Ladies' game gets a fresh new image

May 1 2008 by Tim Taylor, The Journal

THE battle to increase the number of women playing golf, already won at Whitley Bay this season, has moved on to the Hexham club.

This is welcome in an age where the old fashioned view of female golf as a tweedy “grey rinse” sport has been replaced by a fresh young image created by top stars such as Mexico’s world number one Lorena Ochoa and Natalie Gulbis, the pin-up girl of US golf, who has turned down several requests from Playboy magazine.

Inevitably, the 118 members of Whitley Bay’s ladies’ section have been nicknamed the Baywatch Babes by the golf world following the success of their club’s Cafe Golf membership.

Bay have another 40 membership applications which they expect to process within a fortnight. That will give them a ladies’ membership of 140% above the national average of 66.

Now Hexham, a club whose members enjoy the use of one of the most beautiful courses in the country, have been busy plastering the town with posters publicising their scheme.

Hexham are putting on the usual EGU free “have a go at golf” taster sessions for ladies and juniors on July 28, 29, 30 and August 1, including free use of equipment.

The club are also holding two Ladies Open Days on May 27 and June 3 (1pm-7pm). Over a free coffee or a glass of wine on either day, lady golfers who may have given up the game or beginners can find out about a new lady membership concept.

Hexham are offering ladies a three-month taster membership for £125, which runs from July 1 to September 30. This includes free use of the basic clubs they need to take up the sport for all three months.

Otherwise, Hexham’s scheme has many of the Whitley Bay features, such as a walk-and-talk session over part of the course to explain basic rules and course management.

There are also the five one-hour group golf lessons with the PGA professional, Ben West, free use of the clubhouse, course and practice areas and 10 vouchers for wine, tea and coffee for the duration of the membership.

The main difference is that while the Cafe Golf ladies of Whitley Bay can play five holes of the course for six months for £150, at Hexham the taster membership allows use of the whole course for three months for £125.

“We have been discussing this since Christmas,” said the club’s secretary and manager, Dawn Wylie. “But Whitley Bay beat us to the punch. Both of us, though, have decided to actually do something about the nationwide shortage of lady members at golf clubs. At Hexham, we hope it will gives ladies encouragement and confidence to enjoy a great sport in an enjoyable and sociable environment. ”

These are forward-thinking times for Hexham, who this season will host the Northumberland men’s championship and The Hadrian League’s challenge match against The Journal Dream Team.

Meanwhile, Anne Biggs, a former Durham and Yorkshire champion who is a member of the County Durham executive and a six-handicap member of Tyneside, welcomed both initiatives. She said: “The golf authorities should make a point of encouraging all clubs to be adaptable in this respect. Most of them have loops of their course that break into smaller numbers. I have friends in Canada who regularly play Nine and Dine competitions.

“Several clubs in Durham have plans to attract more lady members, among them Beamish Park, Barnard Castle and Ravensworth.

“The most successful scheme to date is the one by Julie Welch at Cocken Lodge, near Durham City, where coaching, coffee and golf on the course combine. Their nine-hole course now has an official standard scratch score for ladies which makes it ideal for beginners of any age to mark cards for handicap purposes.

“The English Women’s Golf Association is tentatively following in the footsteps of their colleagues in New Zealand where nine-hole golf has really taken off.

“It is now permissible for women in England to play a recognised competition over only nine holes – a very attractive prospect for everyone with time constraints as well as for those at either end of the age range.”

TO find out more about Hexham’s taster membership for ladies, contact Dawn Wylie, tel (01434) 603072, option 1, email info@hexhamgolf.co.uk or visit www.hexhamgolf.co.uk

PGA professional Julie Welch’s phone number at Cocken Lodge is (0191) 584 1053.