The new age of golf: South Australian clubs experiencing massive influx of female members – but why?

Forget yoga classes and book clubs – the new social hotspot for Adelaide women is the golf course.

Adelaide women are flocking to golf in droves – sparking a resurgence in the sport that some club officials have “never seen anything like before”.

Sparked by the emergence of LIV golf and a desire for post-Covid socialisation, some of SA’s biggest golf clubs are seeing rising female registrations, insiders say.

Now, with a bigger focus than ever before, clubs are introducing “pathway programs” to help get girls in the door – mixing lighthearted social activities with critical how-to basics.

Zoe Manton, 18, first picked up a golf club when she was 5. Now, she plays off a plus handicap as Glenelg’s recently appointed junior captain, and was part of the women’s pennant team who brought home its first Sanderson Cup since 2019.

Zoe Manton with her winning teammates Bec Hardy and Marita Jakupech. Picture: Ben Blaess

“Once I started, it definitely felt natural to me – I was always kind of passionate about it,” Manton said. “I think there was only one other girl when I started, but it didn’t really faze me.

“Golf was so special to me when I was growing up and now, being able to create a similar environment for the juniors at Glenelg now – it’s pretty special knowing that you’re kind of shaping their golf experience.”

Now, Manton is constantly thinking of ways to grow the game and get more women into the sport – to give the younger generation and beyond the same opportunities she had as an aspiring golfer.

“It’s so exciting for me because golf has given me everything,” Manton said. “I think it’s shaped who I am as a person and I have no idea what kind of person I would be if I didn’t have golf.

Rising stars of women's golf – Glenelg Golf Club star Zoe Manton. Picture: David Brand

“A lot of people think it’s boring and that you just go around and smack things, but you get to spend over four hours playing a round with people that you love spending time with.

“I feel really lucky that I did start when I was so young. If we can get more girls signing up I think it would be so special, and hopefully I can figure out a way to get more coming to Glenelg.”

Over the past two months alone, 65 women have signed up for six different clinics at the Glenelg Golf Club’s Women’s Try Golf program.

Each clinic consists of three, three-and-a-half hour sessions where participants are taught “key aspects of the game” – including chipping, irons, woods and drivers, and putting.

General manager Robert Vincekovic said clubs around the state were all “trying to do their bit to promote the women’s game”.

“We really saw a huge influx of members after Covid,” Vincekovic said. “I think we had something like almost 100 women join in that first year after we fully reopened.

“The problem we’re finding now is that we’ve got so many women wanting to do the women’s Try Golf program, that we just don’t have enough room on the golf course to accept them all as members.

“It’s sort of a problem that all of us in Adelaide and in Australia are having – is just how to manage those wait lists effectively and how to manage the demand on golf. We haven’t seen anything like it.”

So why the Adelaide women’s golf “explosion”?

Dom Dolla performs after the first round of LIV Golf Adelaide. Picture: Charles Laberge

The unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic briefly put social activities on hold and, as restrictions eased, it left people champing at the bit to partake in anything they could get their hands on.

Couple that with the world’s richest golf competition making its way to Adelaide, the sport now has more eyes on it than ever before – and is keeping up with recent activity trends like pilates and run clubs.

Kooyonga Golf Club general manager Brett Lewis said clubs around the country were “reaping the benefits” from the sport’s growing engagement.

“I think probably since Covid, and through LIV, the general awareness of golf among the younger demographic is really helping to grow the game,” Mr Lewis said.

“We’ve got a pretty strong coaching cohort here at Kooyonga, and therefore we’ve got some great introductory type programs that we run.

“Really it’s about breaking down the fear factor and intimidation of actually getting on the course.”

North Adelaide Golf Club president Marlene Boundy said there had been an “explosion”.

“It’s absolutely fantastic,” Ms Boundy said. I think Covid was the turning point for a lot of people.”

The rise is also in accordance with the R & A’s Women in Golf Charter – a commitment initiated by Golf Australia aimed at “empowering more women and girls to reach their full potential”.

Golf clubs and facilities around the country are now encouraged to become signatories of the charter, and publicly declare their dedication to enhancing the female golf experience for.

What’s on offer?

Chipping, driving, putting and … sipping?

Friendly introductory lessons from Mount Osmond to Grange are incorporating all the best qualities golf has to offer.

Etiquette on the course, how to swing a golf club and, of course, the social aspect of embracing the outdoors for over four hours with your mates.

At Royal Adelaide, women are offered entry into the Let’s Go Clubbing program – a five-week course of golf’s fundamentals.

The course includes five 90-minute clinics, a light lunch after each clinic and a learning journal for $425.

On Wednesday, North Adelaide welcomed 28 brand new women to one of its come-and-try events.

North Adelaide Golf Club looking towards the city. Picture: Supplied

“They chipped and they putted and they clubbed, and then they came in and sipped,” Ms Boundy said.

“It was supposed to be a two hour event, but people lingered, and it was so much fun. It’s all about getting women into the game of golf and having some fun, making friends and learning a few skills along the way as well.

“It’s about enjoying the experience – coming out and taking part. We’ve had ladies that have never held a club, never taken a swing.”

Originally published as The new age of golf: South Australian clubs experiencing massive influx of female members – but why?