People are making less and less of an effort to play golf these days. Due to this trend, golf courses all over the country are either closing and becoming fields or selling their land to developers so they can use it to construct housing developments or apartment buildings. I wonder what is causing this decline in players who love the game. People often claim that they are too busy to play 18 holes of golf, even though it typically only takes 4 hours or longer. They claim that business deals are no longer frequently struck on the golf course because they have families and jobs that require overtime (sometimes even on weekends). So who will revive the sport and make it more popular? Women must participate in golf in order to enjoy themselves while spending time with their partners and friends. This need hasn’t been recognized by the golf industry or society at large yet. Instead of attempting to capitalize on the need for or encourage female participation in the sport, the industry makes it difficult for them to do so.
Men’s shirts, pants, shoes, and hats were the only items available when I entered a golf shop the other day, for instance. I asked the guy working, “Do you have any women’s items here?” He said “we have women’s gloves.” So at least they were aware that women would require a glove to play golf.
Currently, the industry encourages the younger generation to participate in order to promote women in golf. They offer junior leagues, Girls Golf LPGA, and day camps for golf so that kids can grow to love the sport and carry it into adulthood. However, it ends there; women and young adults are not included in the sport. All they want is for those young girls to grow up and continue to want to be involved. But after the junior camps are over, women are rarely if ever encouraged to participate. Perhaps they believe that the younger generation will simply produce something. It hasn’t, as you can see.
Golf is a fantastic activity for socializing, whether it be with close friends and family members or even complete strangers. Men and women seem to play different sports in this sport. Men now play golf with other men, and women now play golf in groups with other women, dividing the sport. For instance, when I travel with other couples, the men prefer to play golf, while the women prefer to shop or relax on the beach. I struggle to balance spending time with my friends and playing golf because I’m a woman who enjoys the game. It is not very inviting if I play with the guys and I miss out on time with my friends. Women are hardly given any encouragement or incentives to play, and they are made to feel unwelcome. There is still time to break this habit and revive this thrilling sport, and I am confident that women will be the ones to do it.