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It’s Addictive.
You’re Never Done.
Passion.
Golf is a sport that can be frustrating, sometimes even agonising, yet also extremely rewarding. Whether you have just started playing, or out there every weekend, the hard work and frustrations make it even more rewarding when it comes to fruition, and we swear it does, eventually! That feeling when you make your first birdie or break that next milestone you realise all the pain was worth it.
Since 2020, golf has changed significantly, and one considerable change is the male to female ratio of golf participation in the UK. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the participation of female golfers more than tripled! An increase that saw nearly 1.5 million women playing a minimum one full round. In 2021, Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS), undertook participation research which showed 34% of golfers in Great Britain were women.
We sat down with a few of our Women’s Advisory Board members to discuss, why they believe it is important for women to get into golf. How they were introduced to the game. The obstacles they faced and how they conquered them.
Does anyone really know what they want to be when they grow up? For Esther Poburski, Alice Davis and Kelly Sotière a career in golf wasn’t always on the cards, but their love for the game opened up different avenues for them.
Esther: I’m sure plenty have a similar story to me. My dad got me into golf at the age of 5, he was looking after me and took me to the course. Kids on the course in those days it wasn’t the norm, but I have memories of sitting on his tour bag with a cut down club wrapped with a tennis grip. One of my favourite things now is seeing different generations out on the course together!
My love/ hate relationship with the game has brought me to become the regional golf coach for Northern Germany and for the best part of 10 years, I’ve been the co-national coach of the German golf team developing the girls coming through the elite ranks of the nation.
Alice: My parents wanted my brother to participate in another sport growing up, I tagged along and got involved and since then I’ve never looked back. I started my PGA training in October 2014 and have been at Parkstone Golf Club nearly 8 years! A lot of my time in spent teaching all ages and abilities. A large focus of mine is juniors and also growing the women’s game through my girls golf and ladies academy.
Kelly: Similar to Esther, my dad was the main influence in both myself (6 years old) and my sister (8 years old) beginning our golfing journey. The more we participated the greater the desire became to play. As this desire grew, we both got involved in our local junior clubs and Sunday’s became our family golf outing. We would all head out onto the course, which has created so many fond memories for me, and is part of the reason I am eager to share this passion with others. Golf always puts a smile on my face, and I want to be able to promote that feeling with others. I’ve been teaching for about 10 years, but 5 years ago I trained to become a Sports Psychologist. My ambition is to work with the junior teams in France and assist them in obtaining their golfing aspirations
If you are just getting started in golf, it can seem a bit intimidating. The first thing you need to remember is that everyone must start somewhere, so don’t worry about looking uneasy or not knowing everything.
Alice: One of the main challenges is that there is a pre-conceived idea of what women golfers are. They are alleged to be not as good, slower, or take up valuable golfing time to mention only a few. These are views which shouldn’t be allowed. That’s a lot of negatives to deal with before you even step foot on the tee!
Kelly: Visibility is important, and I think it’s a big barrier for getting more women into golf. On many occasions I’ve been surrounded by men out on the course, it can be intimidating. If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.
Esther: I agree with both Alice and Kelly, getting more girls onto the course is an issue. I coach a lot of younger girls and for them coming through, it’s a lot harder compared to the older generation.
Alice: My advice for anyone wanting to start is find somewhere that you can learn in a group setting. If it weren’t for my girl’s academy, I don’t think a lot of them would play. It’s a fun setting where they can learn golf whilst catching up with their friends, and it’s the same for my Parkstone Pink Ladies Academy. I’ve had a couple of women come down recently and they leave surprised at how much they enjoyed it!
Kelly: This is huge for women getting into golf. Starting in a group, you have the social element and you’re all going through the same thing together. Starting out on your own, it can feel isolating and not as enjoyable as if you’re out with a few friends.
Alice, Esther, Kelly: Most importantly don’t forget to have fun!
Instagram: Kelly Sotière
Instagram: Alice Davis
Instagram: Esther Poburski