New program connects women to female coaches

A new program unveiled by the PGA of Australia and WPGA aims to not only provide an inviting entry point for women new to the game of golf but also showcase the female PGA Professionals who can guide them.

The Women’s Golf Network launched at Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne on March 22 and was followed the next day by a full day of clinics and networking for 80 participants at Ballarat Golf Club.

With sponsorship from both adidas and Callaway REVA, they represent the first of 12 to be conducted around the country by mid-July with an expectation that more will follow in the second half of the year.

Each day consists of an adidas Performance Clinic for established golfers and the Callaway REVA Beginner Clinic for those new to the game and continues the collaboration between the PGA of Australia’s and the rebranded WPGA Tour.

The goals are twofold. To provide an encouraging environment for female golfers but also develop and encourage more women to join the ranks of PGA Professionals delivering such programs.

“The industry has recognised that greater engagement with women is integral to the future health of our sport and a big part of that is having talented and accomplished PGA Professionasl at our golf clubs working alongside our male Professionals in assisting golfers to become better,” said PGA of Australia CEO, Gavin Kirkman.

One of few to identify an interest in coaching over playing, Lee Harrington completed her traineeship at Riverside Oaks in the mid-1990s and now runs The Golf School based at Palm Meadows Driving Range on the Gold Coast.

As a board member and Director of Development for the WPGA, Harrington believes the benefits of the Women’s Golf Network are twofold.

“Currently there are 160 female PGA Professionals in Australia. If we’re going to increase the participation of the women’s game a big part of that has to be driven by more female coaches,” says Harrington.

“The big goal from us as an industry is to get more female coaches on the ground and the PGA are active in that.

“More people know of all of the opportunities that women have in the industry now so if we can get a couple of girls understanding that, a few women in the room might want to go into the golf industry. That’s the big picture concept that we’re working towards.”

To register your interest in the Women’s Golf Network, head to pga.org.au/womens-golf-network

Women’s Golf Network schedule