Alison Root: Why Are We Driving The New Generation Away?

Female golfers on the tee — (Image credit: Paul Severn)

For as long as I can remember, the golf industry’s rallying cry has been ‘grow the game.’ We looked at ageing female memberships and panicked. We needed youth and women who didn't look at a golf course as an exhibit of outdated social expectations but as a place to actually have fun.

Well, the future has finally walked through the pro shop doors. They’re wearing fashion-forward golf gear, they’re documenting their rounds on social media, and they’re bringing a vibrance that the game has desperately lacked. So why are we suddenly trying to show them the exit?

The recent discourse on the Women’s Golf Lounge highlights a painful irony. On one side, you have younger women, the very lifeblood of the sport’s future, feeling like intruders in their own clubs. On the other, you have a brigade of traditionalists, who I believe are hiding behind the shield of etiquette and the rules to mask what is essentially a fear of change.

One of my favourite responses to this growing divide, and one I agree with wholeheartedly, summed it up perfectly: “Women are their own worst enemy. The young uns, the old uns, the weekend ladies, the week ladies... we’re just women playing golf. I feel we need to stop being obsessed with age and all make an effort to get on. These posts don’t put women or women’s golf in a good light.”

Let’s be honest, etiquette is often used as a convenient gatekeeping tool. When an anonymous poster complains about mobile phones or a slower pace, they are often really saying, "You don’t look or act like me, and that makes me uncomfortable."

I find this incredibly frustrating because it focuses on the wrong things. Yes, pace of play matters. Yes, knowing the basic rules is helpful. But those are skills that can be taught. You cannot teach someone to feel welcome. Once a new golfer is made to feel small by a sneer from an older member in the locker room, that golfer is gone, and she’ll take her friends with her.

This is a fundamental culture clash. The older generation views golf as a sanctuary of silence and strict adherence; the younger generation views it as a social experience. These two worlds are colliding on the fairways, and the resistance to change is massive. But the most telling part of this issue isn't actually the anonymous complaint, it’s the backlash against it.

The fact that other older women are slamming the traditionalist view is the first sign of hope we've had in years. It shows that even within the old guard, there is a realisation that this is our future. If we kill the enthusiasm of this new generation with a thousand tiny corrections, we are effectively signing the death warrant for women's golf. I don’t know if there is one clear answer, but I do know it starts with a shift in power.

We need to prioritise mentorship over policing. Instead of anonymous complaints, how about a ‘Welcome to the Club’ event where rules are shared over drinks rather than barked on the 4th tee? We need to invite people in, not keep them out. If you have suggestions or thoughts on this subject, please leave them in the comments box below.

Furthermore, golf clubs need to decide once and for all if they want to be a museum or a business. If the business depends on young women, then the dress codes and the silence rules need to evolve. We cannot expect the next generation to pay for memberships while we simultaneously tell them their lifestyle isn't welcome.

We spent years crying out for these golfers. Now they’re here. They're loud, they’re stylish, and they’re obsessed with the game. In my opinion, we have a choice. We can either hand them a club and a seat at the table, or we can keep complaining about their phones until there’s no one left to play with.

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Alison Root has over 25 years experience working in media and events, predominantly dedicated to golf, in particular the women’s game. Until 2020, for over a decade Alison edited Women & Golf magazine and website, and is now the full-time Women's Editor for Golf Monthly. Alison is a respected and leading voice in the women's game, overseeing content that communicates to active golfers from grassroots through to the professional scene, and developing collaborative relationships to widen Golf Monthly's female audience across all platforms to elevate women's golf to a new level. She is a 16-handicap golfer (should be better) and despite having had the fantastic opportunity to play some of the best golf courses around the world, Kingsbarns in Scotland is her favourite.

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