Many a question is asked as to why junior girls drop off when they hit their teens. It could be down to a number of barriers. Other interests, pressures of exams and friendship groups, and the ever pressing issue surrounding golf and periods.
The less obvious hurdles simmer under the surface at some golf clubs and could be the reason why some talented players simply disappear. As a junior golfer I was often the only girl at the clubs where I played. When competing in opens and club competitions, I’d often find myself at the prize table simply because I had turned up.
Let’s face it, I was a rare breed back in the 90’s. Even when I turned professional in 1999 I was one of a handful of female PGA trainees in the UK. It didn’t stop us taking three of the top five places in the PGA Titleist Graduate Order of Merit in our final year. That really was a level playing field.
But winning the girls' prize playing off the reds in junior opens often felt as though I wasn’t being acknowledged and competing with the boys in the same competition. I preferred the club competitions at Bramshaw and Dunwood, where I played with and against the boys and was a solid part of the team.
Sofia, one of the junior members at Hamptworth Golf Club, questioned this when I asked her “What is your perfect type of golf to play?” She retorted back that she just wanted to play fair golf. When I questioned what she meant, she said:
“Why should the boys who I hit it past have to go off the yellow tees and I play off the reds, it isn’t fair for them and makes me feel like I’m being given an unfair advantage. It shouldn’t be boys and girls tees, there should be a level playing field and I think this would make the whole game more valued and relevant.”
How much more prepared would junior golfers in their late teens be when they hit the lengthier courses of the LET and LPGA tours? Perhaps some junior boys would continue their path into golf if they were allowed to progress more gradually from shorter tees rather than be stretched off the yellows/whites too soon.
Looking back on their junior amateur days many of the talented players I interviewed echoed Sofia’s feelings. The girls off the reds, boys off the yellows issue was a sore point!
Former AIG Women's Open winner Georgia Hall recalls, “When I wanted to play off the white tee markers at my club, I just did it. I got complained about a couple of times because as a girl I shouldn't have been off the whites. I'm not sure if it was perhaps jealousy, or if it was just that someone wanted to complain. But that's what I experienced and it wasn't very nice, as I played off whites back then to make the course longer, and of course to make it harder for me.”
Another talented county golfer Clem said, “I often played from the white tees at my course and got awful comments because of this. I wouldn’t say I had lots of fun as a junior golfer. We played twice a month and were restricted to the same group of juniors. As we got older and wanted to play in the ladies' competitions we were met with some serious resistance.
"The ladies wouldn’t allow us to play with each other, as if they thought we’d cheat. I’d put my name down on competition sheets and nobody would add their names, so I ended up not being able to take part. It was incredible cliquey and they didn’t like being outhit or outplayed. I felt it wasn’t just an age or ability thing, coming from a working class background I found at county level my face didn’t fit in. The girls whose parents could afford to sponsor elements of the team seemed to get picked first.”
Some junior girls come up against huge issues. It is not unheard of for club committees to actively voice their unhappiness if girls win competitions, or even change the rules to block a girl from winning. Ultimately this makes girls feel awful. Some have even stopped pursuing the sport they were so good at and could have held a shiny future within.
On this subject, Georgia Hall highlighted that out of 10-15 talented players in the England Golf squad, only 2 or 3 made it onto the tours. Maybe some weren’t thirsty enough for success, but perhaps some also came up against resistance. I do think things are improving and barriers at club golf level should be smashed to smithereens in this day and age.
One talented county player, who remains anonymous recalls how she was made to feel less than welcome at times in her junior days.
“My experience as a junior was a very mixed one. A small amount of segregation was felt as not only was I the only female junior but also a new breed of golfer which the club hadn’t experienced before, especially in the women’s section. Always one to enjoy getting out on the course, I was very fortunate to have a select few members who guided me in my journey to learning the game, however, sadly they didn’t make up the majority and this led to quite a few hurdles being added to my development as a golfer.”
"I got the the excitement of playing in my first 18-hole adult event. I played well and came in happy, finding out that later that I had scored the most points of all of the participants. This was when the excitement was halted very quickly, after being told that the committee had a meeting and had implemented a new rule that you had to be off a lower handicap in order to compete for prizes in events at the club. So my next goal was set!!“
Even Nicky Lawrenson, PGA pro and founder of Women in Golf Business, recalls that she had a few resistant moments from adult members as she was progressing as a player.
"Personally I was lucky in club golf and I don’t recall being anything other than being supported by ladies' sections at clubs where I played, especially Bramshaw. Though if there was such protest I was oblivious to it. County golf in Hampshire was also amazing for me and I felt part of a family and captained the team for 2 years running.
When I finally got to play a match for England I remember sitting in the clubhouse at Royal Liverpool with one of my South East buddies. One of the stalwarts of the team came up to us and said, “You two are new so you have to do an initiation.” A what? We politely (or not so) declined her request. This struck the idea of playing on any tour for a living off my wish list. I’ve since learnt that it’s more a happy family than a boarding school environment on the tours."
I just wonder how many players hit these bumps in their journeys to professional ranks and how many we lose because of rules, regulations and a touch of jealousy.
Hannah Ralph, former LET pro and now Cowdray Park’s teaching professional, had a brilliant junior and county experience, but she struggled with feeling like she fitted in as well as swing changes made at England level.
“It was an honour to be picked for England training, but sadly it didn’t work out for me. I still feel like I lost out on 2 years of the golf I knew I could play and had been playing, owing to the swing changes that were made. When you are young and inexperienced, you naturally put your trust in what is the top end of the game and the coaches involved. But the changes didn’t suit me and my swing. I couldn’t help but think there was a possible north/south divide as well, which wasn’t hugely conducive.“
When talented players have a coach they trust at home, it’s tough to take on board changes that don’t fit. This clash between home and 'official' coaches can rock the boat and obviously did in Hannah’s case.
Let’s take a moment to focus on the positives. For so many female golfers, their junior days hold fond memories and moulded them into the players and the people they are today.
With incredible schemes now such as Girls Golf Rocks and Love.Golf, I would hope that we will see a far more encouraging environment for our future LET & LPGA superstars.
I’d urge clubs to step back and look at just how encouraging they are to young emerging talent. To really nurture and be proud of these girls, they’re your future as a club.
Shout from the rooftops about them. If you don’t, you are doing them and yourselves as a club an enormous disservice. If previous members have had success in this sport professionally, really make sure you show your best colours and vocalise a big old well done. Why wouldn’t you?
