(London) Golf Genius kicked off it’s 12-month Digital Series designed to help national governing bodies pool knowledge and drive best practice, with a webinar focused on increasing women and girls’ golf participation around the world.
The webinar attracted 267 attendees from 21 countries as the future of the women’s game took centre stage.
Among the organisations represented were one of golf’s international governing bodies, The R&A, alongside Scottish Golf, England Golf, Golf New Zealand, Golf Australia, Golf NSW, Japan Golf Association, PGA of New Zealand, PGA Holland, PGA of Australia, Golf Ireland and the WPGA Tour.
Delivered as part of Golf Genius’ new Digital Series, the session brought together Molly Moore, PGA (love.golf), Alistair Spink, PGA (love.golf), Matt Reagan, PGA (Operation 36) and Mark Smith (Stamford Golf Club) alongside a diverse cross-section of the global golf industry, including representatives from three National PGAs, 21 National Governing Bodies, three Tours, 132 golf clubs, four regional associations and four simulator golf venues.
The session explored three key themes: the role of experiences in building a habit; the coach as the community anchor; and how incremental learning drives retention. The discussion drew on the experiences of the panellists who have helped create 240,000 new participants globally through Operation 36, including 96,000 women and girls.
Aston Ward, Chief Operating Officer, Confederation of Professional Golf, said: “If golf is going to grow sustainably, we need to create great experiences that attract more women and girls and give them reasons to keep coming back. The session was excellent and a very interesting chance to find out more about organisations and people working in different markets, understand the challenges they face and take away practical ideas that can be applied locally. We really believe sharing like this can help move our community forward.”
Research shared during the webinar found that the introduction of incremental play increases the number of women who play and practise weekly by 54%, based on a survey of 419 women who had participated in Operation 36 across the US and Canada.
A live survey of attendees also highlighted some of the challenges facing organisations looking to grow female participation. Among the findings:
- 48% reported having a strategic goal to increase female participation by a certain amount
- 23% said their organisation currently runs no women and girls’ programmes
- 44% relied on manual workflows to track and report on the success of their programmes, with only 5% using a dedicated golf participation dashboard
The findings highlight some of the key areas Golf Genius is looking to support through the provision of insight, best practice and market-leading technology.
Mark Ingrey, Facilities Manager, Golf NSW, said “Growing women and girls’ participation is one of the biggest opportunities for golf, and organisations can learn a great deal by sharing what works. Golf Genius’ webinar series provides a valuable platform for associations to share how they are using technology, learn from one another and exchange best practice. It has been great to see the initiative evolve into a much broader programme, with relevance for clubs and grassroots facilities too. This session was a great example, bringing together practical experiences and ideas that organisations can apply in their own environments.”
Craig Higgs, Golf Genius, said “The response to this first international webinar has demonstrated the appetite across the golf industry for practical insight and shared experiences. The strong level of webinar attendance shows the importance of the conversation around growing women and girls’ participation. Increasing female participation is fundamental to the future of the game, and through the Digital Series we want to help organisations deliver measurable growth in participation by turning insights into action.”
The webinar marks the beginning of Golf Genius’ new Digital Series, following the recent launch of the third edition of the Digital Playbook. The programme of reports, insights, workshops and webinars will explore the future of golf’s connected digital ecosystem through to The Open Championship at St Andrews in 2027. The series continues in September with the Global Simulator Golf Market Report, examining the growth of the global simulator golf market.
To watch the Building Thriving Women & Girls Communities webinar, click here
To register to view to Simulator Golf Market Insights Report, please click here
To view the Digital Playbook, please click here
For more information about Golf Genius, please contact international@golfgenius.com
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
For hi-res imagery click here
Image Captions:
- Golf Genius’ first international webinar launched its new Digital Series, bringing the global golf industry together to explore the growth of women’s and girls’ participation.
- The first webinar in Golf Genius’ new Digital Series brought together golf organisations from around the world to share insight and best practice on growing women’s and girls’ participation.
Contact:
Tom Bentley, Head of International Marketing – Golf Genius
tom.bentley@golfgenius.com
Miles Evans, ION 54
miles.evans@ion54.com
Nick Dorey, ION 54
nick.dorey@ion54.com
For more information, visit golfgenius.com.
About Golf Genius
Golf Genius provides innovative software and services to the global golf community serving nearly 11,000 private clubs, public courses, academies, and destination resorts in 63 countries. Golf Genius also serves national federations, regional associations, and tours, including the USGA, Golf Canada, England Golf, Golf Ireland, Wales Golf, Japan Golf Association, Golf Saudi, Singapore Golf Association, Golf NSW, the Legends Tour, Faldo Series, and the PGAs of America, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Holland, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, New Zealand and the UAE. With a core product suite that spans tournament management, golf shop operations, coaching, and handicap management, Golf Genius provides the essential tools for golf professionals to save time, increase revenue, and deliver exceptional golfer experiences. The company’s direct-to-consumer business reaches more than 15 million golfers worldwide with a popular portfolio of consumer golf apps offering GPS, auto shot tracking, scoring and statistics, strokes gained, video analysis, and golf trip management.
Golf Genius has over 300 team members, including 75 PGA Professionals, with sales and support operations in the United States, Canada, Japan, the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. For more information, please visit golfgenius.com.
