If you are already a committed golfer – pass this article on to a friend that needs a little encouragement. She may become your favorite golf partner. It’s a great time to learn to play golf.

There is more interest in women’s golf than I can ever recall.  My opinion is based not only on my observations of women’s golf over many years but also on recent positive statistics released from the National Golf Foundation in Jupiter, Florida. The barriers (both real and imagined) for women to learn how to play golf have generally been reduced.

Here are a few more reasons that back up my enthusiasm:

Golf is just not as traditional as it used to be. Augusta National confirmed that it will sponsor the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on its famous links from 2019.  And even more innovative is that women’s professional tours are introducing new and creative promotions of women’s golf that are moving golf’s image from “traditional” to “fun” to “memorable.”

For example, the first LPGA Tour event next season is the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions January 17-20, 2019 – an event never before on the LPGA Tour.  Top women, men, and celebrities will compete at the Tranquilo Golf Club at the Four Seasons Resort in Orlando, Florida (near Walt Disney World).

More recently, the Ladies European Tour (the LET) held an innovative women/men competition – “Golf Sixes” – played in six-hole matches that received outstanding reviews.

Media interviews of LPGA Tour players go beyond just how they hit the ball.   One of my favorite LPGA Media reporters, Amy Rogers, more frequently asks LPGA players about their feelings and fears as they recall their last match or winning shot.  And, who can forget when WomensGolf.com’s Ben Harpring, asked the sisters, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, what they would do if they were both in the final group on Sunday with a chance to win: The answer from both was “I’m gonna try so hard to beat her” – with sisterly-smiles.

There are many more golf lessons on websites like WomensGolf.com – making it easier to learn the game.  For example, I have been missing too many putts lately.  So I searched on this site for “putting” and nine articles come up.  One of the most popular is LPGA Master Professional Deb Vangellow’s article on Learning the Art and Science of Putting

The effect of all the online lessons (many with videos) is not only the cost factor but also the privacy of trying some new technique in your own home or backyard.  It’s not very embarrassing to miss a putt on your living room carpet or miss a chip-shot in your backyard!

And a new website sponsored by the LPGA that also offers instruction was recently launched, the LPGA Women’s Network The LPGA Women’s Network is a new initiative under the broad umbrella of the Golf 20/20 Women’s Task Force of which I am a member.   The “LPGA Women’s Network” website is a first for the LPGA under the guidance of Nancy Henderson, President of the LPGA Foundation

Also newsworthy is that the LPGA recently announced that it will create its first international property in southern Korea that will be similar to its golf facility in Daytona Beach, Florida, located at LPGA headquarters. I would expect this facility to also be a center for women’s golf instruction for a country that loves its women’s golf!

New women golfers should expect a better welcome at golf facilities.  There are several reasons why.  Let’s begin with the recent Women’s Golf Day held June 5, 2018, offering four-hour golf experiences in 58 countries at over 900 golf venues (from golf ranges to major golf clubs to TopGolf sites).

Not only did thousands of women golfers learn about playing golf that day, but the facility managers and their golf professionals – who are predominately male – learned about women golfers.  Without the Women’s Golf Day international promotion and Golf Channel coverage, it would have been easy for a golf facility to just say “NO” — they didn’t want to participate.

Women’s Golf Day also provided women with a leadership opportunity — to help a golf facility understand what women golfers want and need in their golf experience.  Enjoy reading one of my most popular articles on this subject: Why Women Golfers Must Be Leaders.

“Leadership” is an increasingly popular topic that accompanies an increasing number of LPGA Tour women’s golf events.  A perfect example is the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit, led by US former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, that precedes the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (a “Major” on the LPGA Tour – June 29-July).

Did I mention the importance of girls’ golf?  In fact in, the most recent Jupiter, Florida based – National Golf Foundation 2017 Participation report, the segment “Girls – Ages 6-17” shows the largest increase in participation of any other segment of golfers. You can bet that many of those little girls will become teenage golfers and then will be counted in the “women’s golf ages 18 and up. More importantly, the golf facility will learn about girls and teens as customers and how best to keep them playing golf.  Add article “Is Junior Golf Really Good for Kids” and anything by Michelle Holmes now writing for WomensGolf.com.  The odds are good that those girls will return to the women’s golf statistics at a later point in their lives.

In November, the PGA of America will elect its first female President, Suzy Whaley.  There is no female golfer with both Suzy’s golf skills and leadership experience that is more capable of balancing the interests of the mostly-male PGA of America with the growing interest of women in learning, playing and enjoying the game of golf.  I met Suzy over twenty years ago when I began writing about women’s golf.

Suzy was in the news in 2003 as she became the first female to compete in a PGA regional championship.  I went up to Connecticut to watch her play in this historic event.  Her gallery was small but I knew back then that it was an historic event.  When I wrote “Women Welcome Here! A Guide to Growing Women’s Golf” in 2003 for the National Golf Foundation, I asked Suzy to write the Introduction. The book is still available today and to read Suzy’s introduction see http://nancyberkley.com/suzywhaley-intro.html

Here are Suzy’s closing comments to the introduction. I don’t think she would change a word of it today:

Don’t you agree?   There has never been a better time for women to learn to play golf.

Feature photo of LPGA players warming up before a tournament round by Ben Harpring