Hally Leadbetter: ‘There Are Well-Meaning People Who Don’t Realise They’re Making Women Feel Unwelcome In Golf’

Hally Leadbetter has found the sweet spot in the golf world, a relatable middle ground between traditional, experienced players and a large influx of women trying the game – and she’s uniting the two groups in a really creative way.

The daughter of famed golf instructor David Leadbetter and former professional golfer, she knows golf’s serious side. But the 33-year-old’s passion for the entertainment industry brought her to Los Angeles 5 years ago, where she’s become one of the most sought-after writers, producers, content creators, and hosts in the golf space.

Using her insightful sense of humor (although she claims her younger brother James is the funny one in the family) and a deep understanding of all aspects of the golf game, Leadbetter has been involved with projects from hosting two seasons of Mornings @ the Masters, to hilarious gender reversal golf club skits, to working as the golf consultant for Netflix’s upcoming series The Hawk, starring Will Ferrell.

Adding to her list of job titles, this year Leadbetter founded Bunchies, an energy ball snack for golfers, which she recently showcased at the Masters with other wellness-focused brands. Leadbetter doesn’t mind the packed schedule because she’s doing what she loves, but she admits that embracing failure and uncertainty was a big part of finding success. Playing golf is what helped her navigate the whole process.

GM: Congrats on the new Bunchies business. What sets them apart from other energy snacks?

HL: Having Amy O’Donnell (Ladies European Tour nutritionist) sign off on this was so huge. I wanted it to be something that professional golfers would trust to give them what they needed to fuel their rounds. I consider myself fairly health conscious, but I’ve always been very protein-minded.

Amy said, this is not a protein ball, this is an energy ball. This needs to be a balanced make up of macros, fats, carbs, and proteins. The other day I was hungry and I only had one in my golf bag, and 10 -15 minutes went by and I was like, Wow, I’m not hangry anymore. Would you look at that, Amy O’Donnell knows what she’s doing!

GM: The golf ball packaging takes it to a whole new level. What’s feedback been like?

HL: The response has been just incredible, from average players to professional golfers to people who are health conscious to people who just think they taste good and are easy and quick. We’ve had fantastic feedback from a couple LPGA players who have really loved them. I sent them to Rory McIlroy, Min Woo Lee, Max Homa, and Joel Dahmen.

We are going to be in Golf Galaxy, over 100 stores across the country, which I’m really excited about, and just cranking away at Pebble Beach, Bel-Air, Hillcrest, Wilshire. It’s definitely a grind. But this past year has been so incredible. People are like how have these not existed yet? Bunchies are a great option for people who value wellness.

GM: How is the new wave of young, female golfers impacting the demand for wellness-focused product options like this?

HL: The largest growing demographic of golfers is young women, and whether it be the apparel, the food options, the overall atmosphere of a clubhouse has never really catered to them, and I think we’re seeing a conscious shift in that. We’ve made a ton of progress in apparel. I’m a Nike ambassador and I’m super excited about the Spring 2027 line.

Women are coming out of the woodwork now to play golf, which is so cool. It’s really important that the golf industry is prepared to meet them with things like apparel and nutrition that appeal to them.

GM: Aside from apparel, what other areas are progressing the most in women’s golf?

HL: We are right now seeing huge strides in the LPGA. What they’ve done with the broadcast and what they are about to do with their content strategy is just going to be absolutely incredible.

It is so rapidly changing. Two of the women who work for me have gotten into golf in the last two years, and one of them started a monthly meet up group at the range and 80 women showed up.

Even for women who graduate college, and decide not to turn pro, they can still feel like golf is something they can keep up with. And their friends are like, I want to go to the range, teach me how to play, look at that cute Malbon dress. That just didn’t exist when I graduated college. It was either you are turning pro or you are throwing your clubs in the closet and never touching a club for who knows how long. I remember I went to a party in New York and this woman said, Ew, why do you work in golf? I’m like, it’s a long story.

GM: How do you find a middle ground between the two golf groups, that more traditional golfer, who you grew up around, versus new players, who may be drawn in for the camaraderie rather than the score?

HL: I find it to be a real advantage because I have an understanding of where the game was, but simultaneously I’m very plugged into where it’s going. I’m surrounded by young new waves of golfers. For the content projects that Better Co. (Leadbetter’s creative agency and production company) is working on, I have a very good understanding of how things will land with (both sides).

I think for a long time I tried to pressure myself to be either a traditional golf broadcaster, or a content creator. I didn’t know which one I should be. In the last year or two, whether it be CBS with Mornings @ the Masters, or Golf Digest doing the On The Tee celebrity interview series, I’ve been really lucky to have people be like, you can occupy this middle ground. I’ve found that the more I lean into it, the better it is.

GM: Your golf club skits are a great example of that! My favorites are the all female club and the men’s grill room. What’s your next topic?

HL: We just shot a sketch where a club doesn’t allow women to tee off before 11 am. (Leadbetter shows a photo of her and a fellow actor dressed as men). I think we’ll put it out at the end of this month. The videos are so much fun to make. Better Co. mostly does golf commercials and social media content, but this is our fun side project.

There’s no better way to start a conversation than with comedy. There are a lot of well-meaning people in the golf industry that just don’t know what they are doing might be making a woman feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. Somebody can watch it and come to their own conclusions without feeling like they are being accused of anything.

The All Female Country Club | Better Off with Hally Leadbetter - YouTube

Watch On

GM: I can’t wait to see it. It’s hard to believe that those restrictions still exist.

HL: It’s really wild. Maybe the average female handicap is higher than the average men’s handicap. Well, then let’s base tee times on handicap. I’m just as good or better than the majority of men. Any clubs that have rules like that, I would say, well, if it’s a pace-of-play issue, which is tied to a skill level, then let’s make it a skill level thing, not a gender thing.

I don’t have anything against areas that are focused on gender. If you want to have your men’s grill room hang out, fine, then also have that space for women. What’s important is having equality when it comes to amenities at clubs and getting rid of these stupid rules about women not being able to play at certain times.

GM: I’m glad there are people like you bringing awareness. Golf is too amazing for issues like that to turn new women away.

HL: It’s such an incredible game, when I think about what golf has taught me about myself and having something to improve upon. When we were younger, we all had some sort of extra curricular, and as you get older you lose that, you lose a hobby for yourself. And golf can be that. Golf is something that is incredibly rewarding, and gives you a lot of feedback where you are mentally.

While golf has been a source of stress and maybe a trigger for me for my own OCD or anxiety issues, I’ve always found that it is such a wonderful mirror to show you the things that you could work on.

When I get really nervous on the golf course, I tend to swing very, very quickly and the same bodily sensations happen when I'm about to go on camera or have an interview I really, really care about. The same techniques or perspectives that I was able to use on the golf course to help me manage moments that I perceived as really important or wanted to do well, I’m able to tap into those same lessons now.

GM: Golf teaches us so many lessons we can apply to our daily lives. What are some of your biggest takeaways?

HL: I love Bob Rotella’s perspective that you have to be willing to get your heart broken. It’s so applicable to anything, for anyone. If you have a dream you have to be willing to lay it all out there and just accept that if it doesn’t work out or you fail, it’s a learning process.

I worked so hard in college golf and I could never play well in qualifying. I realized I was so afraid that my best wasn’t good enough to qualify. So, I told myself, alright, if I shoot 76 or 77 and I don’t make the lineup, I’d rather know that my pitching isn’t great as opposed to being like I have no idea what I could have shot, I have no idea if I am capable of qualifying. It’s such an unlock for anything.

Even when it comes to Bunchies when we are talking to investors, I’m like, I want your honest feedback. Is there something different I could have said in a pitch? Poke holes in our business plan. Doing your best and then getting honest feedback is the quickest way to get better.