BRIDGING THE GENDER DIVIDE

The R&A launched its Women in Golf Charter four years ago as part of a drive to increase female participation and employment within the industry. Alison Root assesses progress to date

- Alison Root

Driving women's and girls' participation in the game is a subject that has long been discussed within the golf industry. In May 2018, it became a big deal when The R&A, golf's governing body, made a serious commitment to advance change in the women's game. This included a global investment of £80 million in women's, girls', and mixed golf over the next ten years.

Underpinning the investment is the Women in Golf Charter, which asks golf to pledge its support for increasing the number of women playing, and working in, the game. National federations and other golf bodies that adopt the charter are required to build on current initiatives and develop new projects, with targets set for participation and membership and progress reported annually.

For the charter to succeed, golf clubs have a fundamental role to play in changing culture, as Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, emphasized at the launch event, attended by representatives of golf bodies worldwide. "The reality is that if we continue to offer the same product that we're offering today, we will not grow as a sport. It hasn't worked for ten years, and there's no reason it's going to work for the next ten years, so we have to change," he said.

However, it's fair to say that getting golf clubs to adopt the charter was never going to be an easy task and initially it was slow progress. For many clubs, it was not a case of being averse to change, but simply a lack of understanding as to how best to embrace a new audience, and the actions they must take (and the roles people must play) to create a female-friendly environment. In addition, many clubs don't have the resources or manpower to action what is required of them.