Just received this guest post from John-James Grice, from Web Outreach… his view on Women’s Golf from “the other side of the pond.” Thought you might find it interesting.

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The Influence of Women in Golf in the UK

The wider sport of golf has made great strides in trying to shed its image of being played exclusively by wealthy middle-aged males, and the progression of women’s golf has helped with that. Today, more women than ever before are taking up the game in the UK for a variety of reasons. As well as being relaxing to play, especially while taking golf breaks UK with yourgolftravel.com, it’s also good for developing fitness, irrespective of age, size or strength.

Over the past two decades, participation in golf at all levels by women in the UK has risen dramatically, albeit from a low base. Research undertaken recently showed that in the UK and Ireland, there are 193,564 women who regularly play golf, with only Germany boasting higher numbers. Meanwhile, between 2006 and 2010, Sport England claims that there has been marginal growth of around 4% in the number of women taking up the game, which is encouraging, especially when less men are deciding to tee off.

Women’s golf didn’t really take off until the late 1980’s, with one of the game’s flagship tournaments, the Solheim Cup, starting in 1990. Britain plays host to the Open, one of the LPGA’s major tournaments, which means that the game is guaranteed some exposure to people across the country. Recent successes for British and European golfers may act as a springboard for the women’s game to rival that of the men, not least the 2011 Solheim Cup victory at Killeen Castle golf course in the Republic of Ireland, where three British golfers were in the 12-woman squad.

The emergence of the professional game and prominence of players like current World ranked top 50 player Melissa Reid, 2009 Open Champion Catriona Matthew and multiple major winner Laura Davies before them acts as proof that British women are capable of competing just as well as their male counterparts. As for the amateur level, there are signs that, with no real decline in the number of women playing the game, golf is seen as being a fun sport to play, whether it’s just with friends or in a more competitive environment.

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Do you play golf in the UK? Do you agree with Grice’s take on the game for women? Add your comments!