This guest post from Carol Williams has some great tips on finding a woman friendly golf course.
When choosing the location of your next golfing experience, it’s important to look at every little detail.
Only by ensuring that a given golf course is women-friendly, can female amateur golfers feel at ease and enjoy playing their favorite sport.
Here are some important features to help you determine whether a golf course is truly women-friendly.
Bag drop: The bag drop location offers a lot of insight into how the course treats female golfers. If you see clear signs showing where to drop your bag, it’s a good start. Is the staff friendly and helps you off-load your bag from the car onto a cart or stand? This is something that should get your hopes up. If you see that information about your tee time and directions to the locker rooms are readily available, it’s just the icing on the cake.
Staff: When visiting the golf course, take a close look at the staff. The clues as to whether or not you’ll be welcomed as a female golfer at a club will be already visible. If you receive a warm and courteous welcome and you’re being waited on in turn, consider these good signs. Moreover, if you notice that there are no tee time restrictions, you might be looking at a truly women-friendly golf course.
Course Design: There are many aspects of golf courses themselves that account for their approach towards female golfers. Take a close look at the design and length of the golf course. The availability of facilities is important as well. Check whether the club put in some effort into designing the course and the placement of the forward tee box. Is it as well maintained as the other tee boxes or is it full of weeds and overgrown? Has the club placed ball washers, benches and trash bins in a spot convenient to the forward tees? Are there healthy halfway house food options? May seem minor, but every detail counts in making women golfers feel welcome!
Other golfers: One look at the golfers on the course who are regulars will give you lots of food for thought. This is an aspect that can either make or break a course as friendly to women. Look for clues showing that the club’s regulars don’t like the idea of female golfers. If you spot groups of golfers staring down at you or male players in your foursome walking past your tee box, consider yourself warned. Ask how many women frequent the course and you’ll have your final answer.
Clubhouse: A women-friendly clubhouse will offer a fully stocked and pristine women’s locker room.
The locker room is the best space to help you figure out whether the club is truly women-friendly. If you spot smart solutions like receptacles for used towels, as well as number of private areas where women can get dressed, you might be looking at your next club. Naturally, lockers should be clean and tidy. You might find a range of feminine products, as well as tissues. Sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner, as well as hairdryers – if you spot them by the showers or placed on vanities, you know you’re in the right place. They simply want women to feel comfortable and relaxed – these clubs strive to provide all the comforts they can. Steam rooms are a good example of that effort.
Bulletin boards: That’s right, the bulletin board at the club can give you many clues about the local approach to female golfers. Have a look around the promotions and bulletin boards hanging around the walls. Do you see any women’s community flyers? Are there any special lessons for female golfers? Perhaps an event organized with women who golf in mind? If you spot any of these, you can be sure to have a fabulous golfing experience.
Pro shop: It’s worth to take a look at the pro shop as well. Do you see any women-specific accessories there? If so, this is a clear sign that the course has a positive attitude towards women who like to golf. But that’s not all. Have a look at how many rental sets are available for women players. If you see just one set, it’s clear that nobody around thinks much of women. At least they should have sets for right and left-handed female players.
Frequenting a golf course where women aren’t welcome will at some point take all the fun out of golfing. Make sure to find the right club that knows the value of female golfers and you’ll be on your way to securing great golfing experience as a single player or together with your friends.
About the author: Carol Williams works in a Grapefruit Department of Florida Fruit Shippers. She combines her passion for sports – especially golf – with her interest in writing and sharing her insights.
