Written evidence submitted by: Jasmine Sanders, Founder of the UK Women’s Golf Community, Host of CNN’s Living Golf and Women’s Golf Advocate, and Vicky Cuming, Vice President of Golf, IMG/WME
Submission to the CMS Select Committee inquiry into Women’s Sport
Women's golf has seen significant growth in recent years yet it grapples with challenges hindering its full potential. This submission delves into the current state of women's golf, hurdles faced, and strategies to achieve gender parity within the sport.
Tackling Sexism and Misogyny:
Building Inclusive Sporting Environments
Golf has historically been perceived as a male-dominated sport due to cultural norms and historical exclusivity. With multiple industry studies estimating that only 13-15% of golf club members and approx. 20% of total golfers in GB&I are female, there is some work to do to address this imbalance including tackling sexism and misogyny in our sport to increase female participation and nurture the next generation.
Whilst there are many compounding factors that contribute to this, we believe the key ones are as follows:
Recent years have showcased the outstanding talent in women's golf, especially with successes from UK talent such as Charley Hull, Georgia Hall and Leona Maguire. All three players also competed in the incredibly popular Solheim Cup. They made history not only when Team Europe retained the trophy for the third successive tournament but a record-breaking number of viewers watched live on Sky Sports with a peak audience on the final day of nearly 750,000 – the highest ever recorded for the event on Sky Sports.
Despite this progress, women's golf events often receive limited media coverage compared to their male counterparts. According to research conducted by Nielsen, just 3% of print and 4% of online coverage goes to women-only sport and less than 20% of all TV sport covers women-only or mixed sport. Limited coverage of female golfers not only perpetuates gender disparities in sports media but also deprives young aspiring players of crucial role models and inspiration. Increased visibility of women's tournaments is vital for cultivating a more inclusive and diverse golfing community, encouraging juniors to see golf as a viable and enjoyable career to pursue. By showcasing the achievements and talents of female golfers, media coverage can help break down barriers and inspire the next generation of players, fostering a more equitable and vibrant landscape in the sport.
Elevating the visibility of women's tournaments through consistent broadcasting and promotional efforts is crucial for attracting audiences and sponsors. Female golfers encounter challenges in securing sponsorships comparable to male players. The gender equality gap is one of the largest in all sports, with male golfers having the potential to make 6X that of the women. Although women’s golf prize money has increased by 43% in the last 4 years, it hasn’t grown at the same speed as men’s golf, which has accelerated largely due to investment from Saudi Arabia.
Increased financial backing is essential to foster sustained growth, talent development, visibility and global competitiveness in women's golf.
Club policies, often shaped by long-standing traditions, may inadvertently reinforce gender biases, making it challenging for women to feel fully integrated. There have been multiple examples of clubs not adhering to the Equality Act and directly or indirectly discriminating against their female members through restriction of competition or course access despite female members paying full fees.
Misogynistic attitudes of members and exclusive membership practices such as strict dress-codes and gender-specific rules, lack of tee ratings, inadequate changing facilities and no toilets on golf courses have contributed to an unwelcoming environment for women.
We are witnessing a growing trend among women in the Gen Z and Millennial age groups who are gravitating towards non-traditional golfing experiences, such as Topgolf, simulator golf, driving ranges equipped with technology like Toptracer, and mini golf. Indeed, in the US, off-course golf is already larger than on-course golf (28m vs 25m), and encouragingly, off-course golfers are 50% more likely to be women. These formats appeal to women as they offer a social, informal golfing experience where participants are free to dress as they please and enjoy the game in a relaxed setting, fostering inclusivity and accessibility within the sport. In turn, this demonstrates that it is not the sport itself that can deter women from participating, but the restrictive culture surrounding the sport.
Modernising club cultures to be more inclusive, eliminating gender-based barriers, and promoting diversity in membership can help break down long-standing stereotypes and create a more welcoming atmosphere. Additionally, reframing golf as more than just the traditional 18 holes on a course and instead showcasing its diverse array of formats will attract a wider range of female enthusiasts to the sport.
Women's representation in leadership roles within golf organisations, committees, brands and administrative bodies has often been lacking. We note that limited female representation often results in decisions that do not adequately consider the perspectives and needs of women in the golfing community. For example, many manufacturers will still opt for the stereotypical pink / purple items which we know from studies is not what all (or even the majority) of women want. Meanwhile, golf data is often based solely on the men’s game, leading to R&D on new equipment which is only directed towards men.
As a result of the smaller female participation levels, the pool of women entering the golf industry workforce is naturally smaller, hindering diversity and limiting the breadth of talent and perspectives within the profession. Campaigns such as FOREFRONT are emerging to introduce women into the corporate world to golf, and initiatives such as the Women’s Golf Summit and the Women’s Golf Awards have started work to bring together and nurture the network of women already working in the golfing industry. We additionally commend initiatives run by the Muslim Golf Society, Girls in Golf Society (GIGS), the Black British Golfers, The UK Women’s Golf Community and love.golf for their work in increasing representation and diversity within the sport.
We would welcome the opportunity to come and sit before the Committee to provide further insights and perspectives on this crucial matter. Please do not hesitate to contact us to arrange for our participation, and thank you for considering our input.