8. Recommendations for Governing Bodies

A strategic roadmap for modernising women’s golf in an era of longevity, equity, and structural change

Overview

The challenges facing women’s golf today are not new. They are the continuation of patterns established 135 years ago, when the first governing structures were created for a world with different social roles, shorter lifespans, and fewer working women.

To grow the game sustainably, governing bodies must shift from focusing on participation promotion to participation architecture.
The issue is structural, not behavioural.

This page outlines evidence-based, historically grounded, and future-focused recommendations that governing bodies can adopt — practical, strategic, and aligned with modern life stages and longevity trends.

What Governing Bodies Need to Understand First

1. The mid-life participation gap is structural.

It emerges because the pathway disappears, not because mid-life women lack interest.

2. Senior women sustain the game.

They are the most committed, stable, and economically impactful participants.

3. Pathways determine behaviour.

Men stay because the pathway supports continuity; women leave because it does not.

4. Emotional culture is a performance asset.

Belonging, community, respect, and humour are retention drivers.

5. The future of golf is being reshaped by longevity.

Older women will dominate participation growth for the next 30 years.

These insights form the foundation for effective reform.

Strategic Recommendations

Below are the structural, cultural, and policy-level changes that governing bodies should prioritise.

1. Build a Modern, Complete Women’s Pathway

The most urgent reform.

Recommended Actions

Establish regional women’s associations aligned with the men’s model
Create regional championships feeding into national events
Introduce mid-amateur and mid-life categories (25–49)
Ensure all levels include weekend competitive access
Build bridging formats for women returning after time away
Introduce structured adult development pathways (similar to juniors)

Impact

Rebuilds continuity → improves retention → increases competitive depth → strengthens national representation.

2. Recognise Senior Women as a Strategic Asset, Not a Separate Group

Senior women are the most powerful growth engine for the sport.

Recommended Actions

Formally integrate senior/veterans associations into the broader pathway
Create leadership pipelines for senior women
Ensure senior competitions have national visibility and promotion
Invest in senior women as mentors, ambassadors, and culture-bearers

Impact

Protects the cultural backbone → supports intergenerational continuity → enhances wellbeing and retention.

3. Shift Women’s Golf Programming Toward Weekend Accessibility

Weekend participation is the single biggest predictor of retaining mid-life women.

Recommended Actions

Require counties to offer weekend or hybrid competitions
Encourage clubs to designate women-inclusive weekend blocks
Add weekend qualifying formats for inter-club events
Create national weekend championship pathways for working women

Impact

Transforms accessibility → closes mid-life gap → modernises the sport.

4. Modernise Governance to Reflect Equal Pathways

Women cannot be retained without equal representation in the structures that shape the game.

Recommended Actions

Include women in strategic committees that shape pathways, not just women’s committees
Establish joint male–female governance models for regional structures
Train and support female coaches, referees, and volunteers
Ensure women sit on all decision-making bodies related to competition design and scheduling

Impact

Creates alignment → embeds equity → accelerates modernisation.

5. Position Golf as a Lifelong Wellbeing Sport, Not Just a Competitive Sport

Longevity demands a new narrative.

Recommended Actions

Partner with public health bodies on active ageing programmes
Promote golf as a mental wellbeing, resilience, and social-connection sport
Create wellbeing pathways alongside competitive pathways
Develop resources highlighting the healthy-ageing benefits of golf

Impact

Broadens appeal → attracts new demographics → enhances funding potential.

6. Invest in Women’s Culture, Not Only Women’s Competitions

Culture is the invisible architecture of participation.

Recommended Actions

Train clubs on building female-friendly environments
Fund initiatives that strengthen community and belonging
Capture oral histories and celebrate women’s heritage
Support intergenerational golf formats

Impact

Rebuilds emotional continuity → increases retention → enriches the sport’s identity.

7. Transform Communication & Visibility for Women’s Golf

Women cannot aspire to pathways they cannot see.

Recommended Actions

Increase visibility of women’s competitions at all levels
Showcase senior women as role models
Highlight mid-life and returner stories
Use digital channels to present women’s golf as inclusive, modern, and vibrant

Impact

Strengthens identity → inspires participation → builds a sense of belonging.

8. Embed Evidence-Led Policy Making

Data and history should guide modern strategy.

Recommended Actions

Track participation by life stage, not just gender
Collect data on weekend access, inter-club involvement, and mid-life drop-off
Use historical archives to understand long-term patterns
Partner with demographic and behavioural researchers

Impact

Ensures decisions are grounded, credible, and sustainable.

What This Means for The Future

If governing bodies implement these recommendations, women’s golf will become:

structurally equitable
emotionally supportive
economically sustainable
aligned with modern life and longevity
deeply connected across generations
capable of retaining women for a lifetime

This is the transformation the sport has needed for decades.

The Core Insight

Women’s golf can thrive — not by asking women to adapt to outdated structures, but by adapting the structures to reflect women’s real lives today.

Governing bodies have the power to lead this change.