Harrison, NY—In 2003 Martha Burke staged a very public protest outside the gates of Augusta National Golf Club—home of The Masters. At that time Augusta National was the poster child within golf for exclusionary policies against woman. In the years that followed Augusta National did bring into the fold two women members but the inclusion was little more than a surface level answer.
Fast forward to 2015 and the state of golf—most notably in the USA—is one in which fewer people are playing the game and the reasons have been known for quite some time. Golf takes too long to play, is not cost effective for broader range of income levels and is difficult to learn as effective teaching is not reaching the wider array of players at different entry points.
This week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, being played at Westchester CC, is a clear attempt by an array of partners to highlight the elevation of the former LPGA Championship but also to create a future agenda that inspires more women to play golf—not only for egalitarian reasons but for the sport’s long term health.
