Nelly Korda has only gone and won again! That’s now six titles out of seven starts this season, which is absolutely incredible. She’s definitely made it into the history books as one of the all-time great female golfers. The second women’s Major of the year takes place next week at the Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania, so I wonder if Nelly will make it No2 this year, adding to the Chevron Championship.
It just so happens that this Major coincides with Women’s Golf Week. This is a celebration of women and girls playing golf, and it’s now in its ninth year, so you might well have participated in an IWGD event at a location in your area, perhaps it was your initial introduction to golf. What started as just a day (WGD) has turned into a week, and it’s amazing to see how this initiative has grown, especially in the US.
Well done to Elisa Gaudet who established this initiative because in the early days it was really tough to get the industry to buy into the event. She has worked so hard to generate an impressive list of partners and sponsors including amongst others The R&A, PGA of America, USGA, Sky Sports, Callaway and FootJoy.
Since the early days of WGD, social media has boomed, so this has had a positive impact, allowing female golfers from around the globe to connect more easily. That’s what it’s all about, creating a friendship group of likeminded women, who are happy learning and playing a sport together.
In the UK, we’ve seen several women’s golf communities pop up, which is great because they are helping to drive participation. Women that would probably have never given golf a second thought are now giving it a go, and receiving the encouragement they need to keep at it (and we all know how important that is!)
Some have started as simple online chat groups that have snowballed into something much bigger like Jazzy Golfer’s UK Women’s Golf Community. I’m sure most of you are familiar with Yvonne Brooke’s Ladies Golf Lounge on Facebook, where women share advice on all sorts of topics like golf holiday hotspots, rules queries, golf club issues, fashion, because they feel comfortable doing so in this environment.
Then there’s Skratch Women that was set up by London-based Caroline Shukla when she was struggling to find other women her age to play with in the London area. Groups meet regularly to hit balls at city-based locations and they also head off on golf trips far and wide.
The way we enjoy golf has changed, it’s no longer just a case of learning to play, join a golf club and become integrated into a ladies’ section playing 18 holes every week. There are so many different options now like meetups at golf ranges, simulator golf, or social and holiday golf with members of some of the communities I’ve mentioned.
One thing for sure, women are definitely stronger together and the success of Women’s Golf Day and the popularity of women’s golfing communities is proof of that.
Alison Root
Women's Editor Golf Monthly
