Women in golf

When it comes to women in golf, Richmond’s Royal Mid-Surrey is leading the way. Susie Weaver visits the club with the largest female membership in the land

To some of you, golf may seem the preserve of gentlemen of a certain age clad in Pringle jumpers and brightly coloured trousers. In which case, it might please you to know that the game is constantly evolving and – in particular – welcoming more and more women.

Recent months have seen real progress towards equality, with Scotland’s Royal Troon Golf Club finally embracing modern society by opening its doors to women members. Whether the timing is purely coincidental – Troon hosts the Open Championship this month (July 14–17) – there can be little doubt that the backlash against Muirfield, another Scottish links club which refused to admit female members back in May, helped to expedite the vote. Still, progress is progress. 

Muirfield, moreover, was promptly removed from the rota of Open hosts by the sport’s governing body, the R&A, indicating that golf’s anachronistic  gender imbalance is now being addressed. I grew up in North Berwick, a mere long putt from Muirfield in East Lothian, learning to play golf alongside Catriona Matthew, a Scottish professional who won the Women’s British Open in 2009. Alas, despite triumphing at the North Berwick girls’ under-10 competition in 1983, I didn’t quite reach the same heady heights. However, I share Catriona’s sentiments about the Muirfield ban. 

“As a Scottish woman (golfer) from the East Lothian area, I am embarrassed by the decision to continue to exclude women as members,” she said.

Sadly, clubs like Muirfield only feed golf’s existing reputation as a male-dominated environment. Networking and business decisions are frequently made at male-only events, with women excluded from ‘golf days’ left feeling that the game is intimidating and inaccessible.

How refreshing then that so many clubs in the Richmond area welcome female members and, indeed, actively seek them. One – the Royal Mid-Surrey, celebrating its 125th anniversary next year – boasts just over a third of its membership as women and has, in fact, had female members since it was formed in 1892. With the largest ladies section in the country – 350 of the 900 members are women – it is certainly leading the way in closing the gender gap. Even its junior academy is 50% girls and the current Ladies County Champion, Alice Spani-Molella, is a member here.

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Set within Old Deer Park, in May the club held the SSE Women’s Invitational, playing host to 90 senior, predominantly female business executives for a corporate golf day aimed at breaking down barriers by enabling women to do business in a golf environment. The day – brainchild of IMG, the global management company, which is a leading player in golf worldwide – began with a panel of inspiring leaders in business and sport debating issues of diversity and inclusion, and then continued with an afternoon of golf.

One keynote speaker was Judy Murray, mother of Andy and a passionate supporter of women in sport.

“This is a huge opportunity,” she told me, “not just to try golf if you’ve never done so, but really to network on a day that opens up golf to so many more people. So often these events are male-dominated, like so much of sport. Why not the women?”

Why not indeed? With female club membership currently standing at 15% in England, Matthew Paget, Royal Mid-Surrey’s head professional, is clear about the reasons for the club’s success. 

“There are no restrictions here, either for men or women,” he explains. “We have a Ladies’ Academy, which is a six-month scheme to fast-track beginners and help lapsed golfers who want to develop their game and become members. The junior girls are flying, thanks greatly to our Barton Squad, which is for girls of any age and ability. Once girls hit their teens they need more encouragement to stay in the game, so we have social events and use social media to keep them engaged. The key is fun and participation.”

With women accounting for over 50% of our population, female participation is clearly a potential growth area for golf clubs. Even so, many women remain wary of the perceived elitism and doubtful as to whether they will fit in. Perhaps, however, with more clubs following Royal Mid-Surrey’s lead and events such as the Invitational affording women the chance to combine business with golf, it won’t be long before men and women enjoy equal status in a game which has so much to offer.

Check out another one of our great golf articles like our piece on the Best Pay to Play Golf Courses in Surrey

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