Meg Mallon has accomplished plenty in golf, winning four major championships and 14 other LPGA events in her career, plus being named captain of the U.S. Solheim Cup team.
But as she noted at this month’s Denver Golf Expo, she doesn’t consider any of those things her favorite memory regarding the game.
“My greatest memory in golf to this day is walking nine holes with my mom (while) carrying a bag on my back,” Mallon said. “I want every kid and every parent to have that experience.”
Like most people in the golf business, Mallon has seen the worrisome statistics about golf participation trends, especially among females and junior players. According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of female golfers in the U.S. has dropped more than 27 percent, from 7 million in 2005 to 5.1 million in 2011. And the number of junior golfers in the country decreased more than 36 percent (3.8 million to 2.4 million) over the same period.
That’s certainly concerning to those in the golf industry — and really anyone who cares about the game. (So are declines among men since 2005, but those have been significantly less pronounced.)
So how can these trends be reversed, and more girls and women be successfully welcomed into the game?
“Access, access, access,” said Mallon, the American captain for the Solheim Cup that will be contested at Colorado Golf Club in August. “We need to open up our facilities, our golf courses, to get kids more involved. We see countries like Korea and Sweden and now China — it’s all about kids playing golf. This country has not embraced that as much as they should.
“I’m biased. It’s the greatest game in the world. It teaches ethics, morals, the right thing to do, how to get along with people. What greater avenue (than) to teach children the game of golf? So we need to, as adults, make sure that that happens.
“… It’s a hard game. It’s a time-consuming game. You have to give the kids the love of the game so they want to be out there playing. … Make golf fun. It’s not supposed to be like going to the dentist.”
This is also a major issue in Colorado, especially to organizations like the CWGA, CGA, CJGA and the Colorado PGA. Not surprisingly, making inroads in attracting girls and women to the game — or back to the game — will be one of the major themes at Saturday’s CWGA Annual Meeting at the Inverness Hotel. And there are numerous initiatives and efforts designed to combat the problematic trends.
“The goal is to promote women’s golf and grow women’s golf,” said Kim Nissen, membership programs and marketing manager for the CWGA.
“We’re trying to make (the game) as inviting as we possibly can,” said Eddie Ainsworth, executive director of the Colorado PGA, noting that it’s OK to play three or six holes of golf instead of the more traditional nine or 18. “We believe once we get them there, the golf bug will bite them.”
Here are some of the programs and plans that major golf organizations in Colorado hope will make inroads in building a strong foundation in golf with girls and women:
— The Colorado PGA, CWGA and other local organizations will put on a Girls Golf Fair on May 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at CommonGround Golf Course. The free event is for girls age 5-17 and their families, and is billed as “a fun-filled event geared to energize junior girls about the game of golf.”
The day — also sponsored by the CGA, LPGA-USGA Girls Golf, The First Tee at Green Valley Ranch and Girl Power Golf — will include family golf instruction, education on the Rules of Golf and etiquette, lunch and nutrition information, Solheim Cup-related fun and photos, sun protection and fitness tips, games and exhibitions.
— The CWGA continues to significantly expand its social golf outings, designed to attract women more interested in the game as a social activity rather than as competition. This year, there are nine such late afternoon/evening outings planned — seven “Ladies Nights Out” at the Greg Mastriona Golf Courses at Hyland Hills, and one similar event each at Foothills Golf Course and Meridian Golf Club. The activities usually include short clinics or instruction, some playing time on the golf course, help from the CWGA on rules and etiquette, and a get-together with food and/or beverages after. For more details, CLICK HERE.
In addition, a larger number of CWGA Experience outings (four) will be offered this year, all in the spring, with ones in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Thornton and Grand Junction. Experience events include group lessons from LPGA and/or PGA professionals — with rotating instructional areas, each focusing on a different area of the game — lunch and welcome gifts and prizes. For more details, CLICK HERE.
— Seeing many of the best women’s golfers in the world up close and personal is sure to inspire some girls and women, and help increase the game’s reach. That’s where this summer’s Solheim Cup matches between the U.S. and Europe at Colorado Golf Club could make a difference. And helping facilitate that will be the fact that kids 17 and under will be admitted to the event free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
— The Colorado PGA Golf in Schools program, a joint initiative with the CGA, CWGA and other organizations, continues to expand its reach in bringing golf to students through P.E. classes at their schools. Ainsworth said the Colorado PGA has partnered with P.E. teacher Kenny Webb in the effort, “and the things he’s teaching us on how kids learn is phenomenal. What we’re modeling here in Colorado will go across the country. I like to call us the tip of the spear in what we’re doing with growth of the game.”
— The CWGA has added a new membership identification that will help the association reach out to new golfers for education purposes. Handicap chairpersons at women’s clubs can note an “N” membership type on the Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN). Then the CWGA can send these “N” members periodic communication regarding etiquette, the Rules of Golf, and handicap system tips and information. The idea is to make newer women golfers feel more comfortable with the game.
— The Colorado PGA has created a new full-time position — funded by the Colorado PGA Foundation — with the title of junior development director. Erin (Hall) Diegel, a graduate of the Evans Caddie Scholarship program at the University of Colorado and a former CU women’s golfer, will fill the new position, which also will encompass other matters related to women’s and girls golf. Diegel founded Girl Power Golf, which Ainsworth said will be rolled into a Colorado PGA program.
— A “Connecting With Her” Committee” has been formed by the Colorado PGA, which is receiving input from groups such as the CWGA, the Executive Women’s Golf Association and Sassy Golf. And, in trying to build the partnership between women’s clubs and PGA professionals, the CWGA has asked the Colorado PGA’s new director of player development, Keith Soriano, to conduct one of the breakout sessions at Saturday’s CWGA Annual Meeting.
“We’re trying to give women’s clubs reasons to enhance their relationships with their PGA professionals,” Nissen said.
Nissen, meanwhile, will join with Metropolitan State University professor Kathy Malpass in conducting a breakout session on how women’s clubs and leagues can attract new membership. Another breakout will include discussion on how fitness workshops and camps can help add golfers to women’s clubs. And club presidents will share practices that have proven effective in attracting new members and retaining them.
Meanwhile, the Colorado PGA is also partnering with the Solheim Cup in an effort to get more businesswomen involved in the game, and related efforts.
— On a local level in Colorado Springs, the Colorado PGA is planning to work with girls high school golf programs, with PGA and LPGA professionals partnering with coaches. The idea is for the professionals to provide golf instruction, while the coaches focus on the coaching and organizational parts of the job.
In a related matter, Ainsworth said “we’re probably going to look at eventually lobbying to move girls high school golf from the spring” to the fall because of the more-advantageous weather and course conditions.
