Two Operators/Two Questions

Brian Rashley
Director of Golf
Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club
Galloway, New Jersey

Ryan McCarty
General Manager
Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club
Conway, South Carolina

Studies have shown that participation among women isn’t higher because, among other reasons, they don’t feel welcome. Two operators discuss the things they do to maximize a women’s experience.

Golf Business: Does your outside and golf shop staff greet women golfers warmly and do anything differently to make them immediately welcome and comfortable?

Rashley: We pride ourselves on the experience we give everybody. However, we do want the female golfer’s experience to be as positive as possible because it’s a male-dominant sport. We pay special attention to women’s needs in terms of pairings and groupings. If they prefer, we’ll try and pair a twosome of ladies with another ladies’ twosome or, if they prefer to play alone, we can get them out as a twosome if they don’t mind waiting 10 minutes.

McCarty: We try to make female golfers feel special by asking, ‘How we are doing today, ladies?’ ‘Have a great day and enjoy yourselves,’ etc., upon arrival. We also stick up for them if a male golfer says something negative or chauvinistic. Sometimes, after multiple groups of women go out, gentleman checking in will ask, ‘I’m not playing behind them, am I? We’ll then point out that 90 percent of women golfers play faster and have more golf etiquette than men.

GB: What percentage of your club’s golf shop features women’s equipment and apparel, and does your staff put any special emphasis on helping women golfers shopping at your facility?

Rashley: Essentially, 25 percent of our golf shop is dedicated to women in apparel, equipment and accessories, and female clothes account for 13 percent of total shop sales, so we take huge pride in our…

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