently than men, relating to activities in a more understanding, personal, emotional, social, and communicative manner. Research by Dr. S. Christian Wheeler found that men take a more practical problem-solving approach, while women prefer exploring multiple options before making the “perfect” choice—a process associated with higher neural brain activity.
A demographic comprising 52% of the nation’s population and 50% of the workforce represents an enormous opportunity. Golf course owners, operators, and instructors who recognize the consumer potential, value, and desired culture of female golfers are seeing increased revenues and retention rates.
We’ve Come a Long Way—But Have We?
As a former LPGA tour player who transitioned into the “golf professional” sector, I’ve had the opportunity to compete and play at some of the most prestigious courses worldwide. However, it remains humiliating to change into golf shoes in a parking lot because a club lacks a women’s locker room. Many clubs that do have women’s facilities offer smaller spaces with fewer lockers and amenities than their male counterparts.
In the late 1970s, short shorts were fashionable and worn on the LPGA tour. I recall having to purchase Bermuda-length shorts from a golf shop at a renowned resort before being allowed to use the practice area—fortunately, that shop stocked women’s apparel. While one might dismiss this as “the old days,” I recently played in a pro-am at a women’s mini-tour event at a small private club in rural North Carolina. To my dismay, the golf shop carried not a single piece of women’s apparel, equipment, or accessories.
Private, public, and resort facilities that foster an inviting approach can capture the purchasing power, influence, and interest of girls and women of all skill levels. They can make their golf facility a preferred destination by overcoming entrenched challenges and increasing rounds and revenues.
Customer Service Starts with Employee Training and Hiring
Create a work culture committed to serving the needs and interests of women and girls:
- Birdie Buds Golf Marketing emphasizes that warm greetings for women at all customer touchpoints are essential.
- Establish clear employee codes of conduct, including effective communication strategies with women and girls, specifically prohibiting sexist comments or insinuations.
- Conduct conflict resolution and sensitivity training on handling complaints promptly and appropriately.
- Hire more women staff across all sectors of the operation, demonstrating a commitment to female representation.
Assess the Golf Course Experience
Golf course architect Kari Haug argues that the diverse skill levels and physical characteristics of girls and women were often overlooked in traditional golf course design and layouts—a factor contributing to low participation, engagement, and frustration among female golfers. Consider the layout, condition, affordability, location, pace of play, strategy, and challenge level to ensure they’re conducive to female players’ levels and styles. Enhance women-friendly course access, playability, and on-course experience:
- Offer multiple strategically placed, well-maintained tee options for golfers of all ability levels. Eliminate gender-based labels like “ladies,” “seniors,” or “men’s” teeing grounds. Some men would enjoy playing from forward tees, while some women find satisfaction in playing from back tees. Golf Convergence, Inc. suggests tee selection should be based on handicap, driving distance, and swing speed.
- Consider what females can and cannot see from the teeing ground when building or setting tees. Most women are shorter than their male playing partners.
- Match carry distances and trajectories to accommodate the average female golfer—also beneficial for males with slower swing speeds and shorter driving distances.
- Ensure clear pathways from tee to green with manageable carry yardages over hazards to encourage the challenge, risk, and reward of shot attempts.
- Schedule golf course maintenance thoughtfully or provide advance notice for women’s and girls’ events.
- Provide multiple, clean, and well-supplied on-course restrooms.
- Invite women to serve on committees, providing input on course setup, conditions, and events. This demonstrates that women are important to the course’s overall operation.
- Remember that all these factors influence the pace of play.
- Educate male golfers, members, and staff to respect women on the course and practice range by avoiding unsolicited advice.
Clubhouse Experience
Make the clubhouse impressive and inviting to women:
- Create a welcoming atmosphere by eliminating the “boys’ club” ambiance. Update with brighter, more modern designs, lighting, furniture, displays, and seating.
- Promote the value of women and girls at the facility by including their accomplishments in trophy cases, wall displays, and all marketing efforts.
- Maintain women’s locker rooms to the same standard as men’s facilities. Provide hair dryers, toiletries, and full-length mirrors. Private clubs should offer an extensive list of high-quality amenities.
- Demonstrate the value and priority of women golfers as consumers by stocking women’s apparel, shoes, equipment, and accessories in the golf shop.
- Include family-friendly amenities and services that appeal to women, such as childcare and family golf events and programs.
- Provide a variety of healthy food and beverage options.
Offer Women- and Girl-Friendly Programs and Events
Build a sense of community and make learning and playing golf less intimidating. Offer programs taught by instructors who understand the confidence-building needs, challenges, personal time preferences, and learning environments that women and girls enjoy:
- New-Golfer Clinics and Programs: Focus on swing fundamentals and introduction to basic rules and terminology, combined with fun and social engagement.
- Progressive Education Programs: Create next-level women’s and girls’ player development programs that take students from the tee line to on-course play based on advancement criteria, allowing them to learn at their own pace and develop readiness for competition. Operation36 Golf provides an excellent individual and group example.
- League Play with Themes: Offer league play combined with fun and entertaining themes for all ability levels—four-hole, nine-hole, twelve-hole, and eighteen-hole formats. Events like “Wine and Nine” provide the social aspect and sense of belonging many female golfers seek.
- Networking and Community Building: Promote networking, recruiting, and friendship among female golfers by blending non-golf activities, charity events, and education with learn-and-play experiences. Invite guest speakers from local women’s business chambers to speak after they play or host trunk shows showcasing new women’s apparel and fashions from the golf shop. Players1st.com even suggests cooking classes as opportunities to promote friendship and networking.
- Mentorship Programs: Pair new female golfers with more experienced female golfers in learning and play activities to encourage and guide newcomers to the game.
- Mixed Events: Encourage togetherness and minimize the “us versus them” attitude by promoting mixed-play events.
- Industry Recognition: Showcase and celebrate the impact women are making in the industry. Align with outside women’s and girls’ golf associations like LPGA-USGA Girls Golf and LPGA Amateur Golf Association and celebrate Women in Golf Day.
Conclusion
Golf is for everyone and is evolving globally. According to the National Golf Foundation, revenue, current trends, demographics and preferences, and marketing opportunities are the four key decision-making factors for leaders in the golf industry. The female market taps into all four areas, and frankly, there would be no golfers or industry without our mothers.
Reiterating Whan, “buy” now and invest in this market. For those seeking an audit tool and supporting information referenced in this article, consult the PGA of America’s “Connecting with HER PLAYBOOK” manual.
